G80CS Rocker Arm Shafts?

[CSBill]

Moving forward slowly on the G80CS project. The previous owner had the new bushings installed in the rocker box for the tappet shafts. Now I am faced with insert the tube in which the shaft rides, BUT, how in the world do I get the felt washers in place? Looks to me like this should have been done between the bushings when they were pressed in. Do I need to press the bushings out and start over?

[ajscomboman]

Ah, welcome to the wonderful world of the AMC felt insertion. Now some people say they're a waste of time providing the oil is changed regularly, the thought being if you don't the felt eventually just holds contamination and speeds the wear or stops lubrication. I have machines done both with and without and have no obvious issues with either. However if you wish to fit then bathe them in clean oil, insert and squeeze into place with a screwdriver. The hole with be reduced due to the felt thickness, you have 2 options now, first make a very short bullet with nice taper that you insert and push with the sleeve. It has to be short enough to drop out into the recess naturally. Or simply insert the sleeve which will push some felt into the recess tearing out excess as it goes. I use the first method if I'm fitting them.

[Duncan]

+1 for the bullet method, I think the felt helps maintain some pressure in the oil gallery in the rocker box to help feed the lubrication points to the tops of the pushrods and the inlet valve, take a look at Dick Cassey's YouTube video to see what the installation and bullet looks like: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pb_NAyfNh_Y

[CSBill]

Watched the video, very helpful, thank you. Moving forward it looks like the prvious owner did not leavbe the bushings proud of the casing, next step will be to gently relocate them.

[Duncan]

Watched the video, very helpful, thank you. It shows him moving the bushings to achieve zero tolerance, my problem is that shaft tube is longer than the casing, if the shaft is tightened with both arms in place, the tube will not rotate. In the video, it appears the tube does not come proud of the bushings.

1. So, is the shaft supposed to rotate with the tube, or the tube rotate within the bushings?
2. Which tappet arm goes where, they can be fixed with the groove facing out or in.

1. The shaft (017192) and the tube (017292) rotate together and the tube is clamped between the rocker arms, do these up tight as they can work loose.
2. The grove faces the bushes, it is there to take oil to the end of the rocker/valve head. The grove was an improvement added sometime in the 1950's so as early engines did not have one it won't be terminal if you get it wrong.