Rocker shafts

[427Fastback]

Going to be putting together a rather stock 390 for a loaded 68 Cougar GT.Its going to keep the stock manifolds,air pump(US car),air cleaner and will have a edelbrock performer on it..The RPM version apparantly is too high for the s pipe and air cleaner to hood clearance...

I am going to put a yet to be picked hyd roller cam in it..Are the stock rocker shafts up to the spring pressure .Its getting the stock PBF covers so end stands are out...I have a assortment of HD shafts....I would like to find the std wall thickness for oem shafts and compare it what i have.

Thanks...Cory

[My427stang]

I would say no on stock shafts without end stands. But ends stands do fit with PBF v/c I do it all the time on 68 CJs.

Happy to check wall thickness on a stocker tomorrow though

[427Fastback]

Thanks I thought it might be pushing the stock shafts...I have some end stands here..Dont mind doing the fitting...I have heads here...If you could measure the oem shafts that would be great..As this car has A/C and all the other goodies I want to be safe...

[cjshaker]

I would say no on stock shafts without end stands. But ends stands do fit with PBF v/c I do it all the time on 68 CJs.

How many '68 CJs have you worked on? Since they only produced 1299, I've found them to be pretty rare around my parts. There must be loads of them around your area 

[blykins]

It depends on the cam and the valve spring. 

I've ran a lot of hydraulic rollers with 350 lbs of open pressure and a HD shaft is not necessary at that level.   I run end stands on about everything but a HD shaft is not always needed.

[My427stang]

I would say no on stock shafts without end stands. But ends stands do fit with PBF v/c I do it all the time on 68 CJs.

How many '68 CJs have you worked on? Since they only produced 1299, I've found them to be pretty rare around my parts. There must be loads of them around your area 

I guess all the time was an overstatement...but if that number is right, I have built strokers for 3 of the 1299 in the past  18 months and one in the works, and have done quite a few PBF's with end stands in trucks and 390 GTs..   Fair to give me a poke though...

I will control my flamboyant and exaggerating attitude in the future    

I also should have clarified, Doug Garifo's stands work, I haven't tried anything other than that

Just to be clear though, I thought Cory was asking for some dimensions, and the initial option, was "stock or HD with hyd rollers, no stands"

I have gone with new Sealed Power replacement shafts with end stands...all good with 400 open

I have used HD shafts with end stands..all good (of course)

I have NOT used HD shafts without end stands, at that pressure, but I don't think I would like it with a stock or even a standard alum stand anyway, in fact, I think it's probably harder on the rocker than the shaft.  Seems like you would have enough deflection at loading and unloading that over time it would be like taper on a journal..  It would not come apart, and not even die a slow death, could  be a grand canyon death, but the end rocker "could" move enough to get slightly out of parallel over time when open and have some bushing wear.  I wouldn't be surprised if you saw a little movement on the end stands themselves.  I would call it  good but not ideal.

I would NOT use a stock stand and stock shaft at 400 lbs, over the years we have seen the rocker metal fatigue at the last bolt hole on solid flat tappets, never mind a moderately stout spring and a cam with some lift.

I will be out in the garage today and have a clean one sitting there, I will see if I can get a measurement.  It's 390 week in the shop and I have a couple apart.

[Ranch]

Back in the 70's I ran General Kinetics springs (inner, outer, dampener) with FoMoCo rocker assembly over the  C4ae-B cam (406 engine).  Shifted at 6800 / 7K, never had a problem with the rocker shafts or stands.  But the last rebuild (3 years ago) I replaced the shafts because of some wear, so I got the heavy duty shafts from 'Precision Oil Pumps'.  There's quite a difference in the wall thickness over stock. POP does a nice job with these so you might want to check em out.





http://stores.precisionoilpumps.com/fe-ford-hd-chrome-moly-rocker-arm-shafts/

[427Fastback]

I measured some shafts that I have....the customers shafts are aprox .178 wall...I have some new ones that appear to be jobber and they are aprox .145 wall and I have a HD set at .240 wall...Turns out i dont have any extra end stands.

[Val406]

A jumbo shaft. Unsupported, springs spec'd for a 282S. Taken from my "Autopsy" folder.

[Gregwill16]

Val, what shafts were these? I am currently working on a 427 with a 282S and planned to go with HD shafts and no end stands. The pictures show it is definitely a weak point around the stand holes.

[Val406]

Val, what shafts were these? I am currently working on a 427 with a 282S and planned to go with HD shafts and no end stands. The pictures show it is definitely a weak point around the stand holes.

I got them back in the 80s from Dove. They had a guy named John Ciacchi working their booth at the swap-meets. Chrom-moly, gun drilled, allen screw plugs. I got great use out of them on several engines. I replaced them with standard duty shafts(on hand at the time) and my engine builder's end stands. Trouble-free until this which was totally unrelated to the shaft:

[Stangman]

For some reason rockers don’t look as strong unless they are bushed

[427Fastback]

OK ..  so i have ordered a set of Precision Pumps end stands.Going to use the customers shafts..Cheap insurance...
Thanks.....Cory