rocker arms

[russaroll]

I've got a box of rocker arms I was thinking of getting resurfaced soon but I can't seem to find the thread that says where to send them.

Anybody know where to send them or post a link to the thread.  Thanks.

[Stoffregen Motorsports]

Unless they are pitted or scorched, a simple brush across some emery cloth is usually enough to clean them up for use. All the racing L series engines I ever built, not one engine got resurfaced rocker arms.

[datzenmike]

Do in the sink. Piece of glass and wet sand them with 500 grit.

 

 

 

Like new.

[Ken75]

Hi,

 

I agree with Datzenmike, fine grit can do miracles. Even most new (aftermarket) followers are very happy when being sanded like this before installation. After sanding, additional buffing will make it nice and shiny.

 

However it will be very hard to correct the shape when the follower is worn - the shape is btw just a part of a cylinder. A simple trick to judge the resulting shape is using the follower as a mirror to look into a straight (edge of) light, for example daylight at the edge of a window. When the straight light source is aligned to the width of the follower contact surface, you should see a straight line again. When kept at 90deg the straight light will reflect  as a curve. When all is good, the line/curve should have no distortions.

 

On Datzenmike’s image you can see a line where the cam base is touching the follower. The visibility of this surface imperfection will be magnified when used as a mirror. The extra buffing will reveal all imperfections to the extend it may drive you nuts.

 

If the wear is to excessive and no new parts are available, I recondition the cam and valve surfaces of the followers in a wire edm in one single setup so both are perfectly aligned.

 

I would be glad to help but I’m located in Antwerp, Belgium so not straightforward regarding shipping.

 

Hope this helps,

Ken

 

[datzenmike]

Also a good idea to use an oil with a high ZDDP level. Newer engines don't need it and it's not good for the catalytic converter so oil makers have slowly dropped the levels over the years. I use Shell Rotella T4. It's a diesel oil that is exempt from the lower ZDDP levels. 

[Ken75]

One more thing we have been ignoring until now: what’s the condition of the cam lobes? If the rockers are worn, the cam lobes may be no better. Then it doesn’t really help to recondition the followers and run them on the old cam. The other way around - regrinding the cam and use worn followers - is equally pointless. It’s all or nothing…

When sanding the followers, don’t be afraid to do the same on the cams. Just use plenty of oil for wet sanding and don’t apply excessive force. Also, try to use a light colored grit so you can judge from the color how much material you are removing. With properly hardened parts, it really won’t be much and you will do no harm if you go gently.

 

When not regrinding cam and followers, it is VERY important to rematch the same followers with the same lobes when rebuilding the engine. Hope this tip is not late for Russaroll. If we’d both buy the identical pair of shoes, wear them comfortably for a month and then exchange them (between both of us, not between left and right LOL), our feet would be quite unhappy. Same for the cams and the followers…

Regrinding the cam gives you the option to grind a fast road profile so you get twice for the same money.

Again happy to help out on camshafts as well if required.

 

Hope this helps,

Ken

[Stoffregen Motorsports]

I think a lot of new builders think you are supposed to resurface them as a matter of course. This may be true for a small block Chevy, but not for most imports.

[datzenmike]

Keep the rockers in order and put back where they come from. If swapping a used one in then I would lightly sand them.

[banzai510(hainz)]

There was a part suppliers years ago that had the Japanese rockers for like 9$ apc. I got like 4 sets but now I think I have 2 lifetime supply that I will never need.

[russaroll]

3 hours ago, datzenmike said:

 

Keep the rockers in order and put back where they come from. If swapping a used one in then I would lightly sand them.

it's a box of loose ones, from like 2 or 3 rebuilds.  order doesn't matter.

5 hours ago, Stoffregen Motorsports said:

I think a lot of new builders think you are supposed to resurface them as a matter of course. This may be true for a small block Chevy, but not for most imports.

For me I like newer ones if i'm putting a new cam in but, I guess it doesn't really matter.  I just like to do things once and not worry.

