Elgin Roller Tip Rockers

[hobby28]

Has anyone tried using the Elgin roller tip rocker arms? I have been running the Comp Cams Magnum roller tip rockers but have had trouble with the pivot ball area turning blue. The Elgin rockers come with dichromite pivot balls and the rocker is black, like it is treated with something. This is in a USRA SBC hobby stock engine with EQ heads 9.5:1 compression and an aggressive solid camshaft.

[Lizardracing]

In my opinion, based on math and experience, at lifts lower than .475ish, the roller tip costs more, has more parts to fail but doesn't net anything positive. The reduced friction comes from the trunion NOT from the roller tip. The roller tip contact area on the valve stem is very small and doesn't provide the roll as advertised for valve guide life. Careful planning and measuring of the push rod length to get the sweep on the valve stem to .060 or less and somewhere in the middle 2/3rds of the stem tip using a high quality "sliding shoe" type rocker will save weight, save money, and work just as well.

With either type the ball the is the heat and friction zone so feeding it plenty of oil is very important as well as returning that oil back to the pan.

I'd take the lifter apart and clean them, make sure the band doesn't exceed the oil galley holes in the lifter bores at max/min lift, make sure the lifters are rotating properly, clean the passages in the pushrods and make sure the pushrod and rocker oiling holes line up properly. This should provide oiling for lubrication and cooling to the fulcrum balls so your parts have a long happy life.

[stock car driver]

Has anyone tried using the Elgin roller tip rocker arms? I have been running the Comp Cams Magnum roller tip rockers but have had trouble with the pivot ball area turning blue. The Elgin rockers come with dichromite pivot balls and the rocker is black, like it is treated with something. This is in a USRA SBC hobby stock engine with EQ heads 9.5:1 compression and an aggressive solid camshaft.

comp are much better

remove your oil restrictors in the back of the block

[over4T]

Not sure if the black bodied Elgins you're referring to are the Black Ice ones but if so that's a heat treated process they claim makes the metal as hard as possible. I'm not aware of them having that in rollertip style though. If, like lizardracing says, you're not running a ton of lift I's take a look at them. They're inexpensive enough.

[hobby28]

Thanks for the replies. I have widened the oil band on the lifters, I have suspected a lack of oil all along.