if your going to waste your money on rockers atleast get a 1.8 ratio to be worth your time in swapping them.. for the money id just get a bigger cam..there 1000hp ls1s on stock rockers..its not like their weak..but hey its your money your wastin..if it were me Id spend it on something for more of a gain. you arent going to gain anything going to a 1.7 roller rocker

 

The stock cast rocker arms are actually nice parts. The needle bearings have been known to fail, more common with heavy valve springs. Harlan sharp modifies the stock rocker arms so the needles can't fall out, or an aftermarket set can buy you the peace of mind.

 

i think with the cam he has he will never have to worry bout breakin a rocker arm

 

I haven't seen any fail in person, I have seen numerous threads on the corvette forum that have failed bearings(likely causing dropped valve) on otherwise bone stock cars. It's one of those things that can be hard to justify the cost because aftermarket parts are often less reliable than factory stuff.
OHC ftw

 

That money would be more effectively put to use on getting a better cam!

Seems like you are trying justify spending money on rockers to compensate for a lack of proper cam selection for your goals!

BTW; I'm not knocking the 01 ls6 cam(about to swap one in my truck in the next week or so), but it looks like you're going to spend 400 dollars to get it to match the specs of an 02+ ls6 cam that can be found for 50-100 bucks. IMO if you have 400 to spend buy a tr or comp cam!

 

What is the largest cam I could go with, without having to worry about piston to valve clearance? Currently I have done nothing to the lower end of the engine, still stock pistons. The only thing I have done was ported and polished the heads, larger valves, and stronger springs. And if I do go with a larger cam, Let's say a 2002 LS6 cam, the only real difference would be the lift, (of course the only true way to tell valve to piston clearance would be to put a thin layer of clay on the pistons and rotate the engine and look for disturbed areas)

2001 LS6 cam
207/217 int/exh @ 0.05" duration
0.525" / 0.525" int/exh lift
116 LSA

2002+ LS6 cam
204/218 int/exh @ 0.05" duration
0.551" / 0.547" int/exh lift
117 LSA

I also heard that if I were to go with something like the 2002 LS6 cam, I would have to change the pushrods, any info on this guys? What size pushrods would I have to run? Does any one know anyone out there that sales a nice cam and rod set for the 5.3? The truck is not a DD, just a weekend thing. Thanks for all your help

 

So you haven't had any material taken off the block or the heads milled? That cam has a .050" smaller base circle diameter so you would need a set of .025" longer push rods. I've heard of people running the stock length ones though, not too sure on how that has worked out. Hopefully someone with more info on the subject will chime in here!

 

you will be fine with .600 plus lift cams.. you will need pushrods and valve springs