I’m 100% pleased with the result. They take a bit of time to construct and are never going to make me much money due to the cost of manufacture. I have indeed sold a couple of sets, the first went all the way to New Zealand.
It was the quality of the replacement rockers that appalled me as much as the wear in older items. To be honest some of the replacements are as bad as 30 year old ones. it’s quite astounding how much noise the rockers create because of their lateral play and when I first started mine up with the...
Hi all,
Having completed a modification on my 3.5L V8 where I bored out and sleeved the rockers with bronze bushes I would like to offer this to the community. The build thread is linked at the bottom.
Why bother?
1. Rockers and rocker shafts were always made of materials that do not operate...
Hi all,
Been really lazy posting the results on the forum. My main reaction to these rockers is ‘WOW!!!!!’. I already had adjustable push rods on the engine so redid all the preloads etc and on starting it up I simply cannot believe the difference. The rocker gear is so quiet, all the...
Heads are back and refitted. Rockers now in place and adjustable pushrods set with the correct preload. I’ve relocated the coil so awaiting a longer lead, then it’ll be for the first start without the splash guards so I can have a good look.
Just as soon as the heads are back from the machine shop and I can put it all back together. Otherwise the vehicle was a full runner before I whipped the heads off for some valve work.
Constructed the rockers today after making some acetyl plugs for the ends. The engine is having new valve stems so might be a little delay before fitment and test.
I have made the tooling to be reused so yes my intention is to offer them once I have proved the concept. My fear is the cost may put people off but I haven’t worked it out yet. I would love to make some more sets for I really have rather enjoyed myself and the tooling is sat there ready to use...
Next job is to machine the pedestals. I have decided to go with the option of making pedestals from scratch rather than reaming and sleeving the originals. I think this is a better and more efficient way.
First test fit revealed that when pressing the bushes in to the rockers they narrowed by about 6 microns so a few minutes on the honing machine brought them back to having 10 microns clearance. Next time with will be compensated for in the machining stage. Now they fit over the shafts beautifully.
Next was to press them in to the reamed out rockers. There is 10 microns interference which proved to be exactly the amount required. Had to be careful to align the oil hole which is slightly oversize in the bush to allow for a little misalignment.
Hi everyone.
Sorry for the gap since last posting. Progress however has been made. First up was finishing the 16 bronze bushes. Oh and yes I know there are only 15 here. 16 just messed up the phone of the lovely shiny bits.
HEHEHE, being a serious ‘hobbiest’ I tend to overdo most things so part of it is due to that. However, optimistically I’d like to be able to do a few sets for people but like most things like this I think the cost of materials may make it a non starter. We’ll see.
Hopefully I have compromised at 20mm appropriately but we’ll see in the long run. I do not know the specific hardness of the standard shafts but inspection and some very basic testing points to them being surprisingly soft. Indeed the amount of wear on 2 sets I have is alarming considering the...
Next was to machine a mount into which the rockers can be placed securely so they can be first drilled to 22.5mm and then reamed to 22.98mm. I also machined a simple alignment tool so when the rocker is clamped the bed of the mill can be aligned with the spindle before machining the rocker. I...
I made the decision to base the project around a 20mm shaft for the following reasons:
1. The original size shaft is not a standard industrial size that is easily sourced.
2. Keeping the standard diameter shaft would require too much material to be removed from the rocker to leave sufficient...
Hi, thanks for the info. I too ordered some shafts from Island 4x4 but I wasn’t impressed by the quality of the Britpart item that arrived. It went back I’m afraid. Your suggestion of an 11/16 shaft is a little smaller that I have gone for. For right or wrong i’ve gone with a 20mm shaft.
In theory I entirely agree you are right, there should be cheaper options. I’ve come round to this for 2 reasons: 1, I love messing around and doing things properly, and 2, through experience and research there just isn’t a guarantee of quality when it come to rockers and shafts. The consensus...
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