Fellas- I have ordered 2 new rocker arm shafts to replace the rusted ones I have now. Being as the term "ham-fisted" was coined in my honor, I thought it wise to pose a question or two here concerning dis -assembly of the units, before I begin. I was wondering (1) What tool/ method works best for "expanding" the aluminum pedestals so they may be easily removed without damage and then be re-used again? (2) Are the pedestals interchangeable except for the end pieces which have the oiling tubes? (3) what do I look for in terms of adjusting screws that will need to be replaced? Thank You, /Duck

BOO- YA!!!

As far as I know,you can't "expand" the pedestals. They are a close tolerance fit, and a rusted shaft usually prevents the pedestals from sliding off. Since the old shafts are junk, if you have a belt sander then sand the shafts between the pedestals so you can slide the pedestals off. You may have to use a little persuasion or a press to get them off.



Aren't all the pedestals the same, except that the shaft has the extra holes?



Are you asking about the valve adjusting screws? Check with John Mummert.

54 Victoria 312;  48 Ford Conv 302, 56 Bird 312
Forever Ford
Midland Park, NJ

As Paul said, a belt sander, or whatever you have on hand.  Heating the stands with a propane torch helps the removal and install.  After heating I use a rubber mallet to knock them in place.   Make sure a stand hole and shaft hole line up with the head's oil port.  There is a possibility the center of the stand bore is slightly different in one position or the other, so have all the numbers/letters down just in case.

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.

From a previous discussion it was found that the hole sizes in the ends of the stands are slightly different.  It’s found that many of the stands have ¼” holes on one end and 17/64” on the other.  With the Ford part number at the bottom and orientated so it reads right side up, the larger hole is consistently at the top.  I do find some supports that have ¼” in both ends though.  Doing a search on this site using rocker stand as the key words brings up other discussions on the topic.

Lorena, Texas (South of Waco)

Thanks, Fellas! /Duck

BOO- YA!!!

mctim64's website  http://yblockguy.com/   has a link to his YouTube videos, one of which shows the disassembling and rebuilding of rocker arm shafts. I just watched it today, it's informative. Steve

Hi duck, welcome back. If you can remove some of the rust off the shafts either by sanding or cutting the shafts in pieces as suggested then compress the pedestal in a vyce, have the bolt holes facing up, it makes the pedestal hole slightly oval and helps release the tension on the shaft, this was factory way of doing it, just go slowly to avoid damage. Hope this helps. regards aussie bill 

  AussieBill            YYYY    Forever Y Block     YYYY

 Down Under, Australia

Fellas,thanks for all your help- everything went MUCH better than I'd planned on. Tim- THANK YOU for the excellent videos! I know I''l be referring back to them often. One question about something in the video, if I may; How crucial is the diameter size of the "shoulder" that is machined onto the end of the 2 5/16" bolts? I haven't access to a lathe, so I thought I'd try chucking the bolt head up in my drill press and attacking it (carefully) with a file. I would just keep test-fitting to the hole in the shaft until it's a "go".... Thank, /Duck

BOO- YA!!!

BTTT- Hopefully someone knows...

BOO- YA!!!

Duck,

I'm glad you enjoyed the videos. As for the shoulder on the bolt diameter is not critical it just has to keep the shaft centered, as a matter of fact I like it a little loose to help bleed off air. It was brought to my attention by Ted in another discussion that air may be trapped in the rocker shaft if the return tubes are discarded, so I have modified my procedure by cutting a small groove in the tower that has been threaded to bleed the air out and the oil overflow just goes against the two rockers next to the tower.

   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