Is this a solid or a hydraulic tappet?

Top End (cylinders pushrods etc.)
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Hop Up
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Is this a solid or a hydraulic tappet?

#1

Post by Hop Up »

Cycle is new to me, I don't know the history and I can't tell if it's got hydralic or solid tappets. Is it possible to see it in the picture? The push rod is aluminium, so not original? The bike is a1957 panhead.
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Re: Is this a solid or a hydraulic tappet?

#2

Post by joe »

Solid.
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Re: Is this a solid or a hydraulic tappet?

#3

Post by Cotten »

Hop-up!

Your entire tappet appears to be the early '48-'52 design,
and the cup doesn't fit the pushrod very well at all.

.....Cotten
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Re: Is this a solid or a hydraulic tappet?

#4

Post by Kuda »

Cotton's right. I suspect that either: 1) The pushrod is upside down, or 2) the pushrod is correct for that year, but the lifter is an earlier model.

-Kuda
'49 panchop
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Re: Is this a solid or a hydraulic tappet?

#5

Post by Hop Up »

Thanks! When winter comes i'll have to take the heads off (25% blowby 1. cyl at exthaust valve) and figure out the situation with the parts. But its solid, and should be adjusted to zero lash or even with a small amount of preload?
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Re: Is this a solid or a hydraulic tappet?

#6

Post by Bosheff »

Zero lash. No preload....bosheff
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Re: Is this a solid or a hydraulic tappet?

#7

Post by Cotten »

Hop-up!

I suspect your lifter cup is pictured on the far right:
LFTRCUPS.jpg
In the middle is an OEM cup,
and on the left is a "high-performance" aftermarket example, for a smaller-than-OEM pushrod.

The shallow and wide cup was a DIXIE/Superior disaster, back in the last century. I would not risk running them.

.....Cotten
PS: "Zero lash" means real stiff with aluminum pushrods!
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Re: Is this a solid or a hydraulic tappet?

#8

Post by Hop Up »

English isn't my native language, so I'm not sure if I got it right. Do you mean that my lifter cup is that "DIXIE/Superior disaster"? What is that sad story behind them?
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Re: Is this a solid or a hydraulic tappet?

#9

Post by FlatHeadSix »

Hop up,
Yes.
In the picture you posted you can see that the ball end of the push rod does not fit snuggly into the top of the lifter, and it does not seat very deeply into it either, and there is too much clearance at the sides. The sad story is that a poorly adjusted lifter will allow the push rod to "hop up" and come out of the cup, a very sad story indeed.

I'm sure the other guys will add to this but that is pretty much the "story".

mike
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Re: Is this a solid or a hydraulic tappet?

#10

Post by Cotten »

Hop up!

Either your cup is a very wide DIXIE, or your pushrod has a small end.

The pushrod and cup should match closely.

....Cotten
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Re: Is this a solid or a hydraulic tappet?

#11

Post by Hop Up »

Thank you, I understand.
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#2 Is this a solid or a hydraulic tappet?

#12

Post by CaptMike »

Inquiring Minds Want To Know!

Here's one of the tappets that was in my '57.
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Re: Is this a solid or a hydraulic tappet?

#13

Post by Bosheff »

Looks like a brazed up hydraulic unit to me....bosheff
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Re: Is this a solid or a hydraulic tappet?

#14

Post by CaptMike »

Bosheff wrote:Looks like a brazed up hydraulic unit to me....bosheff
It's an Original Hydraulic-Solid. Came from the Factory like that! NOT!
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Re: Is this a solid or a hydraulic tappet?

#15

Post by Hop Up »

What are the reasons to change hydraulics to solids? Is the same cam still used (at the car business solids and hydraulics require a cam designed for either type tappets)?
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