It is the retention device for the lifters. It goes in the lifter valley. Yes it is needed.

 

Where could I get one of those? I don't think I can reuse mine, the motor isn't being pulled until the new one is ready.

Summit?

 

the spyder is a metal piece that has two bolts and it bolts into your lifter valley and keeps the lifters from rotating in their holes. you definately need one or else you can say goodbye to your lifters and cam. i can't imagine it would be expensive to buy one either.

 

I think the first question you need to ask is whether or not this is a roller motor (roller lifters and roller cam). If it is, then you need roller lifters along with the tie bars that go between each pair of lifters. The spider is a spring steel piece that gets bolted down in the lifter valley and has "arms" that apply pressure to the tie bars that are between each lifter, the tie bars keep the roller lifters from rotating in their bores so the roller on the bottom follows the cam profile. If you're building an engine and using a flat tappet cam then you don't need any of that stuff, just a new set of lifters and a cam will do, just make sure that if you change cams, you also change lifters. Roller lifters can run on any cam because, for all intents and purposes, they don't wear down like flat tappet lifters do. Hope this covers everything.

Carson

 

Summit has them, also you can find them on ebay.

 

texas mustang has them www.texasmustang.com

 

Thanks for all the replies.

One last question (I promise)- is this stuff on my stock 5.0 engine (1988)? If so, could I reuse it? (the lifter hardware only- I have new lifters)

As mentioned, the engine is bone stock right now, so if the parts were OE, they are still there. Can I lift the valve covers and heads to see?

Thanks for any info.

 

take off the intake and you will see it

 

Hay PassdU2......

Carson, I think you can only put roller lifters on a billet steel roller cam. I don't know if a cast iron flat tappet cam would hold up.

 

If so, could I reuse it? (the lifter hardware only- I have new lifters)

Yes. When I put in new lifters, I reused the spider and the guides.

Dave

 

Those roller lifters rarely go bad. You can reuse all of that stuff without a problem.