Theres a very distinct trickle-down system that flows from the racetrack directly to the street. Everything from intake manifolds to the latest exhaust header technology is fair game, and this includes valvetrain components. Jesel has been building high-tech racing valvetrain parts for well over 20 years. Jesels drag racing experience has now branched out into big-time circle track and road racing so it was only a matter of time before the company built a dedicated system for the street.
The problem with racing parts for the street is that they are expensive. Jesel has always been known for high-quality parts, and one of its most famous valvetrain concepts was to convert the small-block Chevys classic rocker-stud arrangement to a shaft system. Jesel made the usually cumbersome one-piece shaft system easier to work with by creating a short shaft that pairs the intake and exhaust rockers together to minimize deflection caused by stiff valvespring pressures.
The idea was so good that Jesel decided to build a system for the street guy and keep the price right at $700. Each kit is designed to fit a particular cylinder head, with a billet-steel mount that fits over where the rocker studs used to fit and mounts four pairs of rockers on each head. The kit consists of >> eight pairs of rockers, two steel stands, head bolts, Torx head fasteners and the right size Torx sockets, all the adjusters, and a pushrod-length checking tool.
We decided to check out the Jesel system and ordered a complete 1.6:1 rocker system for an Air Flow Research 210cc head and a mechanical-roller cam for a small-block were building. The system requires you to pre-fit the shaft system on the engine and then check the pushrod length so you can order custom-length pushrods. We also learned that our roller cam had different pushrod lengths between the intake and exhaust lobes due to different base circles between the two lobes.
Once we read through the directions, it didnt take long to assemble the rocker-shaft system and install it on the engine. We spent a majority of the time establishing the correct pushrod length so that the lash adjusters ended up within Jesels spec of around one turn out from the seated position. Proper pushrod length is critical to valvetrain geometry and minimizing rocker-arm travel across the top of the valve stem.
Clearly, the Jesel shaft rocker system is not for every street car. It is intended for high-end street small-block applications. But neither is this system outrageously expensive, considering that it replaces a set of roller rockers, rocker studs, and guideplates while increasing the strength and durability of your valvetrain.