Thread: Life of solid roller springs?

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My friend has a 406sbc with a solid roller with around .610 lift. He normally runs high 11's to 12.0's and last weekend it was off nearly a second running 12.9xx. He has around 200 quarter mile passes on those springs. How many passes should a guy be making before changing springs on a solid roller like that?

Depends on how many RPM it's turning, but 200 is a bunch of passes on a set of springs!!!!! Best be checking the pressure on them!!!!!

Thanks Dave, he shifts at 5300 and goes through the traps at 5400 normally. They did check the pressures on a couple of springs so he has new ones coming. Hopefully the fresh spring find that hp he lost.

He went with K-motion springs this time. Any pros and cons to that brand of spring.

With that many passes, might want to be doing a leak down check on it too. I like to get a look inside of mine after 100 passes max... At that low of RPM it might not be necessary quite that often.

I am Blackroc's friend. The old springs were Comp 954s. They tested 140-160. I ordered K-Motion 900s now and am planning on doing a leakdown test as well. Here are the car specs (taken from another forum). Nothing too exotic. I tried to build something that would make decent power and last a while. Like Blackroc said, the motor sees pretty limited RPMs.




Engine:
Type: 406 cid small block chevy
Block: 400 chevy, 2-bolt main caps
Pistons: Forged SP flat-tops
Rings: Moly
Rods: Forged 5.7" Eagle I beam, ARP capscrews
Crank: Cast, 3.75" GM, 400 mains
Compression Ratio: 11.0:1
Cylinder Heads: Air Flow Reseach 195cc, CNC ported, screw in studs, ARP bolts, AFR guide plates
Valve Size: 2.02"/1.60"
Camshaft: Comp custom solid roller 236*/242* @ .050", .614"/.629" gross lift, 108* LSA
Valve Train: Comp solid roller lifters-vertical link bar, Comp Hi-Tech chromemoly pushrods, Proform aluminum stud girdle, Crane Gold 1.6 Roller Rockers, Cloyes True Roller double timing chain
Intake: Edelbrock RPM Air-Gap
Carb: Barry Grant Speed Demon, 750cfm, mechanical secondaries
Ignition: MSD Digital 6 Plus ignition box, MSD Pro Billet distributor, MSD Blaster SS coil, Jacobs 8.5mm wires
Engine Fasteners: ARP
Fuel System: Holley Blue 140gph pump, Proform 160gph filter, Holley adjustable fuel pressure regulator
Cooling: Griffin 31"x19" aluminum rad, stock electric fan
Exhaust: Hooker Super Comp 1-3/4" long tubes, custom 3" Y-pipe, 3" single, Flo-Pro muffler
Other: Balanced & blueprinted rotating assembly, GM mini-starter
Machine Work: Northside (Saskatoon)
Engine Builder: Kelly Solheim

Drivetrain:
Transmission: TH350, Trans Go shift kit, B&M HD tranny cooler
Converter:JW, 9.5", 4200rpm
Drivehaft: Stock, heavy duty Rockford U-Joints
Rear End: Moser 9", aluminum center section, detroit locker, 3.89 pro street gears, 35 spline axles

Chassis:
Front Suspension: Stock
Rear Suspension: Stock type with Hotchkis tubular adjustable panhard bar, boxed control arms, Air Lift air bags
Other: Custom subframe connectors
Front Brakes: Powerslot slotted rotors, Hawk Racing ceramic pads
Rear Brakes: LT1 Disc converson, Hawk Racing ceramic pads
Wheels & Tires:
Front: Stock 15x7" rims, 235/60 BFG Radial TAs
Rear: Stock 15x7" rims, 28x11.5 ET Streets

Body & Paint:
Body: Stock
Paint: Stock scheme - electric blue metallic with silver trim

Interior:
Seats: grey leather, 92 GTA
Guages: stock with 2-5/8" mechanical Auto Guage water temp and oil pressure in AC vent location

Performance:
Best ET: 11.719@115.14mph, 1.659 60' (uncorrected, 2900' DA)

when i was running a drag car, i checked all valve train components regularly about every 20 passes.... valve train failure can really damage your motor, or at least cost you a lot of power

Thanks for the replies. This is my first SR cam. I'll admit that I check lash frequently but probably should have been checking springs before I had a problem.

Trevor

Wire material has come a long way in the past and now with Japanese suppliers getting involved (Kobe enterprises), the springs we run are very consistant. That also means the consistancy of wear still exists. Recommendation is to limit your runs to no more than 100, change them even if you feel they're okay. It's like your underwear or oil changes, do it anyway because drag racing, especially in bracket racing, is all about consistancy.

oil restrictors can kill the springs running them down by coil bind will kill them to. i had some k -m springs did not like them much.. i have had better luck with the isky or psi and the electro polished pro alloy spring howards sell . the CV products are good springs to. i have guys that run 800 lift cams i tell them to check them all the time?hard to say if they do .i have run the isky endurance springs on 730 lift on the street with very good luck . you must break in new springs this also will help the spring last longer to

Good info Pat. For those who read this, Comp, Crane, Crower, And K-Motion always want a break in of no more than 2000 rpms, Approximately for 20 minuntes (as long as normal op temps are reached) and shut it off and let it cool. Heat is a good thing for stabilization and even at an idle, as long as it builds heat will do the job.

Originally Posted by nitrowarrior

Good info Pat. For those who read this, Comp, Crane, Crower, And K-Motion always want a break in of no more than 2000 rpms, Approximately for 20 minuntes (as long as normal op temps are reached) and shut it off and let it cool. Heat is a good thing for stabilization and even at an idle, as long as it builds heat will do the job.

i tell my customers to do this?? run it at low rpm till it get to temp shut off do that about four times and your ready. BUT some think 8000 rpms is low ? thanks i should of put it down on the break in. just having a hard time punching the keys today please do i still get a star today by my name

Originally Posted by pat mccarthy

i tell my customers to do this?? run it at low rpm till it get to temp shut off do that about four times and your ready. BUT some think 8000 rpms is low ? thanks i should of put it down on the break in. just having a hard time punching the keys today please do i still get a star today by my name

Nope, no stars today!!!! (You still got a chebbie) Good advice on the springs though....If it's all a matter of heat cycling, could it be done by other means then wasting all the run time? Any idea what temp they need to get to for a good heat cycle? Or maybe they have to be in compression for heat cycling to do any good? Just thinkin' out loud, I guess....

[QUOTE=Trevor86ta]I am Blackroc's friend. The old springs were Comp 954s. They tested 140-160. I ordered K-Motion 900s now and am planning on doing a leakdown test as well. Here are the car specs (taken from another forum). Nothing too exotic. I tried to build something that would make decent power and last a while.


Makes sense to me! Let the others twist the big r's, then sit with the car in the garage waiting for the money to buy more parts!!!! Ran a BBF for 3 years in a bracket car, never revving beyond 6400. Changed springs, rings, and bearings every winter. Retired the engine from drag racing, it now has 5 years of street use, and still going strong!

Originally Posted by Dave Severson

Nope, no stars today!!!! (You still got a chebbie) Good advice on the springs though....If it's all a matter of heat cycling, could it be done by other means then wasting all the run time? Any idea what temp they need to get to for a good heat cycle? Or maybe they have to be in compression for heat cycling to do any good? Just thinkin' out loud, I guess....

next time you cook something in the stove throw them in there? yes i did think of that to but not to big of a deal BUT it would be nice to do them first so i know they did get done . that ok on the star dave but did see a new ford muskrat today blue with white stripes chrome 5 spokes on it thinking nice car i could sell all may stuff and buy one

I love my chebbies, so Pat gets TWO gold stars today.