Rocker arm alignment

[ToddK]

Just received my T&D rocker arm set from Survival and did a test fit on my Pond MR heads. The rocker set is the street type that is meant to be a bolt on replacement for factory parts.



 It all looks good, but I did notice that the side to side alignment of the roller tips to the valve stems is a bit off. I'm sure I can machine the spacers and use shims to get the alignment correct of all the central rocker arms. But on the 2 end arms, they need to be moved outward, and there appears to be not enough distance to move them before they hit the end stands.




Would it be possible to machine the inside face of the end stands to give me a bit more movement of the arm. I don't think it would be much that would need to be removed, maybe 0.060". I don't think it would weaken the end stand much, but wanted to get some opinions from the experts. Has anybody else encountered this problem before?

[jayb]

I've seen that issue too.  I haven't gone to the trouble of machining the stands, but if you are concerned I wouldn't hesitate to do that.  I just moved the rockers as close to the center of the valve as I could with the shims, and ran them like that.  Never had any trouble that way...

[drdano]

I wouldn't run them like that personally.  Have the stands milled and shim them centered over the valve tips.  From the photo the one on the right looks to be almost a third of a roller off... I had to do this on my C4AE-G heads with Survivals Billet stand kit.  It was a pain in the ass, but I think worth it.

[Marx427]

I know this may sound overly simple and I'm no expert by any means.....but have you tried loosening the bolt and shifting the stand  over? 

I have an end stand from Precision Oil and bolt here in my hand and there's a little play there... ......  ......and yes I am typing one handed.

[ToddK]

The holes in the stands are fairly precise so there is no room to move them.

DrDano, you are correct in your observation. Some of the rollers are only half contacting the valve stems.  I think I will have the end stands milled to allow the arms to be moved outward and then shim them for better valve contact. Maybe these kits are designed for normal valve spacing, and seeing these heads have MR valve layout, the rockers are a bit off.

[drdano]

I'd mill them and do it right for sure if you've only got half contact on a few.  This sounds an awful lot like the same experience I had with the stands from Survival...like they were meant for a slightly different valve spacing since each stand had to be milled on each side.  But, with any aftermarket FE parts, seems everything needs a little massaging to make it work just right.   

[cammerfe]

My Dove HD rocker set-up came with spacers and shims to do a centering job, along with a set of instructions. If anything but a very minor correction was to be necessary, it doesn't make sense to ignore it.

KS

[funsummer]

I will be keeping a eye on this thread.
Ive got a set of edelbrock heads that i plan on bolting the same rocker set up to.
Any idea if i can expect the same miss alignment?
Also Can i ask what are you doing in regards to oil feed and push rods for these rockers?

[ToddK]

Although it's not mentioned in the literature that came with the rocker set, it appears they they are designed to oil through the pushrod. I will be using hyd roller lifters in this engine, so will order hollow pushrods when the time comes.

I will detail my progress with this build, but it may take a while. Things don't seem to happen in a hurry in my garage.

[funsummer]

That was what i thought Todd.
Ive read the info and had a good look at them and i tend to agree that they look like there designed for pushrod oiling..
I might chase this up with BarryR as i have just ordered a roller cam and lifter package from him..
This Fe Build sure keeps me on my toes..

[jmlay]

Have you tried to swap ends with the stands, assuming the ends are the same. Also swap head to head to see if better alignment is possible before milling.

[KMcCullah]

I would hold off on machining anything until you have a chance to mock the motor up and check your pushrod clearance with the intake manifold. The misalignment you see now may look pretty good once the intake is installed. You may find out you need offset rocker arms also.

[ToddK]

I definitely won't be doing any machining of the stands until I have the heads mocked up on the engine. I might try swapping the stands around and see if that helps.