How does one get the rocker shafts out of 318 poly heads? Looks like there may be a big cir-clip at the end of the shafts (can't see yet for all the sludge). Do you pull that clip and then slide the shafts out from one end? Thanks!

Aren't they just held on by bolts going through the shaft and into the head? Got a pic?

No, no bolts go through the shaft (although the shafts are notched to clean the bolts. My bolts are all already out. On mine, the shaft pedestals appear to be intregal to the head (cast as a soild part of the head), so it seems that the shafts have to be slid out of the heads horizontally.

Another site mentioned a pin that has to be released, but no details about the pin. Thanks! Anyone else?

On top of one of the cylinder head pedastals there is what the service manual calls a "rocker shaft lock plug."
That has to be removed before the rocker shaft, rocker arms, springs can be removed.
Your heads and engine are sludged up from what i have been reading in your other postings.
That's why you can't see the lock plug, with the sludge on the heads.
Not to be a critic of your mechanical skills, but a factory maintenance manual would have done wonders for you in your undertaking, what your attempting to do.

Believe me, I'd love to find that 47 year old manual, but up here in the mountains where I live there just arn't that many copies! Just kidding, I've built a lot of later year B/RB & A engines, but this is my first poly.

I found the pedestal plug hole you mentioned. I'm asuming there is a hex head plug down inside it (though I can't presently see it). Thanks! I think I can take it from here!

The lock plug is a taper fit and it just pulls out, that`s the only thing holding the rocker shaft. What the service manual doesn`t tell you about is the hours of fighting it will take to get those shafts out of your sludged up heads without bustin` anything.