Rhoads Variable Lifters. . .Auto-X/Road Racing???

[atomicjoe23]

Ron,

I will verify what heads I have tonight hopefully. . .I need to find the part number on the Holley carb as well to either rebuild or replace it.

They are currently the stock iron heads for a '67 Firebird, but I know that doesn't completely narrow it down.

[Ron Sutton]

Originally Posted by atomicjoe23

Ron,

I will verify what heads I have tonight hopefully. . .I need to find the part number on the Holley carb as well to either rebuild or replace it.

They are currently the stock iron heads for a '67 Firebird, but I know that doesn't completely narrow it down.

All I need is the 2 or 3 digits cast into the top of 2 center exhaust ports ... and whether or not you have ported them.

[atomicjoe23]

I have not ported them. . .I don't know if they were ported by a previous owner or not. . .although I doubt it.

It still has the original intake manifold on it. . .appears that headers and a Holley carb are the only performance mods made to the car before I got it.

[Later-A-Body]

Rhoads lifters work very well on the Pontiac motor. I have used them in the past with great results. Read some literature written by Jim Hand regarding these used in a street driven 4000 pound '71 Pontiac "GTO" station wagon that was used for testing many Pontiac parts. The car was consistently faster and much more streetable with the Rhoads lifters installed. They used the factory RAIV cam as a test base in a mildly modified 455. If you are not wanting to spend extra money to step up to a roller valvetrain, then the Rhoads would be a very good choice especially in a 400. They may have been designed 30 years ago, but they work just as well now as they did back in the day. I cant see why they wouldn't work in an autocross application. You want more throttle response and torque coming out of the corners. If you haven't spoke to a Pontiac expert, I would highly recommend calling SD Performance, Kaufmann Racing, or Butler Performance for all your options.

[Ron Sutton]

Originally Posted by atomicjoe23

I have not ported them. . .I don't know if they were ported by a previous owner or not. . .although I doubt it.

It still has the original intake manifold on it. . .appears that headers and a Holley carb are the only performance mods made to the car before I got it.

All I need is the 2 or 3 digits cast into the top of 2 center exhaust ports.

[GregWeld]

It's not that they "don't work" -- they do what they're advertised to do.... What we're saying is that these days there are fantastic alternatives that didn't exist when the Rhoads lifter came to be. Today's cam profiles offer
exceptional road manners and great power.

I agree - a roller cam/lifters are more expensive than a flat tappet cam/lifters... but there are huge benefits.

Originally Posted by Later-A-Body

Rhoads lifters work very well on the Pontiac motor. I have used them in the past with great results. Read some literature written by Jim Hand regarding these used in a street driven 4000 pound '71 Pontiac "GTO" station wagon that was used for testing many Pontiac parts. The car was consistently faster and much more streetable with the Rhoads lifters installed. They used the factory RAIV cam as a test base in a mildly modified 455. If you are not wanting to spend extra money to step up to a roller valvetrain, then the Rhoads would be a very good choice especially in a 400. They may have been designed 30 years ago, but they work just as well now as they did back in the day. I cant see why they wouldn't work in an autocross application. You want more throttle response and torque coming out of the corners. If you haven't spoke to a Pontiac expert, I would highly recommend calling SD Performance, Kaufmann Racing, or Butler Performance for all your options.

[atomicjoe23]

Ron,

I am going to TRY to remember to look at the heads tonight. . .it's been very hectic over here (as I'm sure it has been for everyone else as well) and I haven't been able to spend any time in the garage the last couple of weeks. . .

Thanks for your patience and help!

[atomicjoe23]

Originally Posted by Ron Sutton

All I need is the 2 or 3 digits cast into the top of 2 center exhaust ports.

Ron, I'm looking, but there is enough corrosion there that I can't tell what those digits are. . .I'm gonna do some scrubbing with a wire brush to see if I can't get it to a legible point. . .

. . .I just finished removing the hood so I could get a better look.

[Ron Sutton]

Originally Posted by atomicjoe23

Ron, I'm looking, but there is enough corrosion there that I can't tell what those digits are. . .I'm gonna do some scrubbing with a wire brush to see if I can't get it to a legible point. . .

. . .I just finished removing the hood so I could get a better look.

Okie dokie.

[atomicjoe23]

OK, I was finally able to read the casting numbers. . .the passenger side was basically illegible no matter what, but the driver's side was easy to read with just a quick shot of engine de-greaser.

061. . .should be 1967 400 2BBL/4BBL heads with 72cc (or 75cc depending on what site you look at) chambers, press-in studs, and 2.11"/1.77" I/E valves if online sources are correct.

I also finally found the part number on the carb 1850-4 with 3145 below it. . .should be a Holley 4160 600 cfm with vacuum secondaries and a mechanical choke. Should be a good starting point for a relatively stock engine I would think.