[Cliff R]

I was talking to a long time customer couple of days ago who is deeply involved with camshafts and engine building.

We were talking about lifters for these engines. He told me that currently Topline are the only ones left that absolutely and for sure are USA made.

http://toplineauto.com/wp-content/up...on-Catalog.pdf

I'll add here that this is NOT the first time I've heard this, and that the other sources who have told me this were pretty reliable, but I typically stick to topics that I have DIRECT experience with as it helps to keep me out of trouble as my enemies and "fan club" miss no opportunities to roll me under the bus on the Forums. Even so now that I'm retired bad cases of CRS and even worse cases of DGS make it easier to stray off course a bit.

Anyhow, he also told me that the tolerances are and always have been very close and that they make more power on the dyno than any of the Mexican and offshore varities we are currently seeing on the market.

He uses and prefers the "S" or Slow-bleed offerings claiming that they take full advantage of the lobe profile and you end up with several benefits. One is that they make more power over the engines RPM range and also they do not go "stupid" at high RPM's loosing control of things (lifter crash).

I've witnessed the high RPM issues several times on the dyno but blamed it on the cam profile(s) and not the lifters being used.

So during the conversation I asked about Johnson lifters, which is a USA company but not affileated in any way that I know of with Hylift Johnson. He told me that Johnson is and has been importing and re-boxing lifters from out of the USA for some time now and to avoid them.

Of course being second hand information we have to take it as that, but it does bring up some interesting points as hardy a day goes by that we don't hear about someone loosing a camshaft during or shortly after "break-in", noisy valve train, etc, etc........