Sounds about right. Bushings in the freezor and rocker arms in the toaster oven at about 200 degrees...

Stock rocker arms with bushings installed are about 45.00 (+ or -) each from the dealer, just thought I'd best mention since you don't have a reamer already.

I'm like you - want to fix everything myself, but sometimes it's not cost/time effective...

 

Jims and Trock makes the piloted reamer you are looking for. You might also try Georges garage, I do not know if he has them or not. Keep the reamer lubed and let it cut, DO NOT FORCE IT!!!Hope this helps

 

If you can get new rocker arms ready to install for $45, that's 180 total. If you're a shop, then I can see getting the reamer and just buying the bushings, but if the reamer is $180, for the home builder, I think you're going to be better off just buying new. Don't forget that there are 2 other wear points for each rocker arm as well. I remember from Shovelhead Days (Daze?) that there was a tool to mount on your drill press that would grind the shovelhead rocker at the exact angle to refinish the valve end of the rocker. I'm sure there is one for blockheads too, but that's another expense.

 

i found a reamer. a buddy had one across town. so im good to go now i hope. i still dont like the idea of cramming bushings in with so much press but i guess thats the way you do it. i still cant believe the amount of wear that was on the rocker shafts and bushings, this would be a great place for needle bearings or graphite impregnated bushings. thanks again for the advice and help.

 

Seems like Crane made (makes) needle bearing rockers. But think about it - the rockers only move about 20 degrees up and down, so the remaining percentage of needle bearings never realize ANY load at all and the contact area of the ones that do, is a small fraction compared to the bushing arrangement.

Glad you found a reamer and my hat's off to ya for "doin it yourself" !!!

 

like butter. i used a long 1/2 bolt through the rocker and tightened the bolt on a nut fastened to the vise. i was able to do both sides at once on each rocker. my problem now is i have adjustable pushrods but dont know who the manufacturer is. it shouldnt be hard to find the middle of the lifter cushion but i dont even know who made the lifters either. there are some rule of thumbs but i want to be right on. mind if i pick your brain on this, thanks in advance.
i could thumb my way through it but after spending almost 400 on pistons id better ask someone else just in case.

 

The rule on adjustable pushrods, from what I've found on teh 1ntr4w3b, yo, is 0.100" tighter from just touching. That is, lifter on the cam base circle, pushrod tightened to zero up/down (lash), then go 0.100" more. Everything else involving counting flats, etc., is based on 0.100". So, if you figure how many threads per inch your pushrods have, then figure how many flats you need to turn to get 0.100" and that's it. There was a really good web page someone posted some time back, but that was the guts of it.

 

Doesn't matter who made them - it's all about threads pitch and something tells me you have a pitch guage laying around somewhere

Threads per inch:

25 = 15 flats
28 = 17 flats
32 = 18 flats
40 = 24 flats

Divide "flats" by 6 = "turns"

That'll put the lifters as near center of travel as you can get them without spending ALL day

 

chart

 

thanks again.