Dr.Jass
Pastor of Muppets
I was watching a set of Harland Sharp rocker arms on ye olde Bay for a couple of weeks. Opening bid was $200, but the trick was that the seller didn't know what he had. He said he was told they were for a 440 when he got them 40 years ago, but they weren't big block rockers because they were "too short" (although he didn't say in which dimension). The included aluminum hold-downs he'd gotten with them were anodized blue, which was curious since Harland Sharp stuff is either natural or black, and the bolt holes were only 5/16" (standard LA size). He was selling the set as LA rockers, saying there were 16 intakes, 8 each offset to the left and right. The spacers that fit between the arms sure looked like the right ones for a big-block, though.
I was pretty certain he was wrong about the application, since HS LA rockers are either straight, T/A, or W2/W5. These weren't nearly offset enough to be T/A or W-series. They certainly didn't look like anything on the HS website, but I guessed they probably had made a design change in the interceding decades. After all, big-block rockers run a left and right offset arm. I knew they were Mopar arms, since they were .875" ID, which is larger than the ID of Buick or FE Ford arms. The rocker-shaft bolt thing bugged me, as did the blue anodizing.
During all this confusion, the auction ended twice without a bid and the parts were relisted both times. Third time's the charm--he lowered the opening bid to $100. Shit, I'll take that gamble and run with my hunch. I bid $158 on 'em, just to be "that much higher" than the asshole that always bids $157.51 and beats you.
I was the only bidder, and shipping was free. $100 total. Wun... hunnert... bones..., dig?
The parts awaited me on my porch after work. I decided I'd figure 'em out right away. I took four left, four right, and the spacers out to the garage and cleaned off one of my RB rocker shafts. I aligned everything with the factory adjustable ductile arms I put on my 440 heads, and it's a perfect match, including the length. Boom. They're exactly what I gambled on them being: Full roller (fulcrum and tip) B/RB arms, '70s vintage (they're stamped "MADE BY HARLAND SHARP" on the tops) and with very little use on 'em. What of the curious rocker hold-downs, you ax? They're Mopar Performance parts for the T/A rockers--same as Econo W2 heads, but with the standard 5/16" hold-down bolt rather than the W2s' 3/8" bolt. As a bonus, I don't think these hold-downs have ever been used.
So essentially I paid less than retail for a set of fancy shaft clamps for my T/A heads, and got a set of Harland Sharp big-block rocker arms for free. The "right" hold-downs for the Sharps are about $90/set, but the stock ones can be used with a shim between them and the arms without issue. Either way, I feel like Stretch at last weekend's swap meet. :dance:
I was pretty certain he was wrong about the application, since HS LA rockers are either straight, T/A, or W2/W5. These weren't nearly offset enough to be T/A or W-series. They certainly didn't look like anything on the HS website, but I guessed they probably had made a design change in the interceding decades. After all, big-block rockers run a left and right offset arm. I knew they were Mopar arms, since they were .875" ID, which is larger than the ID of Buick or FE Ford arms. The rocker-shaft bolt thing bugged me, as did the blue anodizing.
During all this confusion, the auction ended twice without a bid and the parts were relisted both times. Third time's the charm--he lowered the opening bid to $100. Shit, I'll take that gamble and run with my hunch. I bid $158 on 'em, just to be "that much higher" than the asshole that always bids $157.51 and beats you.
I was the only bidder, and shipping was free. $100 total. Wun... hunnert... bones..., dig?The parts awaited me on my porch after work. I decided I'd figure 'em out right away. I took four left, four right, and the spacers out to the garage and cleaned off one of my RB rocker shafts. I aligned everything with the factory adjustable ductile arms I put on my 440 heads, and it's a perfect match, including the length. Boom. They're exactly what I gambled on them being: Full roller (fulcrum and tip) B/RB arms, '70s vintage (they're stamped "MADE BY HARLAND SHARP" on the tops) and with very little use on 'em. What of the curious rocker hold-downs, you ax? They're Mopar Performance parts for the T/A rockers--same as Econo W2 heads, but with the standard 5/16" hold-down bolt rather than the W2s' 3/8" bolt. As a bonus, I don't think these hold-downs have ever been used.
So essentially I paid less than retail for a set of fancy shaft clamps for my T/A heads, and got a set of Harland Sharp big-block rocker arms for free. The "right" hold-downs for the Sharps are about $90/set, but the stock ones can be used with a shim between them and the arms without issue. Either way, I feel like Stretch at last weekend's swap meet. :dance:
