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Rocker Arms and Accessories
Pontiac V8 Rocker Arms and Accessories
Three Ways to Run a Rocker — Rocker Arms and Accessories for Pontiac V8s
Rocker arms are where cam lift becomes valve lift on a Pontiac V8, and they are also where a valvetrain most often gives up. The factory stud-mounted ball-pivot rocker was designed around stock spring pressure and a stock cam. Change either one and the rocker family has to change with it.
Butler carries the whole tree: full roller rockers from Butler, Comp, Crower, PRW and Scorpion, traditional and roller tip rockers, shaft mount assemblies from T&D and Yella Terra, plus rocker studs, Polylocks, lock nuts and pivot balls, in 1.5, 1.52, 1.6 and 1.65 ratios.
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More About Rocker Arms and Accessories
1. Pick the Family First
Rocker choice follows the cam and the spring package, not the horsepower target.
| Traditional and roller tip | stud mounted on a ball pivot, with either a stock tip or a roller tip. These are rated at 350 lbs open spring pressure and are only recommended for hydraulic flat tappet cams. Correct for a stock rebuild or a mild street cam. |
| Full roller | needle bearing trunnion and roller tip, in stainless or billet aluminum. Butler stocks the Butler Exclusive Tru-Ratio Endurance Series, Butler Stainless Pro Series, Comp Ultra Gold, Crower Enduro, PRW Elite and Pro Series, and Scorpion Endurance rockers. This is the family for roller cams and higher spring pressures. |
| Shaft mount | the rockers run on a shaft rather than individual studs, which takes stud flex out of the equation entirely. T&D builds assemblies for cast iron and KRE D-port heads and for Edelbrock heads, and Yella Terra offers 1.65 shaft rockers for stock D-port, KRE D-port and Edelbrock heads, including a .240" intake offset version. |
2. Ratio
Ratio multiplies lobe lift into valve lift, and changing it changes the whole valvetrain.
| What is available | Butler stocks 1.5, 1.52, 1.6 and 1.65 ratios across the rocker families, so you can usually stay in one brand and choose the ratio. |
| 1.5 and 1.52 | stock and near-stock. This is what most Pontiac cams were ground around. |
| 1.6 and 1.65 | more valve lift from the same cam, which also means more spring travel, more load and a different pushrod length. Check coil bind, retainer to seal clearance and piston to valve before you commit. |
3. What Goes With Them
A rocker order is rarely just rockers. Butler keeps the supporting parts in the same tree.
| Rocker studs | 7/16" is the performance standard on a Pontiac. Screw-in studs are what make guide plates and high spring pressures possible, and Butler stocks ARP and PEP studs along with a Butler stud for Edelbrock heads. |
| Polylocks, lock nuts and pivot balls | 3/8" and 7/16" Polylocks from Comp and PRW, lock nuts in both sizes, grooved rocker pivot balls, and 7/16" stud adjustment washers. Check what your rocker set already includes before ordering. |
| Stud girdles | if the studs are flexing under heavy spring, a girdle ties all eight together. Butler stocks them for cast iron and for Edelbrock and Speedmaster heads. |
| Pushrod length | any rocker or ratio change moves the correct pushrod length. Check it before ordering rods. |
Tell us the cam, the spring pressures and the head castings and we will put you in the right rocker family.
Rocker Arms- Traditional Style and Roller Tip Rocker Accessories- Polylocks, Lock Nuts, and Rocker Balls Rocker Arms- Full Roller Rockers Rocker Arms- Shaft Mount
Not sure what your Pontiac needs?
Call our tech team at 866-762-7527. Tell us your engine, heads, car, and power goal, and we will put the parts together as one combination that works.