Well, i just bough a set of heads off ebay and i dont know much about them, but i was looking at them a few minutes ago and i noticed that one of the rocker arm studs is bent, but i dont know if it is supposed to be or not, im thinking its not, heres the pic:

 

No, not suposed to be like that; it's just typical shipping/handling damage. Happens all the time.

But not to worry, when you get rid of the pull-out studs and put real ones in there, it'll be taken care of. That would be part of a normal HP prep; along with cutting the valve guides for positive seals and higher lift, cutting out the spring pockets, enlarging the push rod holes for guide plates & higher rocker ratios, porting, upgrading the valves to the stock 350 size at least, porting, getting bronze guide liners installed, porting.... oh, and did I mention, porting them?

 

So your saying i should change all the studs? How do they come out, just pull out?

 

Yup

It's easiest to do with a nut and a few old rocker ***** to stack up under the nut.

You might be amazed at how easily they come out. If you actually pull some, you'll wonder how they ever stay in, in normal operation. You'll certainly never run pull-outs again.

Have your machine shop mill the bosses down to all exactly the same height, takes about 3/8" knocked off of them to get to the right height; and drill & tap them to 7/16"-14 thread for real studs.

 

If your machine shop doesn't install the screw-in studs for you, make sure you put some type of liquid sealant on the threads. Most people like to run the "Indian Head" shellac, but my machinist recommended just regular red Loctite. Also, ensure that you don't over-tighten the bolts -- and that they're tightened evenly, to about 40 or 50 lb.-ft. I cracked a head by not doing this, and my day turned very bad very quickly .

 

Ok thanks for alll the help

Blue86Iroc, thats got to be one of the most beautiful Iroc's ive ever seen

 

Hey man, thanks! The blue color is sorta uncommon (around here anyway), and it really stands out. It comes on insurance starting April 1, so I'm really looking forward to driving it again... I just gotta fix those "new engine gremlins."

 

Get rid of those oil shields, valve rotators, and springs, too. You might also want to consider a little porting work before you resize the valves.

 

What are oil shields, and valve rotators? I am buying new springs to handle a bigger cam. Is porting something that i can do myself?

 

The oil shields are the inverted, stamped steel cups that reside between the spring and retainer.

The valve rotators used on the exhaust valves take the place of the retainers. They add unnecessary mass to the valve train and never worked to prolong exhaust valves the way GM intended. Newer engines last just as long (and longer) without them.

Yes, you can perform most porting work youself. You will need some sort of die grinder, some burrs, and a lot of spare time. There is a good basic article on the process at the standard Abrasives website, amd you can find lots of other useful tips right here.

 

Oh that rocker stud is definatly abby-normal.