Question for all the TFS stage 1 cam owners

[1987stangman]

Here is my current issue. I decided to upgrade to the TFS Stage 1 cam, bought the cam. Easy install. I'm still using the stock stamped rockers with stock length push rods. When I rebuilt the engine, I used brand new ones, but I bought hardened rods assuming I would eventually get a bigger cam (springs are rated at 600 lift). Usually I just torque the rocker bolts down to spec, rotate the engine and recheck, a no brainier, but now with the new cam there is play in the rockers and a small amount of up and down movement in the push rods, mostly on the exhaust valves when closed. It appears that the new cam has a smaller base circle and new push rods are in order. My question is, for those of you that have upgraded to this cam if you encountered this issue as well because push rod length was the last thing I figured would have an issue with, but then again, I am not exactly a valve train guru. The heads are not milled and I'm using a stock head gasket. I also primed the lifters using my handy drill hoping that they just bleed down to much. I'm going to buy a push rod length checker next week to get the exact size. I posted this on corral, got 2 answers; One was that the slack would be taken up after the lifters pumped, but this does not make sense to me because if priming the system does not take out the visible slack then there is going to be noise, and then the other was needing longer push rods, which makes total sense.

 

[Tanus]

get adj. rockers, if the up & down play on pushrods is small that might be enough, and you really need them anyway.check wear patern after too

 

[liljoe07]

Measure the pushrod length. The base circle of the cam has changed. No other way around it.

Plus even if you go to an adjustable rocker setup, the chances of the geometry being correct is not likely. So you cant just swap to a adjustable setup, and take up the slack by running the adjuster nut down. This alone will throw it out of wack.

So you either re-measure the pushrod length with the setup you have now.

Or

You swap to an adjustable rocker setup and still measure for pushrod length

No way around having to measure.

 

[v8only]

i've done this swap 2-3 times, and have used stock pushrods every time without an issue.

don't just torque the rockers down, torque them down on the base lobe of the cam and see if that makes a difference

 

[Maryland Stang]

You will have to check your valve train geometry. Even though I used all Ford parts in mine I still had to get longer pushrods. And I had my heads shaved which should have made the pushrods shorter. There are plenty of "how to" posts so I won't go back over that.

Just a note: The next longer pushrod over the Ford PR is the Trick Flow hardened pushrods. You can always get custom pushrods made though.

 

[1987stangman]

i've done this swap 2-3 times, and have used stock pushrods every time without an issue.

don't just torque the rockers down, torque them down on the base lobe of the cam and see if that makes a difference

So your saying forget tq specs of the rocker bolt and just get them tight? I will see if I have any wiggle room there, but I'm going to check push rod lenght anyway and just get the right ones.

 

[v8only]

you still torque them down, but there is a method to it...put the cam on the base lobe, then torque it down...that's how I've always done it, and how directions from cam/rocker companies always say to do it.

 

[Jack's95gt]

FT1 cam with 1.7 Cobra pedestal rockers using stock push rods and it worked out perfect.

 

[1987stangman]

you still torque them down, but there is a method to it...put the cam on the base lobe, then torque it down...that's how I've always done it, and how directions from cam/rocker companies always say to do it.

Yes, that is what I did when I started re-assembley and how I found out my push rods were too short. I'm off tomorrow, so I will be checking fot correct push rod size then. Should be a no brainer, really. If the rocker is being torqued down at the base lobe and is getting play then there is a issue.