VCCA Home Forums TECHNICAL - 1945 AND EARLIER 1929-1932 Don't remove rockers to torque your head

I know to you experienced guys that this will seem obvious, but I just realized you don't have to take the rocker arms off to torque the headbolts. This makes torquing the head down SO MUCH EASIER, as you don't have to reset the lash.

There is a single head bolt (the 1st one in the order of tightening)in the middle of the head that is under the rocker arm shaft. In the middle of the rocker arm shaft is a spring loaded connector piece that is screwed into the oil line. Remove this brass oil line, squeeze the connector together and remove it, leaving the two pieces of the now unconnceted rocker arms in place.

Maybe this seems obvious, but if maybe this can help some other future newbie like me and save them lots of time and work.

Thanks for the Pointer

Believe this is the bolt mentioned:
it is on the middle left of the picture, under the spring
Hidden Head Bolt

Middle of picture jsut behind Spring
Hidden Head Bolt 2

If it is the bolt pictured in the post above all that is required is to remove the center section. It is spring loaded and slips out from between the shafts. Be sure when you loosen the connection to the oil supply tube that the nut doesn't drop through the hole.

I do not understand what the spring between #3 & #4 cylinder is for.

The rocker arm shaft can be thought of in 3 parts. The front, the rear and the middle. The middle, a small section only about 2-3 inches long, is comprised of the piece with the fitting coming off of it that connects to the oil line and also empties into a drain hole, a spring, and a cylinder that slides inside the spring and is inserted into the fitting.

There is a headbolt under the middle section of the rocker arm shaft. If this shaft were one solid piece, it would be necessary to remove the entire rocker arm shaft any time you needed to remove the head or tighten/torque the headbolts.

This would be daunting because removing the rocker arm shaft requires resetting the valve lash when you reinstall it, which is a tedious and annoying job. Because the middle piece of the rocker arm shaft is removable, the middle head bolt is accessible and the front and rear portions of the rocker arm shaft can stay in place. To remove this small, middle section, simply unscrew the oil line (carefully because it seems to be brass and can strip easily, use a line wrench if possible) and squeeze the middle part together and this will allow it to be removed, leaving the valves and rocker arms in place.

As Chipper mentioned, be sure to stuff something around the oil line so the fitting doesn't slide down in the hole. If it does you will have to take the side cover off the retrieve it.

If you are referring to the little spring in the second picture, that is the spring that is horizontal between the two shafts in the first picture. it is just sitting on the head in the second picture.

Yes that is the spring I was referring to. I just could not remember a spring in that location. Thank You

The spring puts enough pressure on the two metal cylinders to keep them seated so they don't leak all the oil and also permit installation after the shafts are bolted down.