ET: Engine (Twin) The most miserable task

vibrac

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After a frustrating time in the workshop today I award this to:
Putting a rocker pushrod into an assembled engine (tank off thankfully)
My method is to use a pair of surgical forceps this enables me to try and 'swing' the bottom of the pushrod around in the timing chest with the top end in the rocker adjuster hole. If I cant, then there is a chance the bottom is in the rocker recess, horray! Doing it at maximum lift seemed the best. I was only fitting the front inlet I would hate to try the front exhaust when trying a vertical 'drop' is not an option.
Any advance for the most miserable task?
 

bmetcalf

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I try to visualize where the cup is and feel around with the pushrod, using forceps. Maybe take a peek down the tube with a penlight. If the ball end is oily, it will stick in the cup a bit and you can feel it as you lift the follower. I check by rotating the engine very slowly to see if the pushrod rises up normally. I hope this isn't telling granny anything.
 

vibrac

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I try to visualize where the cup is and feel around with the pushrod, using forceps. Maybe take a peek down the tube with a penlight. If the ball end is oily, it will stick in the cup a bit and you can feel it as you lift the follower. I check by rotating the engine very slowly to see if the pushrod rises up normally. I hope this isn't telling granny anything.
You might as well tell Granny after all we are using her knitting needles :D
 

Bill Thomas

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Just picked one of these, From Feked.com For about £20, Might be handy. Cheers Bill. 41ZDjQ6tEDL.jpg
 

vibrac

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Its not the light Bill I even have a remote TV camera, its the space the only sure way is with the cams out anyway the Russian roulette is over now, but its a job I hate
 

Bill Thomas

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I should have made it a bigger photo !, It's not a light it's a Petrol tank, So we can play without the proper tank on . Cheers Bill.
 

greg brillus

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The biggest issue is trying to hang on to and align the pushrod. When I built the racer, I had to get shorter pushrods made, as even the available short ones were still too long, and this made installation that bit harder. I found if I used pieces of plastic straw, or it might have been short lengths of heatshrink pressed onto the end of the pushrod, this gave me something to hold onto, that was skinny enough to pass through the tappet adjuster hole in the rocker. Once I was satisfied it was sitting in the socket of the follower, I think I slipped a screwdriver or small diameter piece of rod down the straw so I could slide the straw off the end of each pushrod. It basically gave me an extension like handle so I could move the pushrod around and like Bruce said about being able to lift the follower with a drop of oil or grease providing some suction to the ball end. I had to do this because when you slid the pushrod through the hole in the rocker, it passed down that much that you could not hold it with a pair of pointy nose pliers, as per a stock set up. Might be worth a try.............
 
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