MGB: Crane Cam Lifters

I bought a new performance Crane cam for a MGB on ebay about 5 years ago because it was so cheap at $70. I have done some homework since then and it appears that they will destroy soft lifters. I see that APT sells lifters that should work nicely though they cost $120. About three times the cost of made in the UK AE brand lifters. Will the AE's work? What about other brands or sources? Any ideas on what to do?

This is a common topic, discussed a lot lately. Use the search function you'll find lots of stuff. The opinion is that the cheap lifters are not consistently hard enough. I just bought a reground cam and new lifters from bpnorthwest.com, at least they claim the check all their lifters for hardness, we'll see. If that's a billet cam I definitely think you need the good lifters from APT or minispares.

Yeh I did a search but did not find much in the last month or so. I was looking at buying the AE lifters at bpnorthwest.com. Thanks

I have that cam and it was recomended by those on here to get the apt lifters. If you plan on getting them, they are cheaper direct than from Moss, IIRC.

Should the hardness be nearly equal on the cam AND followers?

If ytou looking to save a few bucks, APT has alesser costing lifter, that is still chilled iron and plnety hard, it is the CF-10, it retials for about 79.00 if I'm not mistken, it doesn have the oil back holes, but neither did the factory OEM, also Mini Mania sell a lifter set labled as a lightened lifter they retial for about 89.95 and have oil drain back holes, they are nitrited and spec out at about 57+ Rockwell C, as does both the APT lifters, that the numbers you want to be at with a nitrited regrind or a billet cam.

OH in case you were wondering with Mini Mania refernece, the later MGB short lifter, and the A-series (Midget lifters) are the same part.

you want as hard a lifter as you can get.

I think that waffling on price here is false economy: save money on tires or wheels not inside your engine.

I bought the$120 set from APT after the crane tech guy recommended them.

ClayJ Wrote:

in practice as I have seen, the lifters wear by pitting rather than wearing a groove.

I THINK they are supposed to rotate (the lifters that is) but I don't know itr this is accurate nor how they do. I'm told this is common on US engines.

Lifters are in fact designed to be ever so slightly domed in the center so they do rotate.

Oncea gain I got lots of good advice here. I'll buy the APT lifters. I just wanted to make sure that I didn't go overkill and waste $75. Thanks

Cam comapnies will tell you with a Billet or nitrites regrind, you want tobe at 57 rockweell C or above on a lifter, all the lifter I metioned above meet those specs, the only difference between the CF-10 and the CF-04 is oil drain back holes which is a performance thing, if the lifter is completely full of oil all the time it lighter, so drin bak hole is good but not necessary. I'll use CF-10 in a skiiny minute in a cost mind stock rebuild, as the materials and hardess in the two lifters is the same.