92 Z28, LB9 motor. I searched for answers but didn't quite get what I was looking for.

3 main questions:

1) Self aligning rockers are needed I assume, but any budget ones worth looking into? Not looking to get another 100k out of this engine, but want to play with a little until I do a full engine swap down the road. I figure 1.6 rockers are relatively cheap and easy to do so why not?

2) Do I need to get new valve springs as well, or will factory ones be ok?

3) Do I need to have a custom chip made or will 1.6 rockers play nice with the factory chip?

 

for budget ive had good luck with proform. some people dont like them but i've been using the self-aligning 1.6 aluminum roller rockers for many years on my 350. i also put a set on my daily driver s-10, 2.2. absolutely no problems here.

i doubt you'll need a spring change or chip if your keeping about the same cam.

 

Tuning aside, one of your other considerations will be interference where the pushrod passes through the head. With a traditional rocker, that is, not self aligning, in the absence of guide plates, the head keeps the pushrod in line. Depending on your cam lift, a 1.6 ratio rocker may cause binding at this point and an enlarging of the pushrod hole is required. If that is needed (due to interference) then you'll either need self-guiding rocker arms or guide plates to keep the pushrod where it belongs.
And again, depending on your cam lift, you may want to check valve to piston clearance.
If you are stock cammed (it sounds like it) then the P to V clearance likely isn't an issue but the same can't be said for the pushrod binding.

 

Q #1: u can tell just by looking at the tip if the rocker is self align or not - google self align rocker pix. Bigger worry is your iron heads gonna need the p-rod slots in the head opened up as the higher ratio rockers pull the p-rod in closer to the head. Its called a Lewis too and its mainly a drill to hog out the p-rod slot for the higher ratio rockers. But the slot clearance has to be close enough or the p-rod can flop around to loose - thats why many heads use guide plates. But if done right the head casting slots for the p-rods can be made to do the job for 1.6 rocker arms.

Q #2: Yah know it so hard to tell what your LB9 head has for a vlv springs and i can only guess. Unless u care to remove one to measure i can only advise to replace the vlv springs with better.

q #3 for something like that i wouldnt worry a moment or waste a dime for a tune. But a performance tune will help even with the stock rockers.

Hope this can help.

 

I have a set of aluminum Scorpion 1.6 self align narrow body rockers for the centerbolt heads. I ran them for 3 years, but understand, that i only put on about 2000 a year. Bought them at summit ; http://www.summitracing.com/parts/scc-scp1036/overview/ I just rebuilt my motor and went with different heads so i no longer can use them. $125