It's been my understanding that for the locking rocker nuts to hold, the studs need to be dressed square across the top.
The heads I'll be using are some factory ones with pinned studs, and I'd like to use some rockers with locking nuts. It would be a complete PITA to remove the studs and replace them with screw ins. Because when I was putting in the pins I didn't drill all the way through the stud boss so there's no way to drive them out with a punch.
I'd like to square off the studs on the top tho.
Does anyone know if those studs need to be machined square? Or could I just use a file or grinder to square them off?

Thanks

 

they aren't square or flat now? at any rate never heard anything about that before.

 

you could use some sort of torque to yeld nut.the oem style studs can come out one way or another.i my self would go the extra mile and put in screw in studs.

 

You guys aren't getting it
I don't want to remove the studs, they're pinned in... permanently... forever.

I've heard that factory studs or some of the cheaper screw ins can create problems, causing locking rocker nuts come loose. Because the studs are not perfectly square across the top, like ARP studs are.
I've read that the factory studs etc. need to be squared off to work with the locking nuts.

Is that so? Or not?
If so can it be done at home with hand tools, or does a machinist need to do it?

 

They'll lock down even on stock studs that are not exactly flat on top. I do it all the time with Crane Kool Nuts on stamped steel rockers and the supplied poly-locks that come with most aftermarket roller rockers.

The key is the right procedure. Tighten the adjusting nut down until it's where you want it. Then back it off 1/8 of a turn and hold it there. Tighten down the lock nut with your allen wrench until it just bottoms. Then tighten BOTH the adjusting and the lock nut down at the same time. It'll never come loose on you if you do it this way.

 

Good to hear. Thanks
I'll get some Crane nuts or other high quality pieces.

I can't locate the article, but somewhere I read that if you don't have the studs that are already machined, then you need to have it done.

 

Yes, that's probably written in many places. It just happens not to be true, from my personal experience. In a race motor you probably want everyting to be perfect. I have just found that on a street performance application you can get away without doing it and not have a problem.

 

You're probably right about that.
With solid lifter engines that have to hang together for 500 mi the valve train would take quite a thrashing, necessitating a level of perfection that isn't called for, for the street.