With a steady hand and a good eye, rocker tips can be reworked on a belt sander, not a lot of magic to it.

Regarding the concept of hardening the tips of the rockers; quite right about them being cast parts. I guess the best I can do is to give them the cryogenic treatment.



Mike, I'll check around to see if I can find a machinist who has the equipment. If not, I'll get ready to send off a set for machining.

Best regards,



Paul Menten

Meridian, Idaho

Ted,

Thanks for the heads-up. I read the old thread and found it very interesting. I have performed this modification a number of times and still think it is not a bad idea, but the question of bleeding off air makes me rethink the process. I may make a small airbleed in the end tower. Thanks again, I am always open to new ideas.

   God Bless.   Tim                           http://yblockguy.com/

350ci Y-Block FED "Elwood", 301ci Y-Block Unibody LSR "Jake", 312ci Y-Block '58 F-100, 338ci Y-Block powered Model A Tudor

tim@yblockguy.com  Visalia, California    Just west of the Sequoias

Paul, yes you were!

The right procedure for hardening cast is a salt bath or carburizing heat treat, with an oil quench.......I think. Again, you need to look up in an ASTM or a Machinery's handbook what that metal needs. It's not near as easy as it looks and my info is some 40 years old, so I could very well be wrong. I haven't worked in heat treating, other than Aluminum, since the 60's.

Frank/Rebop

Bristol, In ( by Elkhart) 

The older valve grinding machines have the capability to resurface the rocker arm tips as I use my Sioux machine on occaision to perform this operation.  As Mike mentions, takes longer to install the attachments and get the machine up to speed than it does to actually do the resurfacing operation.  Most of the older shops will have the equipment to perform this if you can find someone in the shop that’s familiar with it and knows where the attachments for the machine are.

Lorena, Texas (South of Waco)

Tim.  Here’s a link discussing the pros and cons of rocker arm oil tube elimination.  I’ve been both ways and now retain the tubes on all Y builds.  Doing a search should bring up some other discussions on the topic but the following link was pretty detailed.

http://www.y-blocksforever.com/forums/Topic10464-3-1.aspx

Lorena, Texas (South of Waco)

PC, if you dont have a reasonalble source in your area to resurface rocker ends and need a set done, my retired mechanic can do it pretty cheap.  We could go together and have two sets done for not much.  I had him do a couple individuals and they are fine.  It took him a little longer than usual to do the setup since he hadnt done it in 30 or so years, he being a SBC guy, but even then it was only 10 minutes setup and 5 minutes to completion.

Mike

Mike, located in the Siskiyou mountains, Southern, OR 292 powered 1946 Ford 1/2 ton, '62 Mercury Meteor, '55 Country Squire (parting out), '64 Falcon, '54 Ford 600 tractor.

Frank: I think PC was referring to the Rocker Arms, not the shafts. Anyway, the arms are Cast are they not?..

Paul

[quote I wonder if throwing away those overflow tubes is a good idea, they direct oil to the distributor gear and the timing chain.quote]

If you look at the way the block is cast, the oil that drains back from the heads is directed to the dist. and the timing chain without the tubes anyway.

   God Bless.   Tim                           http://yblockguy.com/

350ci Y-Block FED "Elwood", 301ci Y-Block Unibody LSR "Jake", 312ci Y-Block '58 F-100, 338ci Y-Block powered Model A Tudor

tim@yblockguy.com  Visalia, California    Just west of the Sequoias

The hardening method depends on the material of the shaft. Quenching can SOFTEN some materials, not harden them. I would suggest buying new shafts and leaving them as purchased.

Frank/Rebop

Bristol, In ( by Elkhart)