Adjustable Lifters

Looks like they are the same except the head of adjustment bolt. I think on a street engine that will not see high rpm, they would work fine. I have a 1939 engine that I used the solid type lifters and it is a great running engine.
Of course if you could find a set of the hollow lifters that would be a better choice.
 
Just my opinions. I would use the tractor lifters. I have had some and also the ones from Isky. They appeared identical. I did not use any of them. I had a set of original Johnson’s resurfaced. Some of the screws were a little loose. I found by switching lifters that I could make a good set. They worked fine. I never had to readjust them.
The sheet metal adjusting tools are worthless. I made a tool from some 1/8 music wire from a hobby shop. I cut an length about 6” long and bent into a V. I bent the ends down about 1/4”. It would fit into opposite lifter holes and fit under under the retainer. Worked great.
 
I too would use all tractor lifters. If four of the others had that cracking, what caused it? What keeps the others from following suit once the engine is running? Even just one of those hardened chips will wreak havoc in that lifter bore and or cam lobe.
 
When using stock-length valves and running a high-lift performance cam the base-circle of the profile has to get a lot smaller, this causes one to have to extend the adjuster too far out. As noted, this can cause issues with the adjuster not having enough "interference fit" to hold adjustment.

This is one reason I run longer valves (SBC style) - such that some of that additional "space" is taken up by the additional valve length. Lash caps can also be used . . .
 
When I rebuilt my engines, I had some great mentors to offer advice. One good idea is to drill a hole in the lifter bores. Drill the hole low in the valley area on each lifter bore. I think about 3/32" would be good. This allows for you to lock the lifter with a small Allen wrench while you adjust the screw for your lash.
I also took a quality 7/16" wrench and narrowed the width to the height of the screw. This made adjusting the valves really easy.
 
I heard a story about the drilled lifter bores. The guy used a punch and forgot it in the hole. It did not go well when he rotated the engine to go to the next lifter.
The music wire suggestion works fine and no need to drill holes or maybe damage something
It also work with the solid style lifters.
 
I have worried about the same thing so this time I bought a 3/16" drill bit at 12" long for the best angle and I use an allen wrench about 1/8"+ for my holder. While I'm on here I want to say that earlier I posted that lash caps would not help but after two posts to the contrary I finally get why they would help because they keep more of the lower threads in the interference range. This makes perfect sense, and I learned something.
 
I will start an other thread shortly on how I went about adjusting my lifters using dial indicators ( at assembly stage )
 
FYI, on the adjustable lifters. Snap On does make a long thin open-end wrench in 7/16" on one end & 1/2" on the other that makes it easier to get to the head on the adjuster bolt. Part # LTA1416.
 

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I paid the crazy amount ($450.00) for new, NOS box of original Johnson's adjustable lifters for an engine I'm building. I have used Johnson lifters I could have had refinished but then this set of new originals showed up. I hadn't spent any money in a while, so I thought what the heck.
 
Those "thin" wrenches are what we used to call "tappet wrenches" . . . as they seemed to be designed for this very purpose!
 
Bored&Stroked said:
Those "thin" wrenches are what we used to call "tappet wrenches" . . . as they seemed to be designed for this very purpose!
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Dale, I had forgotten the term "tappet wrench", but after you said that it popped into my head. The back side is stamped " Warning low torque only".
 

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My dad had a set of those, and he also called them "tappet wrenches". When we were kids, we would occasionally use them like regular wrenches. Woe be to you if he caught you using them for other than their intended purpose!:eek:
 
All I can say the last set of 16 I bought from local Ford tractor they came in 'Genuine Ford Parts" boxes good enough for me he also gave me the tool its one piece Not the two piece worthless type stamped Ford on it...
 
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