Thread: trick flow top end kit (not good?)

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I've had bad lifters right out of the box... I'd be for checking it out!!!! Could be a sticking plunger, or who knows? Heck, nobody's QC is perfect....

I also think you have one bad lifter thats collapsed . Find out the one that is bad and change it . Also check the push rod and rocker arm for damage . The push rod may also be bent now .

myself and 2 other people have come to that conclusion also. would a bad lifter cause it to lose that much power? either way im going to pull the motor back out to put a 2 piece timing cover on and fix the oil leak with a new oil pan 1 piece gasket.

Your lookin at 65 hp per hole ,that hole is probably down 20 to 30 hp from the colapsed lifter at the most ,................I have a hard time believing that the stock pistons were a correct match for those heads and camshaft.
1 point low on compression could hurt you just as much if not more than the colapsed lifter,that means your actually 2 points low ,because you have aluminum heads.
I am thinkin that cam calls for about 10.5 to 1 and I am thinkin you got 9 to 1 at the most and then aluminum heads on top of that.
Think of what the performance would be on a engine with 8.5 to 1 and a cam in there that calls for 10.5 to 1.................I may be off base,but I recall most of the kits I looked at recommended changing the pistons to match the heads and cam,very few were for factory stock motors.

as i said before im no mechanic, the pistons are flat top with 4 valve reliefs in them,is that considered stock? also the guy that i bought the motor from said he built it for towing, the block has been decked a little bit,i dont know how much. he also told me it was bored .030 over . i didnt know matching the pistons was so critical. im starting to get the feeling i should have bought a GM performance engine instead of going this route. does any of that stuff make a difference?