 

 

 

Thanks for the info.  This just might save me some money 🙂

[Tedman]

Dave Levinson posted on FB about having rockers resurfaced by Delta Cams. They look real nice in his pics. I think this was Delta Cams in Tacoma, WA but not certain. 

[banzai510(hainz)]

wow they look good.

Yes I have been to Delta Cams before. But I chose not to buy their Cams. Not as advertised Spec wise.

 

Did he say How much was the cost? to resurface?  I got a few sets of old ones also

 

shit I should just donate them to Delta

Edited August 18, 2022 by banzai510(hainz)

[Tedman]

13 hours ago, banzai510(hainz) said:

wow they look good.

Yes I have been to Delta Cams before. But I chose not to buy their Cams. Not as advertised Spec wise.

 

Did he say How much was the cost? to resurface?  I got a few sets of old ones also

 

shit I should just donate them to Delta

What Dave said on FB: "I hand picked my cores to send out and the price per peice was 4.50. I took a small flat rate box and wrapped 16 and sent them Attn: Ken with my return address and all contact info inside and they really took care of me! Turn around time was very fast. So fast it only seems like a week "

[Ken75]

If that’s say $50-60 including shipping - and assuming that the rocker geometry is well respected during the surface regrind - it is quite brilliant and no excuse left to reinstall used rockers IMO, at least not with reground cams.

 

BR,

Ken

[Crashtd420]

If you look on delta cams website they can even rebuild them...

With welding the cost maxes out at $25 per rocker... 

So I imagine 5 to 25 is the range depending on condition.....

[iceman510]

They even show Datsun rocker arms on the service page.

 

https://deltacam.com/services/repairs/

[Tedman]

Probably best to send them a set from one head, and make sure you get back your set and not a bunch of randoms they took in as cores. That way you have a chance that you won't need a wide selection of lash pads upon reassembly.  I'm going to send them a set and see how they go. 

[iceman510]

Let us know, and thanks Ted.  I have some I could probably send there too.

[Tedman]

Update: Got my rocker arms back from Delta Camshafts and they look great! They received them on 8/29, and I received a voicemail message on 9/1 that they were done and ready to ship.  I sent two sets, one from an L20B U67 head, and another set from a '73 L16 head, with instructions to keep each set together. I took photos and recorded the casting numbers on each rocker of each set to verify they did so. They came back to me in two boxes labeled L16 and L20B and each box contained the correct set. 

 

They charged $4.50/rocker plus a $3 hazardous waste fee, plus $22.92 FedEx shipping from Tacoma WA to Southern CA. I shipped to them via USPS for $12.55, so my grand total was $97.92 + $12.55 = $110.47, or $6.90/rocker, all in.

 

My only criticism is that there was no packing added to each of the small boxes so the rockers could rattle around loose in each box. There was plenty of paper packing in the larger box they came in, however, but taking another minute to stuff a wad of paper in each box with the rockers to keep them from rattling against each other and possibly dinging a few along the way wouldn't hurt. Fortunately I didn't see any damage on any of the machined surfaces. They look like they may have been media tumbled before finishing, which is nice. Here's a few pics:

 

[banzai510(hainz)]

Hazard waste fee?

 

they look good

[datzenmike]

L series rocker arms are all the same so once 'reconditioned' they were basically new and no need to be kept separate. Now if used and removed, probably a good idea to put them back in the same place.

 

The numbers are just the mold they were made from. For example in '77 there were on average 330 620s built every day of the month. That's 2,647 rocker arms a day, and that just the truck, then there are all the 610, 710, 280z engines.

[Stoffregen Motorsports]

Bouncing around in the box will not hurt the rockers. The metal is too hard.

[Tedman]

I contend that the required lash pad thickness for any random set of eight used rocker arms that have been reconditioned will have more variance than a set that came from the same stock head, assuming the cam and rockers were original to the head and not wiped. I hate having to source multiple thickness lash pads when setting up a head. It doesn't cost me anything extra to keep a set from a good donor head together through the reconditioning process.