what is the best way to pull the "press-in" rocker studs out of the heads so I can install screw-in studs.

 

Put too much cam in the motor with too little valve spring.

Seriously, use a nut and a stack of used rocker *****. Just run the nut down and keep adding rocker ***** as the stud exposes itself.

 

OK, thanks. I am going to rework the studs on my 416's when I port and polish them

 

BIRD,

That's "RedBird" for the rest of you.

Instead of using the locking nuts that were on the studs to keep the rockers on, I'd suggest getting a small supply of regular 3/8"-24 nuts and use lubricant. The self-locking nuts used with the stock rockers will be a PITA to remove with the stud out of the head. If you use grade 5 or better nuts, you can usually get 3-4 uses from them before the threads are beyond use.

If you are an electrician (or know one) who has a Greenlee hydraulic conduit punch set, the smaller size range of punches and dies uses a 3/8"-24 pull stud. If you connect the pull cylinder draw nut to the rocker stud and shim with whatever is appropriate, the studs can be pulled just about in your sleep. It's really quite easy either way, but make sure you use some sort of shim to prevent cracking the stud bosses.