HUGHES rocker shaft hold down kit, studs, restricts oil flow? see pic...

[natas33]

Checking everything before the heads go back on and I notice...

Difficult to tell in the pics but the stud is a lot thicker than the factory bolt, after the threads it tapers out wide, making the oil passage around it very tight. Seems oil could possibly be restricted to the shafts. Anyone running this Hughes kit? or should I use the factory bolts. There's always something to deal with

edit: toned it down as not trying to criticize anyones product. just looking for people running this stud kit, and results, im sure it will work fine!

 

[Mopars & Missiles]

I've got two engines currently running this rocker setup. No problems yet!

If I were you, I'd call Dave Hughes and talk to him about your concerns. See what he has to say about it.

 

[Cranky]

Are the rocker lube holes supposed to be facing upwards? It's not that way on a stock setup.....

 

[natas33]

Are the rocker lube holes supposed to be facing upwards? It's not that way on a stock setup.....

I've just sat the shaft any which way as somewhere to rest it. Holes will be the correct way when the rockers go on

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I've got two engines currently running this rocker setup. No problems yet!

If I were you, I'd call Dave Hughes and talk to him about your concerns. See what he has to say about it.

Thanks, good to hear! I wasn't sure if it would be an issue, I just wanted to hear from people using them. It's a good kit, i don't like winding threads into aluminum too many times, so ive bought studs for everything

Im over paranoid but just like keeping things as Mopar ran it, i don't know what .040 or more restriction of oil flow will do through an orifice, that's what the engineers are paid to figure out, but i know the factory bolts with the aftermarket rocker shafts works properly

i just hate to get it all going and find rocker arms starving of oil at 7000+ because of something so simple. i much prefer using the studs over bolts into aluminum heads as one of them has already had a heli-coil repair done in the past by someone else. plus the HUGHES shaft hold downs are nice and solid

 

[Cranky]

The clearance around the stud looks like it's good enough to me.....but one way to find out is to take a drill motor with a priming rod and see how much comes up. Don't forget to rotate the engine while doing this so the cam lube hole will align with the oil passage in the head.

 

[womanator]

I don't run HUGHS rocker shafts.
What I am running are Indy SR heads and they have .050 restrictors on the oil lines going to the heads.
I had to go to .020 restrictors because I was getting to much oil to the head and emptying the oil pan.
7200 rpm limiter pill on the engine.

 

[natas33]

The clearance around the stud looks like it's good enough to me.....but one way to find out is to take a drill motor with a priming rod and see how much comes up. Don't forget to rotate the engine while doing this so the cam lube hole will align with the oil passage in the head.

Thanks yeah ive got the milodon prime tool, done all that before. There's no doubting oil will flow through, it's just difficult to know at high rpm's if it's enough volume getting through. Only solid dyno testing at those rpms or just running them in a car for long enough to know it's not an issue. guess i'll know soon enough. the Crane gold rockers im using are cheap to buy each if you wreck one, so im running them because i don't think any aluminum rocker lasts. the ductile iron do but are heavy. the Crane's are also better being honed a little for extra clearance on the shafts, and having all the factory 'as Mopar designed it' valvetrain oil. (honing depends how tight they come, every batch can be a little different) , i did it that way back in 1998 on a .590' solid 440 and never had an issue

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I don't run HUGHS rocker shafts.
What I am running are Indy SR heads and they have .050 restrictors on the oil lines going to the heads.
I had to go to .020 restrictors because I was getting to much oil to the head and emptying the oil pan.
7200 rpm limiter pill on the engine.

thanks. i heard of this before with the indy heads. back in 98 i built a 440 with max ported 906's, .590 solid, 1/2" hemi pickup, HV oil pump, drilled out main feeds, ran thick oil, oil pressure was crazy, over 70 from memory, crane gold rockers. no oil restriction to valvetrain. took it also exactly to 7200rpm constantly, never emptied the sump. this is why i get confused

but, if too much oil going to the valvetrain unnecessarily then restricting it is a good thing. im going to find out the easy way, just run it hard with the Hughes studs in there, and see what happens....... im guessing it'll be ok

 

[Cranky]

Think about all the material that hangs over the valves with aluminum rockers vs the ductile iron rockers. Even tho the aluminum rocker is lighter over all, they usually have more weight hanging over the valve than iron rockers. The aluminum needs the extra beef for strength while the iron ones do not need all of that extra mass.

 

[natas33]

Think about all the material that hangs over the valves with aluminum rockers vs the ductile iron rockers. Even tho the aluminum rocker is lighter over all, they usually have more weight hanging over the valve than iron rockers. The aluminum needs the extra beef for strength while the iron ones do not need all of that extra mass.

So possibly aluminum shaft mount rockers for all mopars are a big waste of time, and worse for valve rpm ability than iron rockers? because ive thought that path, and wondered why ISKY roller cam kits even up to their biggest off shelf listed ( .700 or so) roller for mopar BB comes with nothing other but their iron rockers. and I always believed that ISKY had one the best valvetrain, their tool room springs being just one example

that said the crane golds worked for me in the past, and have so for many others, even a lot of 600-700hp chev bb's only running crane golds. but funny if the iron, also because of the mopar shaft mount design they can be lighter overall over the valve I think, funny if they can support higher rpm's than any aluminum rocker and the iron are fairly much bulletproof I would 'imagine' so

I hope these crane gold rockers are not now also made in china. I know they weren't back in the 90's

 

[Cranky]

Didn't say anything about anything being a big waste of time.....but I have run Isky valve trains in my engines using the old 1604 rockers. Last engine had over 300 passes with a .660 lift roller cam using the 1604's....

 

[natas33]

Didn't say anything about anything being a big waste of time.....but I have run Isky valve trains in my engines using the old 1604 rockers. Last engine had over 300 passes with a .660 lift roller cam using the 1604's....

well enough said. thanks for sharing that info. next engine i think i will just buy a complete isky roller kit, with the iron rockers included, like I should have this time around. i just dislike spending the money twice when i should know better. if the crane golds hold up as well as the set i purchased and used back in the 90's, good enough..

 

[383man]

These are Hughes hold downs I use on my EZ heads. I took this pic when putting the inner spring back in after breaking in the cam. Its been in the car since 2011 with no problems. Not a great pic but its all I have. Ron

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Here is an assembled pic. Ron

 

[natas33]

These are Hughes hold downs I use on my EZ heads. I took this pic when putting the inner spring back in after breaking in the cam. Its been in the car since 2011 with no problems. Not a great pic but its all I have. Ron

Thanks. Well looks like the Hughes studs certainly aren't going to be a problem, too much oil pressure up there.

I need one of those valve spring compressors, does someone sell that or did you fabricate it yourself?

 

[383man]

Thanks. Well looks like the Hughes studs certainly aren't going to be a problem, too much oil pressure up there.

I need one of those valve spring compressors, does someone sell that or did you fabricate it yourself?

I bought it from Mancini and it works great. Ron