I have a 85 305 chevy that has PRESS IN rocker arm studs in the heads. I want to put in a bigger cam shaft and springs. Therefore, I want to put SCREW IN rocker arm studs. HOW DO YOU GET THE PRESS IN STUDS OUT? Then, do I just tap the old holes? Thanks. Is it hard? Can I do it myself? Please take the time to answer in detail, it will be greatly appriciated.

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1984 Firebird SE
1985 Camaro z28 305 engine T-5 Five Speed Tranny Performer Intake, Accel Distributor, Raceing Starter, 650 CFM Carb, .488 Lift Cam, Dual Exhaust.
92 Camaro Leather Seats Console, carpet everything. Soon to put in 700R4 and 427CI. (Hopefully)

 

i bolt the head to my bench with a couple od lag screws. then take a stack of washers and put on the stud, i use old rocker or rod bloys and tighten them up and it'll pull the stud. after all the studs are out i set the head in a mill and take .4 off the stud bosses. after that i use a counter sink to chamfer the holes and then tap them for the screw in studs. i use ARP studs and the bottom side of them are made to work with guide plates or you'll have to do a little chamfering and removing the top few threads to get them to set flush on the boss.

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ICON Motorsports
1st & 3rd
MM Black Diamond 538 F&AM

 

Mr. Gasket makes 'street' screw in studs that just let you tap the hole and put them in w/o machining. They have no hex on the bottom so you need to double nut them to tighten them down... Make sure you use thread sealer. I had good luck with these studs@.523" lift at 6000 rpm max.

Ede's method is better any day of the week though. I was in a pinch and had the heads on already before realizing one of the studs was pulled up pretty far.

 

Okay, thanks, but how do you get the press in ones out?

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1984 Firebird SE
1985 Camaro z28 305 engine T-5 Five Speed Tranny Performer Intake, Accel Distributor, Raceing Starter, 650 CFM Carb, .488 Lift Cam, Dual Exhaust.
92 Camaro Leather Seats Console, carpet everything. Soon to put in 700R4 and 427CI. (Hopefully)

 

Eat a big breakfast; then put a nut and a stack of washers on one, and crank the nut down. Take it off and add more washers if it doesn't come all the way off the first time. Used rocker ***** work better than regular washers.

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"So many Mustangs, so little time..."
ICON Motorsports

[This message has been edited by RB83L69 (edited October 27, 2001).]

 

Then, could I just buy the ARP rocker arm studs from summit and just TAP the holes and screw them in? Is it that easy? Thanks.

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1984 Firebird SE
1985 Camaro z28 305 engine T-5 Five Speed Tranny Performer Intake, Accel Distributor, Raceing Starter, 650 CFM Carb, .488 Lift Cam, Dual Exhaust.
92 Camaro Leather Seats Console, carpet everything. Soon to put in 700R4 and 427CI. (Hopefully)

 

you could do this yourself, but i would really take it to a pro, if one thread goes in wrong then you'll probley need a new head. plus it just gives you piece of mind knowing it was done right, but agian screw in studs are not needed unless your running a really large cam (.500 lift or higher) but springs will be needed anyway unless its a low milage engine.

 

...or you can get a fixture for about $15.00 that serves as a pulling spacer and tap guide (or make your own for next to nothing).

Pull the studs with the spacer/nuts as described. I would suggest using standard 3/8-*24 UNF nuts as opposed to the locking nuts that are supplied with your rockers. Pulling can distort the threads, and your stud nuts need to be able to lock effectively once you make the final adjustment on your engine.

I would also suggest using the collarless studs instead of the hex collar design, unless you are intending to remove the heads and machine the stud bosses down flat. The collarless studs will allow the rockers to be installed at stock geometry with adequate thread depth. The collared designs may run out of thread and underside clearance with stock valve train geometry and stock components.

Remove the pressed studs, tap the holes straight, and screw in the replacements with threadlocker.



Hang in there a couple of hours - I'm working on a tech article addressing stud replacement. It should be up later today. In the mean time, I have one of those "middle-aged" things to do with the kids...

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Later,
Vader
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If you want to beat the World, it might reach up and pull you down...
Adobe Acrobat Reader

 

Thanks Vader, tell me when you get that sight up. I really appriciate it.

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1984 Firebird SE
1985 Camaro z28 305 engine T-5 Five Speed Tranny Performer Intake, Accel Distributor, Raceing Starter, 650 CFM Carb, .488 Lift Cam, Dual Exhaust.
92 Camaro Leather Seats Console, carpet everything. Soon to put in 700R4 and 427CI. (Hopefully)

 

'84,

It's not a site or a web page. I'm a "Portable Document" kind of guy. This is the file you need to load:

Rocker Stud Replacement.pdf

You'll need Adobe Acrobat Reader to open/view/print the file (see link below).

You should be able to make the whole thing happen for less than $50.00 in parts, special tools, and materials. The studs can be had for $1 each, the tap for about $7, the tap guide is another $15, and the gaskets and oil will eat up the rest of a Grant. Good luck.

Sorry it took a while, but I was with the kids, doing my best "Hannibal" impression on some large gourds. I wanted to name one of them Clarice...

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Later,
Vader
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If you want to beat the World, it might reach up and pull you down...
Adobe Acrobat Reader

 

Vader,
Thanks for making it but I didn't recive it. It says I don't have a program to open it with. Can you send it to me? This is a project I definately want to do. Thanks man.

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1984 Firebird SE
1985 Camaro z28 305 engine T-5 Five Speed Tranny Performer Intake, Accel Distributor, Raceing Starter, 650 CFM Carb, .488 Lift Cam, Dual Exhaust.
92 Camaro Leather Seats Console, carpet everything. Soon to put in 700R4 and 427CI. (Hopefully)

 

Vader, the file is corrupt, I tried to view it and I've been working with pdf for a long time. Something is definatly wrong with the file because I'm getting a message that it was improperly decoded because it was from an e-mail attachment...?!

