Broke a rocker stud
- Thread starter s19243h
- Start date
Hope it was a screw in stud, but probably was not since you say you pulled the head. Lots of things could cause a stud to break. What lift cam are you running? Did the rocker slot bottom out against the stud?
Screaming Metal
Active Member
Sometimes these things happen. Stud could've been popped with a hammer during reassembly, (to seat the Keepers), or head fell over.....they have a case hardening on the outside.
Not a big thing, IF you didn't bind up on the Slot or running excessive spring pressure. If you have a welder, go to Harbor Freight, buy yourself a cheap welders blanket. Cover everything on that bank. If you have the head off, better. Drop a 3/8 flatwasher/ coupling net over whats left of the stud. On the inside of the nut, weld the nut to the top of the stud. Afterwards you might have to clean out the top of the nut with a tap, but screw a piece of hardened all-thread into nut, put on a 13/16's sparkplug socket, a flatwasher and a nut. tighten slowly evenly, the stud will slide out, if it wasn't pinned.
Or a collet puller/slide hammed combo will do the trick
Or, if your a decent welder, weld a piece of hardened all-thread to the stud and pull out.
If your weak in the knees about this, take it to the machine shop, they'll do it for you......for a price.
Not a big thing, IF you didn't bind up on the Slot or running excessive spring pressure. If you have a welder, go to Harbor Freight, buy yourself a cheap welders blanket. Cover everything on that bank. If you have the head off, better. Drop a 3/8 flatwasher/ coupling net over whats left of the stud. On the inside of the nut, weld the nut to the top of the stud. Afterwards you might have to clean out the top of the nut with a tap, but screw a piece of hardened all-thread into nut, put on a 13/16's sparkplug socket, a flatwasher and a nut. tighten slowly evenly, the stud will slide out, if it wasn't pinned.
Or a collet puller/slide hammed combo will do the trick
Or, if your a decent welder, weld a piece of hardened all-thread to the stud and pull out.
If your weak in the knees about this, take it to the machine shop, they'll do it for you......for a price.
Screaming Metal
Active Member
Well, they make drivers to do that with, but you can do it with a coupling nut with the right threads that screw onto the top of the stud
Either get your engine up to operation temp, or put a heater or a heat gun on the head. (Don't use a torch!). Put your stud in the freezer for a few hours or pack it in dry ice. Have a piece of tape wrapped around the stud to where when the tape hits your boss, its at the correct height.
Now, with the coupling nut screwed on the stud so the end of the stud is into the nut about 1/4 of a inch. You don't want to hit the top of the stud with the hammer. Besides risking breaking a new stud, you could easily mess up your threads..... Hold it straight with the other studs and with solid careful blows, should go right in. I DO SUGGEST using a driver for anyone other than a pro.
If you should break one off even with the top of the boss, don't fret, centerpunch the enter of the stud, drill all the way thru with a 1/8 split point screw machine drill, breaking the chips often. Then, drill it out for a 1/4 Tap. then tap. Screw in a 1/4" stud with a slide hammer and pull it out.
The center of the studs are not hard, the stud is case hardened........
Also get just a drop of green loctite on your fingertip, rub your finger over the hole to get just a touch of this loctite into the hole BEFORE you drive in the stud. As the stud is in contact with the head, and the friction of driving it in....the stud will get harder to drive after about the 3rd or 4th blow. Get it in with careful, deliberate, forceful blows. Do it quick, before the frost disappears off the stud. Makes it a lot easier.
Mike
Well-Known Member
Check the pushrod on that valve, closely. Get a piece of glass and make sure the pushrod will roll on the glass.
Another thing to look at is the valve spring and retainer. Pull that retainer off and look at the retainer butt, to be sure it has not been coming into contact with the guide/guide boss. Wipe the valve spring off and get it out in the sunlight. Carefully look at the tops and bottoms of the coils, to see if you are finding a shiny line that follows the pitch line of the coil.
You do not want to see any shiny spots in any of these areas. If you do, things are making contact when they shouldn't and that may have led to the stud failure.
While you have that valve spring off the head, check both open and closed loads. You'll need to know your installed height and you'll want to measure the spring with a retainer, so be prepared if you have to go to a machine shop to get it checked.
I know, this sounds like a lot of effort, but you need to determine the cause of the failure so you will know exactly how to fix the problem. If you have a set of springs going solid, you might not get so lucky the next time and just break a stud. You could break a spring or a retainer and end up dropping a valve. Please, take the time to be positive everything is right, before you bolt things back together.
