Rocker arm alignment

[MOTORHEAD]

I have Edelbrock heads on my Shelby block FE, and Shelby SS rockers with alumn supports, mfr unk. I can't get some rockers to center on the valve tip as the rocker is against the support with no shims. What now, mill rockers or supports ??
Also, anyone know who manufactured these rockers and supports ?
Will try to load pic.
TIA, TED

[FWB]

by the shelby logo they are obviously shelby rockers, the stands i don't know, i would skim the supports to align.....

[MOTORHEAD]

FWB: Yeah, I guess that's the best way.
Re: mfr: I had sent the rockers back to Shelby long time ago because as I bought the car/engine, all the rollers had been beaten flat !! They in turn had to send them to the mfr for o'haul, so they were made for shelby by someone else. Was hoping they could tell me why they didn't roll.

[CHANMADD]

You can get different length pushrods for this reason exactly. Check Summit Racing.

[blykins]

A different length pushrod does nothing for you for two reasons:

1. His side to side spacing is off.
2. On an FE, rockers are shaft mounted. They don't adjust like a SBF.

Are the rockers touching the stand?

[Gaz64]

I see a wave washer in there, take it out and fit a flat washer.

Surely the stands have some movement for and aft, unless they are dowelled to the head.

[SoTxButler]

Rocker Arm Specialist, Anderson CA, 530-378-1075. Don't know about the stands.

[bill37341]

Motorhead- The Edelbrock heads use low-riser/cobra jet valve spacing. You need to use a 1.00" wide rocker stand with them . It looks like you are using med/hi rise/tunnel port stands. They measure 1.100" wide. Check the width and you can determine which to use. just my 2 cents .Bill.

[MOTORHEAD]

Brent: I've got 6 rockers against the stands to get them to line up (or close)

GAz; the pic was just to show the type of misalignment I am refering to. The one against the stand was out of focus.

Bill: my stands do measure 1.00. I don't know who made them, and it appears nobody else does either.

I'll get some pics that show the entire stand set-up.
FWIW this engine was put together around 1998, and suposedly the builder is no longer in business. RAn that trap years ago.

How about i have the stands milled as necessary ?

[MOTORHEAD]

Russ: thanks for that info !!

[CHANMADD]

I would rather machine the rocker..and add shims to the other side.

[FWB]

the rockers are made of 17-4 ph stainless they are hard.....very hard.
it is much easier to skim a tad, and thats a technical term for what looks like .03 thou' off the stand, to get the rocker straight and hold it properly is a lot *****ier to do that clamping the stand into a vise and milling it, and i would use flat shims instead of the wave washer.

not a big deal, find someone nearby with a bridgeport and have a go at it..

[RICK LAKE]

MOTORHEAD Russ is right about the manufacturer of the rockers and stands. Here's the thing, these are not self centering rockers on the valve stems. I am talking about a left to right direction. To start with the roaker shaft assemblies are going to walk around on the head as are the rockers moving too. Everything will adjust. 2 important things are to have the correct length pushrod and clearance of the intake manifold holes to not have any rubbing. If you want to get crazy, you can rotate shaft assemblies around until you get a close setup. I did this with a Dove system. Homedepot has machine shims of steel in .010-.030" for getting the rockers where you want them. I used a sharpening stone of knifes to trim and get my setup close. Problem is after a couple of heat cycles everything had moved. You will be fine. Rick L.

[MOTORHEAD]

Chan: I would prefer milling the rockers except for the fact that they are stainless steel.
Will check with my machine shop to see if this presents a problem to them.

RIck: Shim washers at home depot ? Did a search on their web site came up with zero.
What dept did you find them in? I have learned over the years that HD"S stock varies by location.

Roger: thanks for all your info. AM going to the garage now to measure "stuff"

BREnt, BArry, Chris, et all: what rocker stands do you use with E'brock heads ?

TIA,Ted

[blykins]

For milder builds, Precision Oil Pumps offers a nice set of billet stands. They are available for all different styles of FE heads.

For most of my builds, I use the T&D street set, which come with their own stands.

[FWB]

Originally Posted by MOTORHEAD

Chan: I would prefer milling the rockers except for the fact that they are stainless steel.
Will check with my machine shop to see if this presents a problem to them.

RIck: Shim washers at home depot ? Did a search on their web site came up with zero.
What dept did you find them in? I have learned over the years that HD"S stock varies by location.


TIA,Ted

McMaster-Carr

oodles of shims......order w\ credit card, will arrive in 2-3 days

mcmaster-carr is a very good source for a bunch of items......

[Danr55]

Check the rockers. See if the distance from the outside of the rocker to the longitudinal centerline is different on one side than the other, indicating which side you should put against the stand. I've not see that in American manufacturers but you never know.

[SoTxButler]

I have the same rockers and they fit either side, no special fitment.

[Danr55]

Did you check for offset on the rockers? Check to see if the centerline is offset to one side.

[Barry_R]

We use some that we get machined by Angelucci - a CNC shop here in Detroit. I have pretty good luck with them, but some guys have had issues with OE cast heads. As for shims we just use valve spring shims - readily available in .015, .030, .060. with an .875 ID and a 1.200 OD.