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, Jon (350 TBI!)
91 Red My website

 

I'm not sure what's up with my writer, but I downloaded the file, then opened Acrobat, then opened the file through the "File Open" icon in Acrobat (rather than double-clicking the file in a browser). Double-clicking the file in a menu or browser gives me the same sort of error, but opening it "manually" works. ¿Que pasa?

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Later,
Vader
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If you want to beat the World, it might reach up and pull you down...
Adobe Acrobat Reader

 

It worked fine for me.

 

For those of you having trouble with the Portable Document Format, you can visit this page, but it is not as printer friendly as the PDF file:

Rocker Stud Replacement

It works, but it loads slower than an eBay page during the last minute of bidding. At least you'll have the photos in your cache.

There may also be a hiccup in my FTP. I have trouble trying to access the posted files when I am uploading to that same web directory. I try to load up later in the evenings, but it doesn't always work out that way.

For those who are lacking the Adobe Acrobat PDF reader, see the link below.

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Later,
Vader
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If you want to beat the World, it might reach up and pull you down...
Adobe Acrobat Reader

 

Hey Vader, nice website. Question: Whick studs did you use? The APR or the Mr. Gasket? Also, how did you get the tap in straight (perpendicular to the other studs?) Also, what is a oil deflector clip? ALso, that site was for NON guide plate right? Can you also tell me the studs sizes that you used (top size and bottom). Could I use either brand of stud? Even the collarless ones? Are they the same thing, just different design? Also, Do you have a picture of the fininshed product? I would really like to see them. Also, are they the same height as the stock studs (push in ones)were? Thanks. If I'm going to do this I want to do it right. Thanks for everything and making that sight. You rock!

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1984 Firebird SE
1985 Camaro z28 305 engine T-5 Five Speed Tranny Performer Intake, Accel Distributor, Raceing Starter, 650 CFM Carb, .488 Lift Cam, Dual Exhaust.
92 Camaro Leather Seats Console, carpet everything. Soon to put in 700R4 and 427CI. (Hopefully)

 

O.K., you're obviously paying attention. The studs shown in the photos are the CompCams hex-collared units (it's all I had on hand for photos). These are essentially the same design as the ARP, Miloden, or Crane studs. The GMPP studs are slightly lower, and can be used in the same applications. The heads in the photos were not machined for collared studs and guide plates, and the studs shown should have been collarless. This type of stud requires the stud boss to be machined flat, and this is usually done deep enough to accomodate the thickness of push rod guide plates.

However, the correct studs to use to maintain correct geometry without having to machine the stud bosses (switched on the car) are the collarless studs (such as Mr. Gasket 1076 or Elgin 9091). The only thing to do in the installation of these studs is to pull the old ones and tap for the new ones.

As stated on the page, the tapping guide assures that the tap is started straight and perpendicular to the head, or at least in line with the other studs. A tapping guide will cost you about $15.00.

If you are planning to install screwed studs with the heads on the engine and without machining the heads further, use the collarless type. The collarless studs will finish at the same installed height as the original pressed studs, so you can use all the rest of the stock hardware and push rods as before. As the page and article mention, special precaustions are needed with screwed studs in LT1, LT4, L99, and Vortec heads.

Incidentally, an oil deflector clip is a stamped steel or nylon and wire spring clip that is placed over the oiling holes of the rocker arms so that the engine can be run with the covers removed. The deflectors prevent oil from being sprayed all over while the engine is running "open" to permit valve adjustment without all the oily mess.

I'll try to find and scan a photo of a set of collarless studs installed.

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Later,
Vader
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If you want to beat the World, it might reach up and pull you down...
Adobe Acrobat Reader

[This message has been edited by Vader (edited October 31, 2001).]

 

Vader,
Sorry, I was reading that again and again after I posted that last post and I thought, I should have read this better because everything was in the page that I asked. Sorry. But thanks for answering. I just want to be extra sure . Especially with a daily driver. I would really appriciate that if you could find those pictures. Also, When I took off my heads and rocker arms, I don't remeber seeing any of those oil deflector clips. Does my engine have those? Thanks. It's in my Signature.

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1984 Firebird SE
1985 Camaro z28 305 engine T-5 Five Speed Tranny Performer Intake, Accel Distributor, Raceing Starter, 650 CFM Carb, .488 Lift Cam, Dual Exhaust.
92 Camaro Leather Seats Console, carpet everything. Soon to put in 700R4 and 427CI. (Hopefully)

 

They are a tool, not a componant. They don't come on any engines. They are used to cover the oil feed holes in the rocker arms that usually squirt oil out to lubricate the rocker arms and upper valvetrain. Oil gets pumped through the oil galleys to the lifters, then up through the hollow centers of the pushrods and out through that hole in the rocker arms. The idea is to put these on the rockers so you can run the engine without the valve covers on so you can adjust the valve lash without getting oil all over the place. And yes, oil will go ALL OVER if you try running without these deflectors on and the covers off.... trust me.....

The need for the deflectors is for situations where the valve lash is giving you problems and setting them by the book results in one or two still being noisey. With the deflectors on and the valve covers off, you can spot the offending rocker and tighten it until it stops making noise.

If everything works like it is supposed to, setting the lash to 1/4 to 3/4 of a turn past zero lash will put the valve lash where you need it to be with hydraulic lifters. Solid lifter setups will have a spec for the intake and exhaust and need to be set with the appropriate feeler gauge between the rocker tip and the valve stem.

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1987 GTA L98 MD8
355, TFS Heads, LT4 Hot Cam
My GTA

The Minnesota F-body Club