<VV> LIFTERS

[corvairs]

Everyone has an opinion.  Since we oftentimes believe what we choose to 
believe, let's try this another way.

Of the two (and possibly a third) companies making hydraulic automobile 
lifters we're talking about  millions of lifters - per year. Take any 
hydraulic lifter apart and carefully go over what is involved in each 
and every component's manufacture. In order to be able to wholesale an 
item of this kind for well under $2.00, VERY large quantities have to be 
produced - and not just once - but year after year. Even a small 
deviation to the standard parts won't be undertaken by those lifter 
companies, and even then, a MAJOR committment (far beyond all the 
Corvair vendors put together times 100) wouldn't interest them.

Now, let's suppose that an individual vendor decided to buy 
off-the-shelf (OTS) lifters, then dissasemble them, and make even one 
simple modification to them (like drill a hole bigger, for example)and 
put them back together? Would even a bored one-man shop with nothing 
better to do go to all that trouble and still sell them in the $4-5 
dollar range? Now let's expand that a little and say that you're going 
to take them apart and then drill the larger hole, add a different seat 
to it (and apparently) replace or modify other parts as well? Doesn't 
add up, does it?

When the hydraulic lifter division of Johnson Controls unexpectedly shut 
down a few years ago it became painfully obvious to it's remaining 
competitor that even millions of identical mass produced lifters 
couldn't be sold as cheap as they had both been doing. Prove it to 
yourself - take a lifter apart and jot how how many operations there are 
-   Casting/forging, machining/grinding, heat treating and of course 
materials costs. And keep in mind, that in order to function, most of 
the components have to have precision matched working surfaces. Then add 
in packaging, transportation, and some sort of wholesale to retail 
distribution chain.

I'm sorry to dissapoint anyone. There are numerous parts for Corvairs 
where there are legitimate quality differences - but hydraulic lifters?  
None of us are in that position and never will be. If it makes you feel 
better that you paid more and/or held off your project  because you just 
had to use someone's "magical" "exclusive" lifters then, don't worry, 
you'll still be my friend.  Lon

PORTLAND IN 2005!  www.corsaoregon.com

PS -Ken - actually I'm even a little surprised that true custom lifters 
(for anything let alone Corvairs) can be sold for $12.00 each, but it 
depends on what has been done to them and of course how many are 
produced.  There's a big difference in a retial of $3.75 each and 
$12.00   (Or was the $12.00 a wholesale price?)