I suppose this one is for Ted - when I took my own advice and re-read the article in Pop Hotrodding about cam selection and design - the section on valve springs caught my attention. Does one of the cam companies advertise a beehive spring that will work on our Y motors?

The harmonic reduction is interesting and so is the possibility of lighter weight retainers (just by virtue of making them smaller in diameter). If these parts are being produced for the FE motors - will any of them direct fit?

 
 Steve Metzger       Tucson, Arizona

Small Block Ford springs and retainers will bolt on and there is lots of them available on the aftermarket. Stock one piece retainer from early SBF is also much thinner and there will be no clearance issues with valve guides even with higher lift cams.

 Seppo from Järvenpää, Finland
www.hollowheads.net (just click the hole in the head to proceed)

I am currently running the Bee Hives # 26915-16 from comp cams in my poked and stroked 312 and I like'm better than anything I've used in the past. I'm not sure which locks and retainers I used. I had John Mummert install them when he built the heads and he may remember which ones. I think the retainers were # 787-16??? Ted may know as well because I think he's going to try them. You will have to turn down the bosses to make them fit. The fact you can turn higher RPMs with less spring pressure, less valve train wear makes them worth it.

-Gary Burnette-

Thanks Gary - The tech info makes the beehives look like the real deal - and from the sound of it, you guys have already tried it out. An "anti-harmonic" spring just has to beat the "huge spring, mega seat pressure" method about every way possible.

One thing that struck me right away was the small upper end taking such a small retainer compared with the "square" springs. Makes you wonder how that got overlooked for so many years. The comp cams catalog photo showing the small diameter steel retainer that weighs the same as the big titanium part ......quite a simple shange for a big result.

 
 Steve Metzger       Tucson, Arizona

You got it, weight does count and that's where these things shine.

-Gary Burnette-

The Buicks in the early fifties actually did have beehive springs on them.  This technology has been tried off and on over the years and it would appear that the steel and wire technology has finally caught up with the needs for the performance minded end users.

 

As Gary mentioned, they are not quite a direct fit on stock heads but are close.  The valve guide bosses on theY head as supplied from the factory are too large in diameter and need to be machined just enough to allow the beehive spring to locate around it.  This worked to my advantage as the re-machined guide boss positively positions the spring which eliminates spring walk and while also doing away with the need for spring cups which are not overly available yet for these smaller diameter springs.  The Comp Cams valve spring number that was used is 26915 and the retainer number is 787-16.  Here’s a pic of a set of beehive springs on Y heads.

 

Lorena, Texas (South of Waco)