Valve lift is a pretty crucial number here, as well. If you were slipping up over .500" lift with a stock spring, a bit of RPM could have floated the springs into a solid condition. If you were slipping over .500" lift, you could have had a rocker sawing on the stud. Look at the ends of the rocker slot, to be sure they are still smooth. If you see any signs of distortion, it's time for a set of long-slot rockers. I've sold a gazillion (maybe even a couple gazillion) sets of Manley's 43140 rockers and they work a treat.
I'm reading this as the cylinder head being off the motor. If I'm wrong, be sure to disconnect any aftermarket ignition components before you start doing any welding. I've seen more guys wipe out MSD boxes, by leaving them connected to cars they are welding on.
Another thing to look at is the valve spring and retainer. Pull that retainer off and look at the retainer butt, to be sure it has not been coming into contact with the guide/guide boss. Wipe the valve spring off and get it out in the sunlight. Carefully look at the tops and bottoms of the coils, to see if you are finding a shiny line that follows the pitch line of the coil.
You do not want to see any shiny spots in any of these areas. If you do, things are making contact when they shouldn't and that may have led to the stud failure.
While you have that valve spring off the head, check both open and closed loads. You'll need to know your installed height and you'll want to measure the spring with a retainer, so be prepared if you have to go to a machine shop to get it checked.
I know, this sounds like a lot of effort, but you need to determine the cause of the failure so you will know exactly how to fix the problem. If you have a set of springs going solid, you might not get so lucky the next time and just break a stud. You could break a spring or a retainer and end up dropping a valve. Please, take the time to be positive everything is right, before you bolt things back together.
Valve lift is a pretty crucial number here, as well. If you were slipping up over .500" lift with a stock spring, a bit of RPM could have floated the springs into a solid condition. If you were slipping over .500" lift, you could have had a rocker sawing on the stud. Look at the ends of the rocker slot, to be sure they are still smooth. If you see any signs of distortion, it's time for a set of long-slot rockers. I've sold a gazillion (maybe even a couple gazillion) sets of Manley's 43140 rockers and they work a treat.
I'm reading this as the cylinder head being off the motor. If I'm wrong, be sure to disconnect any aftermarket ignition components before you start doing any welding. I've seen more guys wipe out MSD boxes, by leaving them connected to cars they are welding on.
Francis Blake
Active Member
Another way to get this done is drill the proper size hole for a 1/4 inch tap length way into the broken stud (very carefully) thread it with a tap stack a few washers over it and screw a bolt into it and as you tighten it will pull out.
Screaming Metal
Active Member
Check the pushrod on that valve, closely. Get a piece of glass and make sure the pushrod will roll on the glass.
Another thing to look at is the valve spring and retainer. Pull that retainer off and look at the retainer butt, to be sure it has not been coming into contact with the guide/guide boss. Wipe the valve spring off and get it out in the sunlight. Carefully look at the tops and bottoms of the coils, to see if you are finding a shiny line that follows the pitch line of the coil.
You do not want to see any shiny spots in any of these areas. If you do, things are making contact when they shouldn't and that may have led to the stud failure.
While you have that valve spring off the head, check both open and closed loads. You'll need to know your installed height and you'll want to measure the spring with a retainer, so be prepared if you have to go to a machine shop to get it checked.
I know, this sounds like a lot of effort, but you need to determine the cause of the failure so you will know exactly how to fix the problem. If you have a set of springs going solid, you might not get so lucky the next time and just break a stud. You could break a spring or a retainer and end up dropping a valve. Please, take the time to be positive everything is right, before you bolt things back together.
Valve lift is a pretty crucial number here, as well. If you were slipping up over .500" lift with a stock spring, a bit of RPM could have floated the springs into a solid condition. If you were slipping over .500" lift, you could have had a rocker sawing on the stud. Look at the ends of the rocker slot, to be sure they are still smooth. If you see any signs of distortion, it's time for a set of long-slot rockers. I've sold a gazillion (maybe even a couple gazillion) sets of Manley's 43140 rockers and they work a treat.
I'm reading this as the cylinder head being off the motor. If I'm wrong, be sure to disconnect any aftermarket ignition components before you start doing any welding. I've seen more guys wipe out MSD boxes, by leaving them connected to cars they are welding on.
Man thats one thing I really missed.....Mike getting on 'the jazz'.
he's just a posting whore.hehehe
yes by 14 now.
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