Is there an easy way to put rocker shaft assemblies back together after taking them apart? I'm rebuilding a set of rocker assemblies for my Y-block with new shafts and good, used rockers. They came apart easily enough with a press. But, now I can't decide how to put them back together. The shaft stands are a tight fit (more than a hammer tap on the shaft to get one on). I could use the press, but I'm concerned with the risk of one of the stands rotating a bit as it goes on the shaft. Two stands need to line up with the oil supply and overflow holes. I don't want to gouge my new shaft by clamping it in a vice and twisting a stand in place with a pair of vice grips. I was thinking of shrinking the shafts by putting them in freezer. But, I don't think it would be cold enough. Would dry ice work? I know liquid nitrogen would work! Though getting a bucket of it home from the Rocket Factory would be difficult! Any suggestions? Things were alot easier when stuff like this was available at the parts stores.
If there shaft is a tight fit on the stands, you can rotate the shaft on the stands by inserting a drift or punch in the holes for the rockers oil and turning the shaft while the stand is in a vise. This is how I do it. Use lots of oil on assembly. Take some emery cloth and use it on the holes in the stands.
I was able to get my rocker shafts assembled, yesterday! What didn't work: Putting the shafts in the freezer for a few days. The freezer could not get them cold enough to shrink so that the stands could be slipped on. But, they were could enough to need heavy gloves to handle them! Heating the stands with a propane torch. I could get a stand hot enough to slip onto a shaft, but only a inch. Once it touched the shaft, it froze into place. What did work: The press! I put a stand just onto the shaft by tapping it with a hammer. Once it was squared up with the shaft and aligned with the oil holes, I sprayed it with WD-40 and pressed the stand into position with the press. There wasn't alot of resistance , but there was enough to tell it was a tight fit. The stands that rotated bit were repositioned by tapping with a hammer. So, now I know how to rebuild rocker shafts!
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