440 Roller Rockers

[LSS&B]

Hi All. I have a 440 stock-stroke engine with Schneider roller-cam and matching valve springs that I am building for a 1966 Coronet street car.
The engine has cam profile below and Gator roller cam lifters.
What high quality roller rockers are you using in street applications?
Is aluminum an OK material for street engine roller rockers?
Are Harlan Sharpe aluminum roller rockers OK?
I think Crane roller rockers went out of production when Edelbrock absorbed them.
I don't see 440 rocker arms on Isky's website.
Summit is selling PRW and Proform Roller Rockers, which I know nothing about.
Roller Rocker sets are $1000 now, so guidance from your experience is a big help. Thanks!

 

[BLK 68 R/T]

This is what I used. I have stealth heads.

https://www.hughesengines.com/Index...a2VyIEFybXMgJiBBY2Nlc3Nvcmllcw==&partid=26774

 

[gkent]

I use HS rockers. My only complaint is they bleed a lot of oil. They also require hard-chrome shafts. I personally would not use any rocker that is not bronze bushed - I don't like aluminum or iron as the contact surface.

The heads you use will be a determining factor also !!

 

[dvw]

These should more than do the job. No need for roller tip.
MRE - B/RB Ductile Iron Rocker Arm Set
Doug

 

[PRHeads]

For heads that don’t need anything special for rockers, my vote would be the HS made MRE aluminum rollers.

Not enough info out there on the new repro iron stuff for me to endorse them.

 

[LSS&B]

For heads that don’t need anything special for rockers, my vote would be the HS made MRE aluminum rollers.

Not enough info out there on the new repro iron stuff for me to endorse them.

Heads are factory OEM 1967 915

 

[RR Fan Dan]

Aluminum Roller Rockers/shafts - 1.5 Ratio - New

440 source.

Rockers $289.95.
Hold Downs $99.95
Spacers $24.95
Shims $24.95

Our brand new aftermarket aluminum roller rockers are an unbelievable value! Made out of aircraft quality certified 2024 aluminum alloy, these arms are formed using a hydraulic extrusion process under 1500 tons of pressure, giving these arms an incredible 60,000 PSI tensile strength! They are fully CNC machined, and finally anodized for additional durability and corrosion protection. These sets come complete with 16 arms, 2 shafts, 16 adjusters and 16 locknuts, and are available in 1.5 and 1.6 ratios.

Our rockers use extra heavy duty NSK licensed large fulcrum needle bearings between the arm and the shaft (shown in the "view additional images" button) so friction is reduced (and therefore additional horsepower is gained) between the arm and the shaft, as well as between the valve and the the roller tip. These bearings are rated up to valve spring loads of 600 pounds open pressure (which includes most cams in the .500-.600" lift range.) Be careful not to confuse these with some other rockers on the market which offer a much cheaper and easier to manufacture design of a solid aluminum rocker which offers the roller tip, but runs the aluminum of the rocker body directly against the shaft, a setup which produces much more friction and wears the arms out extremely quickly. Since these feature the roller bearing, and a super hard roller tip hardened to 60 on the Rockwell C scale, these will work just as well on a high mileage street car as they do on a drag only setup. They also feature pressurized oiling of the pushrod ball/cup area, and a generous valve spring clearance relief in the underside of the body (shown in the "view additional images" button)

When purchasing these rocker arms, we strongly recommend using our .650" spacers listed separately (part #113-1018) to locate the arms on the shafts, and our shim package (part #105-1018) to center each arm exactly over each valve tip, and set the endplay, which should be about .015"-.030". For shaft holddowns, we recommend using our aftermarket billet aluminum holddowns listed separately (part #200-1032.) These are what is shown in the above pictures. Please note again they ARE NOT INCLUDED automatically with these sets.

 

[Geoff 2]

I would use steel or s/s rockers. There is a reason why you pay more......
Comp & Crower are really top notch.

 

[RR Fan Dan]

I would use steel or s/s rockers. There is a reason why you pay more......
Comp & Crower are really top notch.

440 source also has SS and steel.

 

[ckessel]

These are some very nice units. When I talked to the owner a month ago, he said they ran $1150.00. They can also refurbish ductile iron units.
https://www.rockerarms.com/pdf/pl440flyer.pdf

 

[1 Wild R/T]

These are some very nice units. When I talked to the owner a month ago, he said they ran $1150.00. They can also refurbish ductile iron units.
https://www.rockerarms.com/pdf/pl440flyer.pdf

They brought them back? Excellent!! Good stuff..

 

[Mopar Hunter]

Here’s some nice chromoly rockers.

 

[gkent]

Suggestions for the OP's purpose are getting ridiculous. Seems like its turned into a contest of who can suggest something nobody else has.

