NickP87

I have an '86 GT. I was replacing the head gaskets & realized that the rockers under the oil fill side of the valve cover had scrapes on them. When I finished pulling the head I realized that one of the push rods was really bent out of shape.

Passenger side. Front of head:


Push Rod for the first rocker:


Valves. The first one looks the worst. The rest look like the 2nd cylinder's valves:


Cylinders:


Driver side cylinders. First one has the most buildup:






I know I have to replace my push rods. Is there anything else that needs to be replaced with them? Should I buy a taller valve cover so I don't have to worry about interference again?

I'm at least the 3rd owner & I was told it might have a cam in it. I've owned it for about 3 years & this is the first time I've torn into the motor. If there's anymore information you guys need please ask me. This 1 day project is going to take me at least a week now (order parts & wait for another day off.)

Derf00

Since you are in there, might as well have the cam checked out to see if the correct rods are being used and to avoid the same problem in the future.

bluebeastsrt

Right... You might want to even pull the cam to check the lobes for damage.

Tony71502

When I put 1.7 rockers in my car even with a stock cam the same thing happened. The rockers are too big to fit under stock, non-modified covers. The oil baffle in the valve cover needs removed for the stocker covers to work. When I pulled my heads, my rockers looked the exact same and my first cylinder looked a bit worse.

Live and learn, lol. I was a college freshman with no knowledge when I did that.

NickP87

I agree with you guys. I'll pull the cam & check her out. My brother was looking things over & noticed that the oil baffle is cracked & has a chunk missing. I can't believe this car has been running daily like this for over 3 years.

As long as the cam is alright are new push rods going to be all I'll need (aside from taking the baffle out of the valve cover?

So far I have not seen any cracks on the block at all. The cylinder bores are smooth & have no crosshatching, though. Ultimately I want to keep this motor running with minimal issues until I save up to buy a new bottom end & build it.

Oh, and as far as lessons learned- Never buy someone else's project/race car.

I really appreciate your guys' insight & help.

Tony71502

Make sure that first cylinder rocker is alright and remove the valve cover baffles. You should be all right.

Venomantidote95

If you have a good set of eyes and a bright light the cam removal isnt needed you can remove the lifters and look at it that way!

Pushrods hardened set and vlv cover mod and your off as stated above!

NickP87

Eyes & light I definitely have.

Are the Ford Racing High Performance push rods on AM a good replacement? They're a good price & I love buying from them.

I spent the afternoon scraping & sanding away the left over gasket that was on the engine block, as well as removing all of the carbon from the pistons. I cleaned the passenger side head & slowly slid a small straight edge down the head to check for warpage.

Tony71502

Make sure the pushrods are the right length and you are good to go.

NickP87

I ordered new stock length push rods from AM. I still have to clean up the other head & reassemble everything (sans rods) but today I'm working on the GF's car since I have a backup I can drive. Because of my work schedule I won't really be able to work on it until next week but I'll update this thread as I get it back together & get it running again.