Valvetrain Components

Valvetrain Components

Pontiac V8 Valvetrain Components

Make the Cam Work — Valvetrain Components for Pontiac V8s

Valvetrain Components is the part of a Pontiac V8 that decides whether the cam you paid for ever gets to do its job. Lifters, pushrods, rocker arms, guide plates, springs, retainers and the timing set all have to be chosen as a set, matched to the cam type and to the cylinder head on the engine. Mismatch one piece and you either lose lift or wipe a lobe.

Butler stocks flat tappet and roller lifters from Comp Cams, Crower, Morel, Johnson and Lunati, roller rocker arms including Butler exclusive Scorpion Tru-Ratio and Butler Stainless Pro Series, Smith Bros custom pushrods, Ferrea valves, guide plates, studs, springs, timing sets, BOP belt drives, cam hardware and break-in oil.

Select a Sub-Category

View  

More About Valvetrain Components

1. Lifters: flat tappet or roller, and which roller

The lifter follows the cam, and it also decides what oil you run and how much machine work the block needs.

Hydraulic flat tappetThe quiet, low maintenance choice for a stock or mild rebuild. Butler stocks a Comp Cams Butler exclusive standard hydraulic lifter, made in the USA by Hy-Lift Johnson, at .842 in., 97 g and 2.05 in. overall height, plus Comp, Hy-Lift Johnson and Sealed Power sets.
Hydraulic race flat tappetComp's Pro Magnum lifter is .842 in., 96 g, with a 2.01 in. seat height, .050 in. lower than standard. It keeps the internal piston positioned correctly at higher rpm so the lifters do not pump up, requires an adjustable valvetrain, and wants .002 to .004 in. preload warm.
Solid flat tappetComp offers a standard solid lifter and a version with an EDM oiling hole, and Sealed Power builds a Pontiac solid set.
Retrofit hydraulic rollerThe popular street upgrade. Butler carries Morel sets including the updated oil band version, Johnson High Performance and short travel sets, Comp standard and Evolution, Crower, Lunati and Hy-Lift Johnson with pressure pin oiling.
Solid rollerCrower builds Pontiac lifters in .842 in. and .903 in., in EnduraMax needleless bushed and HIPPO needle bearing styles, no offset or .150 in. and .180 in. offset, with .300 in. taller bodies and raised seats. Comp offers Endure-X, and Morel the Black Mamba Lite and Ultra Pro.
Lifter bore supportFor a big solid roller, the SDP Mega Brace lifter bore reinforcement system is stocked in standard and deluxe form.

2. Rocker arms and ratio

Rocker ratio multiplies cam lobe lift, so it is a tuning decision. Butler carries Pontiac rockers from 1.5 through 1.65.

Butler exclusive Scorpion Tru-RatioEndurance Series full roller rockers built for Butler in 1.5, 1.6 and 1.65 ratio, sets of 16.
Butler Stainless Pro SeriesFull roller stainless rockers in 1.52 and 1.65 ratio.
Other brandsComp Ultra Gold aluminum in 1.5 and 1.65 on 7/16 studs, Crower Enduro stainless in 1.5, 1.6 and 1.65, PRW Elite stainless in 1.52 and 1.65 and PRW Pro Series billet aluminum in 1.5, plus traditional and roller tip rockers for a stock rebuild and T&D shaft mount systems.
Ratio and clearanceButler's engine kit notes recommend 1.5 ratio rockers so that pushrod slotting is not necessary. Step up in ratio and check pushrod-to-head clearance, retainer-to-seal clearance and coil bind before it runs.
HardwareARP 7/16 in. rocker studs rated at 180,000 psi, Butler 7/16 by 7/16 in. studs at 1.935 in. for Edelbrock heads, 3/8 in. and 7/16 in. poly locks and lock nuts, grooved pivot balls, stud adjustment washers and stud girdles for high spring pressure.

3. Pushrods: length is a measurement, not a part number

This is where most valvetrain problems start. Different brands of lifters and rockers need different lengths, so it has to be checked on the engine.

