426 Hemi push rods from Mopar Performance.... Suck......

[hemi68charger]

Hey gang..
As some of you know, I was probing for questions about adjusting valve lash on my 426 Hemi equipped with the '70/'71 version hydraulic OEM camshaft. I didn't have the correct push rods I've had for 10 years, turned out they were mechanical pushrods.. Soooo, I called my trusty Mopar Performance tech and he pointed out there were five sets of the hydraulic 426 hemi push rods out there.. WooHoo !!!!

So, I spend the bucks, get them some days later and begin having fun with the installation.. At first, things seemed ok, but then I started adjusting the exhaust valve lash.. I know I need to have the cam lobe on any one rocker arm I'm adjusting on base circle, i.e., bascially 180 degrees from peek lift.. Well, I had to screw the rocker arm adjuster ALL the way out in order to slip the push rod in and even then, the push rod was depressing the tappet/lifter cup slightly.. My gut told me this wasn't right and could potentially lead me to MAJOR problems..

So, I talked to the Greg over at Smith Pushrods about this situation.. He's seen it before, as has many here on the board.. Here's what I had and here's how I went about trying to come up with a proper length..

I took 3/8 wooden dowel rods and shaved one tip to a round end and then adjusted the other end so there was zero lash with the rocker arm adjuster with 2 threads showing from the bottom-side of the rocker...  This will get me ALOT closer to what I need... Thanks to Ron for pointing me to Smith Brothers.....

The first picture is of the exhaust push rod MP sold me.. As you can see, there's no room for adjustment to get to zero lash.......

I'll be calling my local dealer tomorrow to get my money back and then place an order for 3/8 push rods...

[John_Kunkel]

From my personal experience, the published dimensions in the MP catalog for the hydraulic exhaust pushrod is correct but the pushrod in the pack is 1/8" longer than the published spec.

[hemi68charger]

From my personal experience, the published dimensions in the MP catalog for the hydraulic exhaust pushrod is correct but the pushrod in the pack is 1/8" longer than the published spec.

yeap,,, I'll agee with ya on that one.............

[Chryco Psycho]

good luck getting you $$ back from Mopar , it has always been a 1 way street for me