the tappet are beveled at surfaces 92 94 also as best seen in fig3 the lower end 16 of tappet body 12 has a generally curved outer surface 98 through which recess 70 opens the lower end of the body is curved to insure sufficient clearance between the body and the cam surface which engages the outer peripheral surface of roller 84 with the tappet construction in accordance with the present invention the roller is substantially enclosed or encircled by the tappet body and the roller operates almost totally within the body only a small arc of the outer periphery or the outer circumference of the roller extends from the recess formed by the body this construction results in a significant increase in strength for the configuration when compared with prior bifurcated leg roller tappet configurations this permits the tappet to be fabricated from less costly and lower strength materials than have heretofore been thought possible also this configuration permits significant cost savings in machining and in capital expenditure for production equipment the body 12 in accordance with the present invention may be cast and subsequently machined to the final configuration as seen in fig5 and 6 body 12 is initially formed as an elongated generally cylindrical casting 110 casting 110 is formed with recess 70 opening through.