I'll say this: when there are this many options and no definitve answer, I tend to look at "who" the suggestion comes from rather than the product itself. And when its cam or head-related I usually opt for whatever PRHEADS suggests. I have no doubt he's seen it all.

Just my 2 cents !!

 

[BSB67]

These are some very nice units. When I talked to the owner a month ago, he said they ran $1150.00. They can also refurbish ductile iron units.
https://www.rockerarms.com/pdf/pl440flyer.pdf

It is exciting that Gary, I presume, brought these back. I don’t need rockers, but I might buy a set. I don’t know if anyone else is making a quality, bushed, 1.6 rocker arm for the BBM.

 

[gkent]

Those things are a thing of beauty !!

 

[BSB67]

Suggestions for the OP's purpose are getting ridiculous. Seems like its turned into a contest of who can suggest something nobody else has.

I'll say this: when there are this many options and no definitve answer, I tend to look at "who" the suggestion comes from rather than the product itself. And when its cam or head-related I usually opt for whatever PRHEADS suggests. I have no doubt he's seen it all.

Just my 2 cents !!

I think this is great advise, all of the time.

However, in this particular case, I think most, maybe all of the commenters are solid contributors, and the suggestion made are all good.

But, because we don’t know the budget constraints of the OP, the responses are pretty broad.

On a budget, I like Doug’s recommendation, and I share Dwayne’s opinion/concern about them. On a milder, budget constrained engine, I would give them a try, and keep my eyes on them. I kinda see them as possibly less than ideal quality, but I don’t see them failing catastrophically, i.e. worth a try.

If these “reproduced” rocker arms are even close to the quality of the old ones, they will be the best rocker at that price point, IMO.

 

[threewood]

This is what I used. I have stealth heads.

https://www.hughesengines.com/Index...a2VyIEFybXMgJiBBY2Nlc3Nvcmllcw==&partid=26774

I love mine. But I remember paying around $750 a few years back.

 

[1 Wild R/T]

Aluminum Roller Rockers/shafts - 1.5 Ratio - New

440 source.

Rockers $289.95.
Hold Downs $99.95
Spacers $24.95
Shims $24.95


View attachment 1994632

There is exactly ZERO chance I would buy/use/suggest those rockers.... Two bands of narrow rollers chewing on the rocker shafts never ends well.... If it were a rotating motion so the rollers were constantly moving/rotating it would be fine, but rocking back and forth causes the same roller to work on the same little bit of shaft till it starts eating into he shaft... Bad idea... You want a bronze bushing in that location...

Personally I'm not a big fan of rollers when running less that 600 lift, cause a quality set is expensive & for low lift it really isn't justified....

If you need them than don't buy a cheap set.. If the pin that is the roller shaft fails in any way ugly things can and do happen... I've seen the pin get loose and slide out, I've seen the pin break, I've seen the aluminum around the pin break...

In any of those scenarios you have a couple really bad things happening, the fork where the roller lived is now pushing on the valve spring retainer instead of the valve, how long till the keeper pop out and the valve drops? Sometimes your lucky and catch it before that happens... Sometimes you have very little left to save...

I'm sure the good brands fail, but I haven't seen many that failed.. The cheap ones? Just type roller rocker failure into google...

There is a reason so many old timers suggest ductile iron rockers...

 

[gkent]

There is exactly ZERO chance I would buy/use/suggest those rockers.... Two bands of narrow rollers chewing on the rocker shafts never ends well.... If it were a rotating motion so the rollers were constantly moving/rotating it would be fine, but rocking back and forth causes the same roller to work on the same little bit of shaft till it starts eating into he shaft... Bad idea... You want a bronze bushing in that location...

Aren't you a ray of sunshine !!

And yet there are people who have been running Harland Sharps for years without incident !! On a proper hard chrome shaft the rollers and shaft will virtually last forever.

 

[BLK 68 R/T]

I love mine. But I remember paying around $750 a few years back.

Same for me. I bought mine back in 2014 time frame? Wanna say they were like $599 back then. Don’t remember for sure. I probably have the receipt somewhere.
My cam is a custom hyd roller from Dwayne at PRHeads. I have a 493 stroker with stealth heads. Wanted to stay with the “stockish” look so I have the HP manifolds instead of headers. He was very helpful in helping me get a cam that would work best for what I wanted.

Looking at prices these days of things it appears that a good set rocker arms/shafts are going to be near the $1000 dollar mark if you want quality. Are there cheaper aluminum ones like proform? Sure. Would I trust them in my engine? No.

Unless you are sticking with stamped steel oem style, good quality aftermarket parts cost money. It’s a choice you have to make when building an engine. Budget and what is your goal.

My 2 cents anyways lol.