jbenajes Posted January 29, 2009 Report Share Posted January 29, 2009 Hello, I have been reading the forum daily for some years, and occasionally participating. Now I am in the mid of a restoration project with a 59 very original TR3A, being the body already sprayed and the engine and gearbox out of the car. Since I am dealing with virtually every tiny bit of the car, I find many loopholes left in all the books and manuals, and here is where I count on the experience of the friends in the forum. Now I am concentrated in refurbishing the engine. And here I start with some questions: How can I disassemble (and especially put later together) the rocker shaft? The plugs at the extremities must be removed first, I suppose, but then the pedestals seem to have an interference fit with the shaft. I can imagine how to remove them, but how can they be assembled later in the proper place, so that the rocker arms leaning on them stay in the correct position relative to the valves? Thanks for your replies. Jesus Quote Link to post Share on other sites
angelfj Posted January 29, 2009 Report Share Posted January 29, 2009 Hello, I have been reading the forum daily for some years, and occasionally participating. Now I am in the mid of a restoration project with a 59 very original TR3A, being the body already sprayed and the engine and gearbox out of the car. Since I am dealing with virtually every tiny bit of the car, I find many loopholes left in all the books and manuals, and here is where I count on the experience of the friends in the forum. Now I am concentrated in refurbishing the engine. And here I start with some questions: How can I disassemble (and especially put later together) the rocker shaft? The plugs at the extremities must be removed first, I suppose, but then the pedestals seem to have an interference fit with the shaft. I can imagine how to remove them, but how can they be assembled later in the proper place, so that the rocker arms leaning on them stay in the correct position relative to the valves? Thanks for your replies. Jesus Jesus: tiene ud. un libra de "Bentley" o "triumph" originale? Porque, este trabajo es muy facil! Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Nick Webster Posted January 29, 2009 Report Share Posted January 29, 2009 Hello, I have been reading the forum daily for some years, and occasionally participating. Now I am in the mid of a restoration project with a 59 very original TR3A, being the body already sprayed and the engine and gearbox out of the car. Since I am dealing with virtually every tiny bit of the car, I find many loopholes left in all the books and manuals, and here is where I count on the experience of the friends in the forum. Now I am concentrated in refurbishing the engine. And here I start with some questions: How can I disassemble (and especially put later together) the rocker shaft? The plugs at the extremities must be removed first, I suppose, but then the pedestals seem to have an interference fit with the shaft. I can imagine how to remove them, but how can they be assembled later in the proper place, so that the rocker arms leaning on them stay in the correct position relative to the valves? Thanks for your replies. Jesus You cannot go wrong if you put everything back in the same order and same way round as it came off. Apart from one which has a bolt because it must line up with an oil hole, the pedestals are quite a loose fit. They should not be an interference fit. This is too tight. Put everything back on the shaft. Put the ends on. Then just slide everything around until you get the pedestals spaced so that they fit over the studs that hold them down to the cylinder head. Then all the rockers cannot be otherwise than in the right position. Nick Webster Quote Link to post Share on other sites
jbenajes Posted January 29, 2009 Author Report Share Posted January 29, 2009 Frank, thank you for your response and hint (in a very good Spanish, indeed). Yes, I have the Bentley manual and after a closer and detailed search, I have found some important information in chapter ENGINE, page 36, paragraph XXV. Thanks, Nick, for the info. If the pedestals stay on the shaft with a loose fit, everything is much easier. I have found that the pedestals are solid with the shaft, but probably I can free the ensemble by cleaning everything. Jesus Quote Link to post Share on other sites
angelfj Posted January 29, 2009 Report Share Posted January 29, 2009 Frank, thank you for your response and hint (in a very good Spanish, indeed). Yes, I have the Bentley manual and after a closer and detailed search, I have found some important information in chapter ENGINE, page 36, paragraph XXV. Thanks, Nick, for the info. If the pedestals stay on the shaft with a loose fit, everything is much easier. I have found that the pedestals are solid with the shaft, but probably I can free the ensemble by cleaning everything. Jesus Jesus: If the engine has not been run for a long time, you can use a penetrating lubricant. We use a product here called PB Blaster and another called Liquid Wrench. Something like this will be fine. Spray it on and leave it for a day or more. If the parts are still tight, spay on more. Take your time and don't force anything. When you have it apart, examine the shaft very carefully. Sometimes the top of these engines suffer from oil starvation. This is seen on 6 cyl engines more often, but sometimes on the 4 cyl like yours. If this happened, you will see wear and maybe grooves where the rockers have rubbed against the shaft. The shaft and rockers are fairly critical but replacements are generally available. We have a few TR3 folks on the continent, so I am sure someone will suggest a supplier. Buena suerte - tu amigo de TR Frank Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Don Elliott Posted January 29, 2009 Report Share Posted January 29, 2009 When I dismantled my 1958 TR3A in 1987, I took lots of photos (remember what film is ?) and I had to make lots of clear sketches because I knew that it might take three years before I would put it all back together again. It took till 1990 for me to finish the total body-off restoration. I was right. The sketches really helped. Jesus - Make a drawing of the rocker assembly as you take it apart. And anywhere else you can't find something in a book. I still have those sketches from 1987. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
jbenajes Posted January 30, 2009 Author Report Share Posted January 30, 2009 One of my doubts was how to reassemble everything, with the correct position of the pedestals relative to the shaft, and consequently of the rocker arms to the valves. Now I see clear that this is given by the set screw on one of the pedestals. My only problem now is how to free the shaft from the pedestals, and of course how to slide them later on the shaft in their correct place. I have tried with reasonable force, heating a little the pedestals with a hot air gun, and have sprayed some penetrating oil and left overnight. However, my feeling is that the grip on the pedestals on the shaft is not only due to dirt or dried oil. Incidentally, the pedestals are made out of aluminium… is this original? Jesus Quote Link to post Share on other sites
vivdownunder Posted January 30, 2009 Report Share Posted January 30, 2009 Hi Jesus, Early TR2's had cast iron pedestals, and thereafter they were aluminium. The pedestals could be jammed on the shaft by a burr from the fixing set screws. You might need a bit more heat on the pedestals to expand them away from the rocker shaft. Regards, Viv. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
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