so i pulled my engine. i had a blown head gasket. i have a 351w in a 65 coupe. so i took apart the top of the engine. when removing my heads i noticed 5 of my rockers were really loose. Im going to take the heads to a machine shop. where is a good place to buy roller rockers? and what are some things i should do to the car and engine while the engine is out. i also plan on putting a t5 trans in it.

 

Usually not all the rockers will be tight based on the position of the cam lobe they are on.

I usually just buy from Summit rather then go searching for parts.

 

yea i know but they were really loose i turned the engine and i still could move the rockers up and down. and thanks do you know any specific rocker set i should buy?

 

if the rocker is loose so you can move it up and dopwn at a time the spring should be compressed then the spring will never compress. I wonder how that engine was running ?!?! must have been a clattering nightmare if I undertstand that right.

make sure the threads they sit on are ok and the studs are not loose (the machione shop will check that for you).
for roller rockers, there's plenty like comp cams etc. just get the right ones for your engine.
and when you put it alltogether make sure you set them correctly. and replace those nuts that hold them down ...

 

There's a few reasons for loose rockers and the source of the problem should be found. If stud mounted, pulled studs? Worn fulcrums? Worn pushrods? Worn valve stems? Worn camshaft? Collapsed lifters? If the problem isn't found it will get worse.