Brothers In Rocker Arms - Ultra-Gold Aluminum LS Rocker Install

[CPG Marketing]

Ultra Gold™ Aluminum Rocker Swap Gives Derek Dewey’s LS1 A Big Push In HP


Derek Dewey and older brother Rich Smith of the COMP Performance Group™ have been performance junkies since the day that each of them were born. Both from Midland, Michigan, Derek and Rich grew up with an admiration for Small Block Chevy horsepower. Derek, having come from a newer generation, began to develop a new obsession – the GM LS engine.

Derek Dewey's 2001 Chevy Camaro

COMP® Ultra-Gold™ Aluminum Rocker Arms

A year ago, Derek got himself a 2000 Chevy Camaro Z28. In less than 3 days, he was buying upgrades for the car’s power train. With brother Rich working in COMP Cams® Research & Development and Derek himself a member of the CPG marketing team, the two decided that the next performance upgrade for the LS1 engine would be to swap out the factory rocker arms for a new set of COMP® Ultra-Gold™ Aluminum Rocker Arms.

The 2000 Z28 was strapped to the chassis dyno and made 3 baselines runs that averaged out to 333 rear wheel horsepower. The engine was then allowed to cool. Once cooled down, Derek and Rich swapped out the stock LS1 rocker arms with the new COMP Cams® Ultra-Gold™ Aluminum Rollers (1.72 ratio). To complement the rocker swap with added durability, the stock LS1 pushrods were replaced with a set of much stronger COMP Cams® Hi-Tech™ Pushrods (5/16”, 7.400” length, .105” wall). Derek’s brother, Rich, was able to help him with the installation, as he had recently installed the Ultra-Gold™ Rocker Arms in his GM LQ9-powered 2001 S-10 pickup.

The results of the rocker swap in Derek's LS1.

The results of the rocker swap in Rich's LQ9.

The resulting power from the dyno test was 344 rear wheel HP – an 11 horsepower gain! Older brother Rich experienced even bigger gains than would be witnessed with this already impressive LS1 rocker arm swap. Regardless of the engine type, Ultra-Gold™ Aluminum Rocker Arms from COMP Cams® are a proven performer.

First, the negative cable from the battery needs to be removed and the spark plug wires are removed from the coils on both sides. The wiring harness connector is also removed from the coil packs.

The 10mm bolts are taken out and coil packs are placed to the side.

Now we can move on to the removal of valve covers. Using an 8mm wrench, remove all of the bolts and pull the valve covers off to the side, revealing the rockers.

The 10mm rocker bolts are loosened and each one is taken out along with its stand.

Optional: Pull out each of the 16 pushrods. Carefully replace each one with COMP® Hi-Tech™ Pushrods.

Before proceeding further, the pushrods should be double-checked, making sure each one is properly positioned in the pushrod seat of the rocker arm.

The hex heads are then tightened down until snug. From there, the rockers are torqued to 22 lbs./ft.

Valve cover are then replaced and the bolts are torqued to 106 lbs./in. The coil pack connector and spark plug wires are finally replaced.

Source:

COMP Cams®
3406 Democrat Rd.
Memphis, TN 38118

CAM HELP®: 1-800-999-0853
www.compcams.com

Check out the COMP Cams® website!

About a year-and-a-half ago we introduced you to a basically stock 1966 Mustang. At that time its' owner Heather was ready to get into some basic power upgrades in the form of a carb and intake swap. However, being novices to the hobby, she was unsure which of the many brands and combinations were right for her car. We thought this resembled the dilemma likely faced by thousands upon thousands of new comers to the hobby. So we teamed up with Heather and her husband to chronicle their progress. At their pace we help them with the next logical modification - both in terms of power but also in terms of their growing mechanical abilities, because they perform all of their own installations.

We document all the hurdles and challenges they encounter because we believe it is useful information for many new enthusiasts. After all, in the real world (as opposed to the glossy magazine world) this is how the hobby is playing out in garages everywhere. Not every enthusiast is an expert in the hobby, with deep pockets and a penchant for maximum horsepower.

When we last left Heather's Mustang they had tested a couple of popular 4-bbl intake and carburetor combinations (see My First Intake and Carb Upgrade.) Heather left the dyno quite content with a Weiand Action Plus manifold and Edelbrock Performer 600cfm carburetor. This combo made the best horsepower (171 horsepower and 226 ft.lbs. of torque), and offered trouble free daily-driver operation.

So this set our baseline. She'd been driving the car, trouble-free, for the last 16 months until this summer when the wrenchin' bug bit again. So we suggested it was time to swap out the 289's iron heads and stock cam. They were game.

Next Step: Heads and Cam
For this project we selected RHS® Pro Action™ Small Block Ford 160cc cylinder heads. These aluminum heads feature 1.94" intake and 1.60" exhaust valves. The 1.94" intake is a new offering from RHS®, as some of you may recall they previously only offered a 2.02" valve making it mandatory to clearance stock pistons. The 1.94" valve will bolt right on with stock pistons so long as the cam duration and lift are not too wild. This is good news for amateur hobbyists, heck even experienced ones, who aren't prepared nor comfortable cutting their pistons while in the motor is in the engine bay.

For the camshaft we selected COMP Cams® Xtreme Energy XE256H (part number 32-234-3). This hydraulic flat-tappet cam is mild by most standards, but a decent step up from stock while retaining great idle and yet improving torque. At 212/218 degrees duration and .477/.484 lift we know piston-to-valve interference will not be an issue, and this cam will take advantage of the better flow of the new cylinder heads. The RHS® 160's flow in the neighborhood of 260cfm at .500" valve lift (intake) and 180 cfm on the exhaust side.

Story courtesy of Ford Muscle.com. Click here to read the full article...