tqcraver00

Getting ready to do my cam swap in a few months still scraping up the parts

I wanted to bump compression up with head gaskets.

Stock 5.3L 61.15 cc heads .053 gasket 9.49 compression

With .04 gasket 9.76 compression

With .03 gasket 9.98 compression < would this one be 2 thin?

If stock pushrods are 7.4" with .04 gasket would I need 7.3" rods and .03 need 7.2" pushrods

Whitecrewcab

iTrader: (2)

Not 7.3" pushrods, that's a tenth of an inch, not a hundredth. If you didn't pull the heads and mill them, 7.4" pushrods would probably still work. If anything, 7.375" pushrods for a .030 head gasket. That's 25 thousandths shorter pushrods and a 23 thousandths thinner head gasket.

Sales3@Texas-Speed

iTrader: (2)

When changing any part of the valvetrain geometry I would definitely recommend measuring to ensure proper pushrod length.

dmelvin

iTrader: (8)

Just because you guys sell the tool to do it.

But no... really... he's right. It's easier (and cheaper) to use the tool and get the right measurement the first time than have to buy multiple sets of pushrods.

Mangled03gmc

iTrader: (95)

Unless you are going back to stock size gaskets I would take a measurement with a checker. However I did not and had .020 milled off my heads, stock gaskets, used a 7.4 push rod with out any issues. However I did rotate the engine over after the install to make sure the rockers were riding on the tips in a happy spot. The .03 gasket is what I would go with.

Sales3@Texas-Speed

iTrader: (2)

At the $19.99 that the tool retails for, we don't really have enough margin in it to make anything.

For us, we sell the tool to ensure the customer gets a correct length rather than having us guess for them.

Yes, we have some setups that 90% of the time end up using the same pushrod, but there is that 10% out there with the same setup, that will end up using a different pushrod length (could range from the variances in block decks from GM, to a customer not knowing that his "stock" heads were milled, etc., and etc.).