Corvair Forum

Found these covered in what feels like STP motor treatment, closed up in an ancient bread bag, and boxed up alongside a 3872304 cam. You guys have gone through all sorts of trials with lifter designs over the years. Is this one that you recognize?

The "wear" marks indicate they are used lifters. I suspect the only value is to someone who would machine the bottoms.

For decades everyone has said --- Used lifters only work if placed back in the same position to match cam wear. Never combine used lifters with a new camshaft, or a different used camshaft to avoid cam lobe failures.

Over the years Chevrolet bought new Corvair lifters from a number of manufactures and there were minor differences. Some have preferences for one design over the other, but it seems to be a personal preference with little facts.

Matthew,

When it comes to used lifters from my perspective and I would guess that of many others.....

It is never a good idea to put a used lifter into service on any camshaft lobe that it was not mated to originally.

A new lifter can be put into service on a used cam and work out well.

A used lifter should never be used on a new camshaft.

When removing lifters with the intention of reinstalling them back into service on the same camshaft they had been functioning with, it is EXTREMELY IMPORTANT that the lifters go back into place in the exact location they were removed from.

Installing a lifter on a camshaft mated to a different lobe will more often than not result in premature failure.

My thought is that the used lifters you have, unless you know exactly which lobe which lifter was originally mated to, they are essentially useless and should not be used period.

Everyone else here,....
IF this information is incorrect, PLEASE Correct me on this.

This seems like a good PSA. No one should purchase or employ these used lifters.

However, I'm looking for a point of reference for future identifications.

There has been talk here and on the other forum about how SBC lifters will fit a Corvair engine, but don't have so deep a dimple as the original Corvair lifters did.

Beyond that, there has been talk about the pros and cons of different internal designs.

Do you guys recognize specifically which design these are? Used though they are, they were oiled, bagged, and saved alongside a couple of interesting camshafts. I expect there was a reason for that.

Rotary FP46,

To answer your original question:

I believe those hydraulic lifters you've displayed could be Elgin brand lifters. Here's a possible convincing comparison:

Well this won't help much, but as I said only a few manufactures made lifters for different brands. ------

The vairchet pictures of the Elgin lifters look just like the ones Melling sold as JB-817. Yup same part sold under different brands.

I can't find my pictures, but someone posted the different GM Corvair lifters used during the 1960's. All used the same Chevrolet part number - AFAIK.

Lifter talk is almost as bad as "OIL TALK". One person will say lifter "xxxxx" is great, another person will say they are "JUNK" and caused problems.

Sometimes folks using high lift camshafts and STOCK valve springs have lifter issues, not the lifter, problem is caused by stock valve coil spring binding due to the high lift cam.

Here's another comparison: "Performance" lifter listed in GM parts book as:

Gr. # 0.459, Pt # 3799644

Here's a link to Elgin's website:

https://catalog.elginind.com/engine/par ... be32ae9bb/