Help me I'm blind-head bolts

Marcb said:

I hate to bug you guys after all the help you have given me so far. I got the head off, everything looks good. Went to put it back on and have had nothing but trouble. My neighbor helped me so I had two sets of hands. I followed the book to the letter and can't get the darn head installed. What is the trick? Also I'm confused about the push rods. Do the ball ends of the push rods go in the rockers or into the engine?
Thanks,
Marc

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Hi Marc,
See this link:


Push rod cups are oriented up to engage rocker arms.

Ed

Marcb said:

I hate to bug you guys after all the help you have given me so far. I got the head off, everything looks good. Went to put it back on and have had nothing but trouble. My neighbor helped me so I had two sets of hands. I followed the book to the letter and can't get the darn head installed. What is the trick? Also I'm confused about the push rods. Do the ball ends of the push rods go in the rockers or into the engine?
Thanks,
Marc

Click to expand...

Hello Marc,
Indeed this is quite a nightmare to do it without help. Actually, the pushrods must be pushed the farthest in the head (no engagement in the rocker arms. You could use a rubber band to squeeze them together 2 by 2. After tilting the head backward over the cylinder block you should be able to align the pusrods in the tunnels. Once done you move the whole thing parrallel to the cylinder block and align the 3 cylinder head studs. Put a shim between head and cylinder to allow you to cut the rubber band. Gently shake the pusrods, they shoud drop at their place. After, you should wipe your forehead with a towell. Be honest, don't tell us your forehead is dry!!!LOL

Marcb said:

I hate to bug you guys after all the help you have given me so far. I got the head off, everything looks good. Went to put it back on and have had nothing but trouble. My neighbor helped me so I had two sets of hands. I followed the book to the letter and can't get the darn head installed. What is the trick? Also I'm confused about the push rods. Do the ball ends of the push rods go in the rockers or into the engine?
Thanks,
Marc

Click to expand...

First off, if you don't yet have the workshop manual, get or download (from the Technical Info thread on tis site)....the push rod and many other illuminating things will enlighten you.

The cupped ends go upwards to seat the valve tappets. The trick to fitting the head seems to be first rotated the engine such that the pushrods are at the lowest position on the cam followers. The longest rods need to be to the inside (inlet followers) and shortest ones to the outside (exhaust). With the tappet adjusters fully unwound to give maximum clearance from valve stems, push the rods up as far into the head as possible...having them actually off tappets to the sides is important to give max clearance. Keep holding all four rod up while positioning head over barrels...once fully over top, before fully lowering head down, rods can be dropped down into the cam followers...they should find correct locations without fuss. Now fully lower head loosely and fiddle the rods into the tappet ends...long thing screw driver and a flash light are useful here. when happy place a few head nuts/bolts on loosely and again check tappets engaged to rods...wind on some tappet adjustment to take up the excess play to keep them popping off again. Proceed with head torquing as per manual. Be very cautious not to over torque the three downward pointing head studs as you will pull them out the alu. 30 ft-lbs for all the 3/8" (studs and bolts) and 25 ft-lbs for the two 5/16" upwards pointing studs. I use a 90 degree torque wrench adaptor to permit my torque wrench to turn a standard ring spanner for the three downward pointing studs:

ashman said:

Yes a full WW tool set from sockets to open/ring spanners will be a good investment for engine, GB and primary and a few other places, AF or Metric just don't do it, swap meets are also a good place to find second hand tools for working on our Norton's.

Ashley

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In the US whitworth tools at a swap meet are pretty much a thing of the past. Guys like me that have them don’t sell them. Give it maybe another 20-25 years and you might be able to buy them from my kids at an estate sale….when I’m gone.

Thanks guys. Will give it another try when I get a new head gasket. Never thought of using rubber bands. Clever.
Marc

Hope when you took the push rods out that you marked them so you put them back in the same position/order that they came out.

I tie a piece of twine around 2 foam rubber blocks and stuff them into the head to hold the pushrods in place while maneuvering the head into place. Then pull them out once the pushrods are in the cylinder. The rockers can be held up out of the way while engaging the cups onto them -