Adjustable Lifters

[Ken/Alabama]

Anyone have any opinions good, bad or whatever on this style adjustable lifter? These were bought new several years ago from Flathead Jack and ran maybe 200 miles. He pulled out the cam because it was too radical and wasn’t street friendly and replaced it and the lifters with another. He’s since got out of flatheads so I got them with some other stuff today.

[Pete]

Have them faced and they should work fine.

[GB SISSON]

That is a design I have never seen. Not that I have been around adjustable lifters all that much, but they arent the Johnson style, or the 8n style, they look hollow and have an interesting threaded top. They must use an interference thread. What are they?

[cas3]

I've not seen them before either

[Brian]

They look like the style mike Davidson in Australia used to manufacture under his 'flatattack' brand. In my opinion, they are the BEST adjustable lifter available. Flathead Jack obviously copied that design, I cannot vouch for the quality of his particular brand. Looks like wear already formed in the top of that lifter?

[petehoovie]

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Originally Posted by Ken/Alabama

Anyone have any opinions good, bad or whatever on this style adjustable lifter? These were bought new several years ago from Flathead Jack and ran maybe 200 miles. He pulled out the cam because it was too radical and wasn’t street friendly and replaced it and the lifters with another. He’s since got out of flatheads so I got them with some other stuff today.

[flatjack9]

Originally Posted by Brian

They look like the style mike Davidson in Australia used to manufacture under his 'flatattack' brand. In my opinion, they are the BEST adjustable lifter available. Flathead Jack obviously copied that design, I cannot vouch for the quality of his particular brand. Looks like wear already formed in the top of that lifter?

I've used a number of "Flatattack" lifters and agree they are some of the best. Never used anything from Flathead Jack.

[Ken/Alabama]

Originally Posted by Brian

They look like the style mike Davidson in Australia used to manufacture under his 'flatattack' brand. In my opinion, they are the BEST adjustable lifter available. Flathead Jack obviously copied that design, I cannot vouch for the quality of his particular brand. Looks like wear already formed in the top of that lifter?

Yes it looks like wear in the photo but there’s absolutely zero wear there.

[GB SISSON]

I googled Flathead Jack, adjustable lifters. Nothing on his site or anywhere else about this 'new' design. Just lots of pics of Jack's lifters that look like all the others we all know about already. Do I see something round in the lifter's window?

[Tim Ayers]

Originally Posted by GB SISSON

I googled Flathead Jack, adjustable lifters. Nothing on his site or anywhere else about this 'new' design. Just lots of pics of Jack's lifters that look like all the others we all know about already. Do I see something round in the lifter's window?

Flathead Jack is no longer in business. He did put out a few parts (lifters being one) under the name Jaxs.

I'll try to find it...

Edit: Looks like all of the old links and the Jax website is no longer active, so I'm assuming they are no longer in business.

[Bored&Stroked]

They do look similar to the stuff that Mike Davidson produced. One thing to note on them is that the bodies were steel, not chilled iron. So, you can run them on cast-iron cams, but not on steel billet cams. Just something to note!

[Pete]

Originally Posted by Bored&Stroked

They do look similar to the stuff that Mike Davidson produced. One thing to note on them is that the bodies were steel, not chilled iron. So, you can run them on cast-iron cams, but not on steel billet cams. Just something to note!

Does that mean my stock steel lifters running on a stock steel core are going to go bad after already going 30000 miles?

[Bored&Stroked]

Originally Posted by Pete

Does that mean my stock steel lifters running on a stock steel core are going to go bad after already going 30000 miles?

I guess it would depend on the material and hardening. When I originally bought some of the lifters from Mike, if I remember he said to not run them on steel cams? But, as you noted - Ford made plenty of steel lifters that they ran on the early 32 cam cores. As far a mileage and/or issues with them - have no clue?

But, who knows - maybe the amount of spring pressure also comes into play? What are your thoughts Pete?

[Brian]

I've been running flatattack steel lifters on a 32 steel cam for years with no issues...Can't run steel on steel? All ball and roller bearings are doing exactly that!

[Pete]

"I guess it would depend on the material and hardening. When I originally bought some of the lifters from Mike, if I remember he said to not run them on steel cams? But, as you noted - Ford made plenty of steel lifters that they ran on the early 32 cam cores. As far a mileage and/or issues with them - have no clue?

But, who knows - maybe the amount of spring pressure also comes into play? What are your thoughts Pete?"

I am not going to speculate on someone else's stuff. If MIke said no steel, I would go with that.

As far as doing it with Ford original parts, I happen to know from many moons of circle racing, both pro and vintage, with original Ford parts it works good in race engines and I run spring pressures you would not believe.
I have run billet cams made from bar stock that are still running after 50 years also. Lifters made from original Ford ones.

[chap52]

Never seen these before. My question would be adjusting? The Johnson style had those holes on top for the special wrench to be used. Snapped the tips off of two sets of those and went, like many have, to drilling holes in lifter housing to insert a small allen wrench to hold the body while adjusting.
Is there a special process for adjusting these? Chap

[Bored&Stroked]

Originally Posted by Brian

I've been running flatattack steel lifters on a 32 steel cam for years with no issues...Can't run steel on steel? All ball and roller bearings are doing exactly that!

Good to hear!

Side Note: There are certainly situations where running a steel cam with steel lifters was not recommended - going back many years. BUT - it would strictly be a determination from the specific CAM/lifters vendor - based on their testing, materials, hardening process, etc..

I have some billet 8620 steel cams for early Olds and for early Hemi's that were supplied with "special" chilled iron lifters. Now, would steel lifters (correct materials and hardening) have worked - probably, but the cam manufacturers supplied chilled iron lifters - probably for a reason.

There are also quite a few high-end racing cams where they deliberately make very high quality tool-steel lifters (some DLC coated) for the rigors of high-rpm track racing with steel-billet cams. Obviously the combination works for this racing, where the class rules don't allow roller cams.

I think it is best to do what the cam/lifter manufacturer recommends . . . or not! LOL

[hotrodcbx]

I bought lifters from Flathead Jack, along with a Potvin cam made by Schneider about 4 years ago just before he closed his doors. Your lifters are made be JAX and be initial viewing they look to be nicely made. They have one major problem, they will not hold their settings. I removed them only to find the locking technique used is a small hole drilled in the threads with a locking insert of some type of plastic. They were all loose as H**..
Because they were so beautifully made and finished I decided to try and make them lockable. I put the threaded section into a rough faced mechanics vice and squeezed them to distort the threads. They were now quite difficult to adjust but work just fine now. These lifters are said to be the lightest lifters ever made for a flathead.

[Bored&Stroked]

Originally Posted by hotrodcbx

These lifters are said to be the lightest lifters ever made for a flathead.

The lightest lifters ever made would be the steel originals, followed by the Isky 404-A radius lifters (which I believe were made from originals???)

[RalphM]

Originally Posted by chap52

Never seen these before. My question would be adjusting? The Johnson style had those holes on top for the special wrench to be used. Snapped the tips off of two sets of those and went, like many have, to drilling holes in lifter housing to insert a small allen wrench to hold the body while adjusting.
Is there a special process for adjusting these? Chap

Looks to me like the only way to adjust them is you have to have the lifter bosses drilled to insert a rod. Then the adjustment is made on the top nut. Interesting design for sure.