Does anyone have the rocker shaft height measurements (center of rocker shaft to valve tip height) from the various cylinder heads? Just checking to see what lift range they were machined for?

If you ask Indy, they tell you they have engineered all that into shaft height. Many times I had had to deal with geometry issues even using Indy rockers.


In reality, there is no one correct stand height. That's why W2 heads had the stands milled off and used blocks. Most guys HATED that because it wasn't Chevy.

Rocker shaft height, and distance from the valve, is situation dependent.

From my understanding the rocker pivot height (parallel to the valve stem) is dependent on valve lift, but the horizontal distance depends on the rocker arm design.

Stand Height Gage & pushrod length checker is your best friend here.

"Rocker shaft height, and distance from the valve, is situation dependent."

That's always how I understood it too.

I already milled the stands off heads and used rocker stand blocks.

I was just curious if anyone had the measurements from different heads to see is they varied or are fairly consistent?

I hope the new aluminum heads that flow 0.700"+ are not using the stock head rocker height that was used for a 0.450" lift cam?

Mike from http://www.b3racingengines.com/ would know. He is a member here.

Put some checking springs on there and then use washers to move the rocker shaft stands up and down. Shouldn't take too long to see where the sweet spot is.

I was just looking to get data for comparison, not how-to setup the rockers.

For example, the minimum in/out motion of the rocker tip on the valve stem should occur when the rocker pivot is 1/2 the valve lift distance below the valve stem tip (in the same plane as the valve stem.) This would make the rocker/valve stem tip 90-degrees (again in relation to the valve stem angle) at 1/2 lift.
This means the ideal rocker stand height will vary depending on the valve lift you choose.
This does not account for where the rocker contacts the valve tip, that would have to be built into the length of the rocker arm or changing the in/out location of the rocker shaft.

That is all true but you have a bigger problem due to the 15 degree valve angle. So your rocker shaft height is limited by the length of the rocker arms. That is why you have to ignore the math and just put the rocker arms where they work. Only exception to this is if you're starting with a clean sheet of paper and are designing your own setup. Then you can control the length of the rocker arme and therefore the location of the shaft.

I remember some 361 or 413 heads that the stands were pressed onto the shaft & they had 4 bolt valve covers also, wonder if those heads flowed anything significant or what? Haven't seen many- sorry this is kinda off topic, but kinda funny that 1959 or 61 engine had a rocker system kinda what all HP manufacturers & regular auto manufacturers use today, MoPar many years ahead of its time, wish the dual overhead 426 went into production, & the 383 ball stud hemi (poor people could've affored that{383})

I checked a standard length valve vs a long valve W-2
head.. they was a big difference.. that was just the
valve length... not even taking in the lift height...
both being the econo head so they have the shaft saddle

Ignore the math, and put the rockers where they work. The ultimate oxymoron. The math IS putting the rockers where they work. Accounting for the valve angle is just a part of that math. What do the Small Block Chevy guys do when running longer valves and a stud mount rocker. They have a 23 degree valve angle which causes more of a problem than a 15 degree angle does. Well, they use rockers with an offset trunnion to move the rocker away from the valve centerline, and restore the rocker tip to valve tip relationship, or they have to offset the stud holes in the head. When they use a shaft mount system, the stands have an offset designed into them that accomplishes the same thing. They still have to make sure the shafts are at the right height, and some "one size fits all" stand height tool isn't going to cut it. Mopar guys aren't the only ones who have to do a lot of extra work to make geometry correct.

If you have the stands milled off already, you can move the shafts wherever you want. Knowing where "wherever" is, is what's important.

"the rocker/valve stem tip 90-degrees (again in relation to the valve stem angle) at 1/2 lift"

Unless you're using Miller rockers, that transfers the angle bias (not 90 degrees at 1/2 lift) to the pushrod side. How much? Depends on how much anti-scrub the manufacturer designed into the rocker, and AFAIK they won't say.

I know T@D sent a gage with my paired shaft rockers to mill the stands to the proper height from the valve tip and they are valve lift specific.

Unless they changed something recently, I believe the tool is for a certain valve lift, and then the instructions tell you how much to adjust the height for a different valve lift from that starting point. One tool will not be correct for every valve lift was the point I was making. It is only to give you an "in the ballpark" starting point. If you press Jesel, they will tell you the same thing.

I bought mine for my smallblock about 4 years ago and Sheldon wanted to know what valve lift I was running, from there my machinist did the rest, so you may be right about that, I never read the instruction's in depth.