[mpboy]

i know the diffrence between push rod and ohc engines, but i hear people say push rod FTW, what makes them better, i would think it has more parts to move and more parts that can fail, plus the cams are more difficult to access, im not talking down on push rods, i think they sound much better, but whats the power advantage? some one please school me

[vfast]

1st...they don't need multiple cams to make fast...adding cost

[mpboy]

true, but ohc sits over the valve, no need for push rod, wouldnt that add to power loss?

[mpboy]

here is some stuff iv found.

"There is a big disadvantage with a pushrod engine, and that's valvetrain inertia. Everything else being equal, the valves will float at a lower RPM, but for street driving, even extra-legal street driving, that's not a concern. Roger Penske's car won the Indy 500 a few years ago with a pushrod engine, while everybody else had DOHC.
You can have four valves per cylinder with a pushrod (cam in block) engine, you just have to get fancy with the rockers and pushrods. If you look at a Chrysler Hemi or even a Poly engine, you'll see some pretty fancy pushrodding going on, too.
OHC can be simpler, especially with an inline engine. You just use a longer belt or chain to drive the camshaft and skip the pushrods. On a V engine, you wind up with quite a bit more complexity"

i am just thinking of getting a project car, and i dont know if i want OHC or push rod