Do you have to use link type lifters with a Dart Iron Eagle 302 8.2" block?

title says all... Link type are 3x the price...ouch.... thx for input

Damn... Well, not the replies I wanted, but thanks for them anyways, guys. Guess I get to spend the extra $300 on lifters.

Chris

That's no reason to waste money.

Chris

Hang on a second. What good are lifters that're capable of 9000 rpm when the other lifters are good to 8500 rpm and you motor is only going to see 7k rpm max?

And $300 for one part is peanuts, but $300 extra on every part is not. $300 extra on link lifters, and 400+ extra on shaft mount rockers, $500 extra on the block that'll support 2k hp when you're only going to run 1200 hp, $800 extra for a billit rods that'll support 1800 hp, an extra $500 on the cleanup of heads that'll already work fantastically for your power goal.

The point is that if all you use as justification to buy the most expensive parts, "Well, I've already got this expensive block, so why not buy the most expensive h,i,j,x,y,z etc..." You end up with an engine that can take 1800hp, but will only ever see 1200, can rev to 10k rpm, but will only ever see 7k, can handle an internal nuclear blast but rarely runs more than pump gas, etc...

I'm not speaking in what-ifs... I've already done it. To those of you starting a project, don't spend the extra $10k that I have building a motor whose potential you will most-likely never reach.

When I started thinking about this project, it was going to be a rebuild on an FMS sportsman block reusing my incon kit to make a reliable 500 rwhp. Then I said to myself, why spend the money on a crap sportsman block when I can just get the top of the line that I'll never have to worry about when I make more power. But then I said, "why spend the money on a cheap crank when I could get the top of the line (sonny bryant billet) and never have to worry about how much power I've got again. "Well, why spend the money on forged rods when I've already got the billet crank (oliver billet I-beam rods with rod bolt upgrade)....."well might as well go for some premium CP pistons." "Awe hell, I'm stuck, might as well buy the baddest streetable turbo for a 331 possible, and Kickass heads."

Don't get me wrong, this is going to be so much fun when it's all done, but plans escalate so fast when you start using bogus logic to justify spending extra money. An example of said bogus is, "why not buy lifters that can handle 15,000 rpm instead of 14,000 since you've already spent thousands and this is only another $300." I think I'd have been perfectly happy with 500 rwhp, and an extra $10k, or more.

Ok, sorry for making this a thesis.

Goodnight,

Chris