Is a Rev-Kit Beneficial?

[Bevo]

It seems like a good idea. Does anyone have any experience with them?

[SupStk]

They make the cam look better on tear down. I've never seen any power personally from using one. I consider them mostly a real pain in the rear.

[crazycuda]

The basics on a rev kit origionally was to be abol to run a high lift without killing the valve springs.

[panic]

Allows spring load on cam to be independent of valve seat load. Less bending of pushrods.

[Stevespeed]

Makes a heck of a good insurance policy in an endurance application. Saved my arse a couple of years back. Found the cycle life limit of aluminum body shaft rockers the hard way. Baja 500, 15 miles into race intake rocker body broke in half. Vitals were still good, had plenty of power, driver kept going. Rev kit kept the lifter in place. Finished 485 miles later with class win finishing 14th overall after starting position of something like 98th off line. I hated rev kits because you couldn't get a good repeatable valve lash due to the plates floating around rubbing on the pushrods. Now I bolt the plates to the bottom of the heads. No more rubbing. Happy camper.

[katman]

Makes a heck of a good insurance policy in an endurance application. Saved my arse a couple of years back. Found the cycle life limit of aluminum body shaft rockers the hard way. Baja 500, 15 miles into race intake rocker body broke in half. Vitals were still good, had plenty of power, driver kept going. Rev kit kept the lifter in place. Finished 485 miles later with class win finishing 14th overall after starting position of something like 98th off line. I hated rev kits because you couldn't get a good repeatable valve lash due to the plates floating around rubbing on the pushrods. Now I bolt the plates to the bottom of the heads. No more rubbing. Happy camper.

Got any pics of how you bolted them to the heads?

[Stevespeed]

Don't have pics but it is very easy to do as long as your cyl head has a flat surface to support the plate. Some cyl hd manufacturers will leave extra material if you specify it is for a rev kit app. I locate the plates by turning a pair of setup pins in the lathe that fit the lifter bores and extend upward into the rev kit spring pocket. On SBC I drill and tap 1/4-20 into the bottom of the intake runner locating at the port divider. Grade 8 bolts and red loctite. I like to use Isky billet and hardcoated plates with tappet washers not only on lifters but spring seats also.