ZZP Custom Pushrods - 3800

Being a long term leader in the 3800 market means constantly testing new products and releasing the latest in technology. Each pushrod is laser etched with it's size and our logo. When you see the ZZP logo, you know you are spending your money on the best there is. We offer 5/16" and 3/8" diameter pushrods. They now come with a reusable hard plastic case.

Made from chromoly, wall thickness is .080". 

The 6.95" or 7.00" 5/16" push rods are our most common upgrade for VS/XP/NIC cam cars using LS7/Comp OER/LS7 lifters on stock length valves.

The XPZ cam will generally require two different length pushrods because the cams base circle is smaller on the intake lobe than on the exhaust. The most common pushrod combo for an XPZ build is (6) 7.05" and (6) 7.00".

These are sold in sets of 12, unless you select the length option that says (Quantity 6) which is meant for custom length XPZ camshaft setups.

We recommend determining the proper length of pushrod for each persons specific setup. The best tool to use along with the below writeup would be the ZZP pushrod length checker.

How to determine proper push rod length by measuring "lifter preload":

VIDEO

All said and done you need to add up the changes in head milling, block decking, head gasket thickness, push rod length, valve tip height, camshaft base circle lobe diameter, and rocker arm type. This will allow you to calculate the length of push rod needed.

To check for lifter preload or lifter squish you need to first get to zero lash. Turn the engine over so that one valve on a cylinder is open. Because one is open, you know the other is closed, meaning the lifter is sitting on the base circle. With that lifter on the base circle loosen the rocker bolt and then retighten with one hand while spinning the pushrod with the other. This way you can tell when everything first makes contact (the valve is touching the rocker tip, the pushrod is touching the rocker & and lifter and the lifter is touching the cam). At this point of first contact you are at zero lash. Everything past this point is lifter preload. Continue to tighten the rocker bolt until the bolt hits its snug point. This is how much lifter preload you have. Each 1/2 turn of the rocker bolt is ~.050 of lifter preload. Your goal is to have between 1/2 turn and 1.5 turns if you have stock lifters or 3/8 turn to 1/2 turn if you have Comp lifters. As you can see the stockers have a lot more room for error.

If you have too much preload and you have exhausted the adjustment of the lifter, the valves will stay open and the car will not start due to lack of compression. If you have too little preload, the valve train will be noisy and you risk exploding a lifter and having a very costly repair.