304 v8 rocker arm

[weiland7]

I've been doing some research and have heard a bunch of different ideas on fixing rocker arm slop.
i have a small tick so i pulled the valve cover and sure enough there is some slop on my number 1 cylinder rocker. you can spin the push rod and shake the rocker. a lot of people say it could be a failed lifter or just some wear on the rocker. don't really want to go into the engine for the lifter. some say shave the pivot about .20. ummmmm it's not bad, should i just leave it or should i shave the pivot. what do you guys think.

or should i buy a new push rod and rocker and pivot, maybe there is just some wear, i noticed that someone has been in the engine and there are already one maybe two new rockers on there

 

[superj]

i would let it ride but if it bothers you, just replace the pieces you think are worn

 

[greg92jeepxj]

I'm with SUPERJ on this . If the tick is minute and in no danger of a pushrod jumping off a rocker , should be fine . Just hoping that your lifters are in good shape or that is the real fix. But a cam is supposed to go with that lifter swap . They wear together. I say cruise it and keep an open mind to it but check vacuum readings regularly and if not your traditional leak (intake, lines ,etc.) then performance could be lost due to lifter bleed down and valves not opening fully. Time will tell . The said Internet repair fix sounds like a short cut from pulling off an intake and loosening all the rocker nuts. If you think about it, you would be putting as much effort in removing the pivots as you would pulling an intake . Personally , I would not want to machine, file , grind or modify the pivots as you are altering the geometry of the valve train and high performance engines have enough trouble with top ends ! Believe me, SUPERJ is right , if it dosen't escalate from this little tick and performance is not suffering , just check vacuum readings and monitor oil pressure . When taking vacuum readings occasionally , pull rocker covers and feel the pushrods . Get familiar with the tension they have and monitor it that way. You'll know if the rods are getting more sloppy and lifters are getting worse. You'll probably hear it before that ! Before it hits the street and trail , you may want to check them if they sound that bad . Best of luck , doing a great job ! Greg

 

[greg92jeepxj]

Forgot to ask , but when you spin the pushrod on any loose rocker on your 304 , you didn't notice if any were even the slightest bit bent ? If so , I think you know that's a trip to the parts store. Same goes for a pushrod wearing through a rocker. These are of course serious circumstances warranting replacement. If intake valves don't open enough , loss os vacuum is noticed and performance too , but if its an exhaust valve, that could cause backfire through the intake valve to intake through carburetor.

 

[weiland7]

10/4 i may pull the rocker arm and pushrod, replace( they are inexpensive parts) and let it go. thanks for the input
one day i might have a motor that doesn't make noise.

 

[greg92jeepxj]

Hoping that the lifters will pump up as they are supposed to to simplify restoration for you . I should have mentioned that the pushrods (all) should be checked that they are clear and that oil will travel through each one to aid top end lubrication . If any are blocked , remove each one by one and soak in solvent to clear out dried up oil residue in the hollow center of each rod . It is tempting to just grab them all and throw them in a bucket and soak them , but if they are good and you want to reuse them , they are a wear item and should go back in same position removed. While a set is not too expensive , it leads to " if I buy pushrods , I may as well buy rockers too. If I buy rockers ..... " . It leads to a chain reaction . Inspect for what you need and decide the condition and what to replace if immediate replacement is warranted. You will know after you are running it a while what work is immediate. Who knows , you may just wind up,deciding later that you will do a cam , lifters , pushrods and rockers. It valve train gets too sloppy for too long , rockers start eating a chamfer on the top of valve stems. Inspection of parts and compression check and/or leak down test tells all . Hoping you got good parts on top end to avoid spending money unless necessary

 

[Turbogus]

Back in the day, I had a '66 Chev Malibu that had a 350 SBC with a Chevy Service Cam 30-30. This was a solid lifter cam and I'd reckon that this is the reason solid lifters must be made of tougher stuff. That 30-30 designation was realative to the valve lash setting, dang wide gap! Despite having a Powerglide rearend (trans converted to a 4 speed) that car would go like a raped ape! I swore to myself that if I ever build another 350 I'm going with that specific cam.

 

[greg92jeepxj]

Isn't it something that some of us go from tearing up the street to tearing up the dirt ?
seems like there are too many rules on the street and the dirt just holds more challenge .
thats when the only rules are enviormental responsibility and personal safety and somewhere in between is your right foot making the decision between what's safe and what's fun.
not too much different than the street but more of a challenge . I miss the street but am looking forward to performance in the dirt where the challenge has always been greater.
Bottom end and mid range is the way on the street and high rpm on the track but in the dirt , its your call . Only your right foot knows what your engine needs to answer the call .
Most four wheeling is bottom end and enough mid range to gain momentum but power exceeding 3000 rpm isn't a bad thing either . Trouble is the cam can only give you one or the other , not both . But for jeeps , most engines will be good concentrating on low rpm torque.
Mid range is usually adequate on this kind of build. We would only seek higher rpm HP if we upgrade the suspension specifically for speed off road. When set up,this way, you sacrifice the suspension travel you would normally need for obstacles that you now need for stability.
Seems when we get set up to handle obstacles , we tend to want to step on it and do it faster .
thats when you need stability for higher speed but that is too stiff for traversing rough bumps and ditches and causes poor articulation which can result in loss of control and in extreme , could lead to turn over. It's just an uneven balance that we must decide what we want , to maneuver or to speed . That's the difference I learned off road. Can't have both no matter how you try to build it , a compromise at best . No matter how their built today , its still maneuverability or high speed performance , low speed or high speed. Seems like we need two jeeps , maybe more. One for low speed trec and one for pushing it. If I get back into the dirt , I'll start simple .
Low speed and climbing . If my right foot want to pick up speed , I will look for a new trail.

 

[Catoctin Jeep]

If someone was already in there they may not have torqued the rockers properly. Not sure what the torque specs are at the top of my head, but its in the Chilton manual.