scottk Posted October 10, 2012 Share Posted October 10, 2012 Hello, I am in the middle of rebuilding an l28, i just finished the bottom end, and i started on the head today, following the online manual i bought, and it says to take out the rocker arms, so i do it, and then on the next page it tells me its very important that i keep them in specific order. of course, I didnt. I know generally where the rocker arms from one side of the head are, and the arms from the other end, but i did not keep track of them specifically. is there an oder that they come in from the factory corresponding with the numbers on them? otherwise i will be reinstalling them in a "wrong order" what are the possible consequences?, because im not about to spend $30 X 12= more than i bought the motor for and other stuff. If anything, I could try to get another head from the yard but that would seem like such a waste just for the arms. im probably going to just put it back together if there is not way t use the numbers on the side to order them correctly thanks scott Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Xnke Posted October 10, 2012 Share Posted October 10, 2012 (edited) Best case? Nothing happens. it works fine. Worst case? You destroy the camshaft and fill your oil full of very hard metal powder that gets pumped though the engine, devouring the oil pump, clogging the filter, then openining the bypass valve and packing itself into your engine bearings and abrading your crankshaft. Most likely case? You drive it for a few hours of run time before noticing that the cam sounds kinda loud and you might should adjust the valve lash...then you pull the valve cover to find a cam missing a lobe or two and your oil looks kinda...shiny. Either way, unless you get lucky you'll be rebuilding the engine again, and it'll probably have much more damage than you started with in the first place. Send them to Delta Camshaft and have them resurfaced. It's 4 bucks each. Would you mix and match used lifters on a chevy or ford V8? No. Don't expect to be able to do it with a datsun rocker arm either...they have the same relationship with the cam that the V8 lifters do. Edited October 10, 2012 by Xnke Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
scottk Posted October 10, 2012 Author Share Posted October 10, 2012 (edited) Best case? Nothing happens. it works fine. Worst case? You destroy the camshaft and fill your oil full of very hard metal powder that gets pumped though the engine, devouring the oil pump, clogging the filter, then openining the bypass valve and packing itself into your engine bearings and abrading your crankshaft. Most likely case? You drive it for a few hours of run time before noticing that the cam sounds kinda loud and you might should adjust the valve lash...then you pull the valve cover to find a cam missing a lobe or two and your oil looks kinda...shiny. Either way, unless you get lucky you'll be rebuilding the engine again, and it'll probably have much more damage than you started with in the first place. Send them to Delta Camshaft and have them resurfaced. It's 4 bucks each. Would you mix and match used lifters on a chevy or ford V8? No. Don't expect to be able to do it with a datsun rocker arm either...they have the same relationship with the cam that the V8 lifters do. ok, thanks for the advice. i was reading some more about other people doing this and it seems like resurfacing them is the right way to go because it eliminates the wear pattern on each on specific to a certian lobe im guessing its probably a good idea to send the camshaft to get refinished as well? or just clean the camshaft and get the rockers reground/finished Edited October 10, 2012 by scottk Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Xnke Posted October 10, 2012 Share Posted October 10, 2012 Just clean it up and make sure it's not damaged...you should not really feel a ridge on the nose of the cam...there will be a little wear there on a used cam but as long as it's smooth and there aren't big ears left on the unworn sections it should be OK. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
akeboshi Posted October 10, 2012 Share Posted October 10, 2012 It would be cheaper (down in socal anyways) to just go to the junkyard and ****** another cam and corresponding lobes (keep them in order this time) shouldnt cost more than 30 bux at a picka and pull. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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