Check it firstComp adjustable pushrod length checkers are stocked from 6.125 through 11.500 in. in five overlapping ranges.
Stock replacementMelling 5/16 in. standard length pushrods and 11/32 in. Ram Air IV pushrods, each or in sets of 16.
Butler chromolyOne-piece 5/16 in. with a .116 in. wall, in stocking lengths and in sets sized for 326-389-421 and 350-400-428-455. Comp High Energy sets run 8.684 in. for 326, 389 and 421 and 9.146 in. for 350-455.
Oil restrictedWith a roller valvetrain and a high volume pump you often want to hold oil down in the block. Smith Bros builds custom length 5/16 by .083 in. two-piece pushrods with .020 in. or .040 in. restriction, plus 5/16 by .116 in. and 3/8 by .145 in. restricted versions.
Heavy wallFor high spring pressure, Smith Bros 7/16 by .165 in. three-piece dual taper chromoly pushrods in custom length, restricted or not.

4. Guide plates

Guide plates come in 5/16 in. and 3/8 in. to match the pushrod, and they are head specific.

Cast iron headsComp offers 5/16 in. and 3/8 in. plates for 1967 and later 350, 400, 428 and 455 cast iron heads. Note the exception: the 5/16 in. set will not work with a 1967 326.
Edelbrock and Speedmaster headsButler machines its own 3/8 in. plates for Edelbrock and Speedmaster D-port and R-port heads. They are not cylinder specific, so align them before tightening. 5/16 in. plates are also stocked.
Adjustable platesIsky and PEP build adjustable 5/16 in. plates for 326-389-421. Read this first: you must convert to screw-in studs and mill the stud bosses on the heads.
Super DutyFabcraft makes a guide plate set for 1962-63 Pontiac Super Duty that fits the #980 and #127 SD heads.

5. Springs, retainers, seals and valves

Spring selection follows the cam, the lifter type and the head, and Butler organizes it that way.

By headSeparate spring and spring kit groups for stock cast iron heads and for Edelbrock, Ram Air IV and Super Duty heads, plus springs set up for custom install heights and pressures when a standard kit will not land where the cam card wants it.
Retainers and locksRetainers, locks, stem locators and lash caps, plus valve seals and spring shims to correct install height.
ValvesFerrea Racing valves for cast iron heads, Edelbrock heads, 421 Super Duty and Ram Air V heads, in non-stock lengths, and as singles so you can replace one without buying a set.
Guides and seatsGuides and seats for a head rebuild, and Butler's machine shop does the work if you would rather ship the heads.

6. Timing, cam hardware and break-in

The front of the engine and the first twenty minutes of run time are where a good valvetrain gets ruined.

Timing setsBillet double roller sets, including .005 in. short options and a nine keyway crank sprocket for degreeing the cam.
BOP belt driveA dry synchronous belt drive with a needle roller thrust bearing for cam end play control, external cam timing adjustment of plus or minus 10 degrees, a Kevlar reinforced belt and no block modifications required. It retains the stock harmonic balancer location, allows cam removal without pulling the front plate, and comes in standard deck form for steel or aluminum oil pans, with or without a motor plate.
Cam hardwareThrust plates in standard .118 in. steel and in high load nickel bronze, recommended with roller cam bearings. Grade 8 cam bolts, washers, fuel pump eccentrics, standard and 2 and 4 degree offset cam keys, Butler cam install kits for mechanical or electric fuel pump, and a camshaft installation tool with a 7 in. handle.
Degree the camThe Butler Pro Cam Degree Kit includes a Comp crank socket, cam checking tool, checking springs, piston stop bolt and degree wheel, and works heads on or off.
Distributor gearMatch the gear to the cam and the shaft. BOP composite Carbon Ultra-Poly gears come in .491 in. for stock type distributors and .500 in. for MSD, Pertronix non-HEI, Holley and FAST, with a large diameter version for OEM 455 SD and Ram Air V cams only. Bronze gears from Comp, Lunati and MSD and a stock steel .491 in. gear round it out.
Break-inFlat tappet engines need the zinc modern off-the-shelf oil no longer has. Butler stocks Driven BR 15w50 and GP 30 grade break-in oils. Run an oil formulated with the zinc already in it rather than an additive.

Build the valvetrain as one package: cam and lifter first, then springs and retainers to the cam card, then rockers, then measure for pushrods with the heads torqued down. Butler will spec the whole stack if you tell them the cam, the heads and what the car is for.

Camshaft Accessories Lifters Guide Plates Valve Seals & Spring Shims Stud Girdles Timing Chains and Sets Pushrods Mega Brace

Not sure what your Pontiac needs?

Email our tech team at tech@butlerperformance.com. Tell us your engine, heads, car, and power goal, and we will put the parts together as one combination that works.