Once upon a time, most car engines used solid or mechanical lifters. But unlike most fairy tales that begin that way, there was no lasting happy ending for them. Hydraulic lifters first appeared in ...

The engines of yesteryear were pretty simple, with tappets clackity-clacking away on cam lobes, opening valves, and making a ruckus while doing it. Mechanical lifters were adequate for valve operation ...

It is possible to run solid flat tappets on a hydraulic flat-tappet cam and even mechanical roller lifters on a hydraulic-roller cam. Putting solid lifters on a hydraulic cam will gain about 500 rpm ...

At the very least, tearing down, inspecting, and cleaning hydraulic lifters is good engine hygiene that can contribute to long service life in your classic car. It’s also a great way to inspect the ...

The "battle of the camshaft lifters" has been going on for years. Each design has its proponents. Those in favor of hydraulic cams cite reduced maintenance and claim that equivalently ground ...

Cars are intricate machines that rely on a series of chemical and mechanical processes to work properly. When things go wrong with one of those processes, your car can start to make some strange ...

Sorry, solid lifters, you make a wonderful typewriter clack and allow for intoxicatingly high rpms, but you can't be surprised that manufacturers slowly moved to ...

Small-block Chevys first came out of Detroit with hydraulic-roller camshafts in 1987 in some passenger cars. Because the small-block was first on the scene, this story will deal with just the ...