PRI 2025: Blackbird Performance Introduces Gen 3 HEMI Solid Roller Camshaft Valvetrain System

Blackbird Performance announced something huge at the 2025 PRI Show for the Gen 3 HEMI platform, a direct fit, budget-friendly solution to the long-standing lack of aftermarket support for valvetrain parts. The company has designed a new valvetrain system aimed at dramatically lowering the cost of converting a Gen 3 HEMI from a hydraulic camshaft to a solid roller cam.

Prior to Blackbird’s design, swapping to a solid roller cam required investing in expensive lifters and adjustable rocker arms. Currently, the price of entry for a solid roller cam conversion sits at roughly $8,500. Blackbird Performance’s goal is to cut that cost nearly in half.

Geoff Turk of Blackbird Performance provided details on the new rocker arm system. “Our first step toward that goal is our adjustable rocker arm system. These are steel rocker arms that we designed and manufactured to be both lightweight and strong. You can always make a rocker arm stronger by making it bigger, thicker, and using more material, but heavier is the enemy of valvetrains. These are drop-in, bolt-in pieces with little to no grinding required,” Turk explained.

The system will be available in the first quarter at a price of just $2,499, a game-changing number for adjustable rocker arms on the Gen 3 HEMI platform. The kit includes rocker arms, shafts, and hardware.

These rocker arms are designed to work with Blackbird Performance’s upcoming cylinder heads, which represent the second major product release planned for the first quarter. Those cylinder heads were first shown at PRI 2024.

“We’ve been very busy this year and have gone through several iterations,” Turk said. “The port development is complete, and it’s working so well that it’s honestly a little scary. This will be one of the best cast cylinder heads available for the Gen 3 HEMI. We’ve dramatically improved the rocker stand supports, which, combined with the adjustable rocker arms, create a very high-end rocker system in a true bolt-in package.”

According to Turk, the ports flow as well as or better than anything currently available, approaching the airflow of drag race–specific packages that require relocated pushrods. For a 2.08-inch valve application suitable for a 5.7L engine, these heads outflow a CNC-ported Apache head. Together, these advancements are making high-end valvetrain and cylinder head performance far more accessible for the Gen 3 HEMI platform.