Head lifter passages?

[4.whoa]

I've seen it mentioned here n there, but has anyone actually opened the pushrod holes enough to pull lifters through them? I'm thinking about trying it, I think if I keep to the low spot it should be ok.... Any opinions?

[AlexTJ]

I really wish I did this. I installed the wrong lifters on my new stroker and had to pull the head..... It was like an extra 5-6 hours of my time plus ~$60 in gaskets too

[banipal19]

I asked my machine shop guy the same thing and he said it is not a good idea in his opinion. He was worried about cutting into or making the walls real thin along the water channel.

[5-90]

This is one of the reasons I'm trying to collect heads. I want to cut them into cylinders - keep four or five for porting experimentation, then section one or two into small slices to see how the casting runs.

[Jeep-Power]

I know someone did this & posted pics on it0-- I just can't find the thread...

[SilverXJ]

It was Flash. I can't find his post that he showed the pics in but it was off set quite a bit to the passenger side. He mentions it here http://www.jeepstrokers.com/forum/viewt ... fter#p3102. If you just oversize the original hole you will most likely hit water.

Found a pic of where he showed it: http://www.jeepstrokers.com/forum/viewt ... 2333#p2333

[SilverXJ]

What about cutting a holes in the side of the block below the head, machining a flat lip around it and making a matching plate? Like the Chevy 6 had IIRC? Its probably too much work for that though.. as you still have to remove the radiator to pull the cam out.. and when you have an engine lift its easy to pull the head with the manifolds.

[unlimitedrubicon]

The easiest and far cheapest option would be just to get 12 lifter tools and just put them up from the oil pan... Sure, it requires handing them up from the bottom and grabbing them with the tool, but no machining required and can be re-used on any engine.

[SilverXJ]

How would that work? Considering that each lifter has to be suspended until the cam is fully seated. Not only that but when you put a new cam in you need new lifters. You can use a used cam on new lifters, but never the other way around.

I have changed lifters and cam with out pulling the head, but I pulled the engine instead and left the push rods in so I could removed the lifters from the bottom.