1946-1949 49 Series 61 Rocker Arms

[49 Caddy]

  Trying to replace the rocker arms on my 49 Caddy with 331 cu. in. motor and am having an issue with removing the part on the rocker arm shaft that holds the pieces the head bolts go thru.  Should they just slide off like the rockers or am I missing something?

[Roger Zimmermann]

Sometimes, you have to help the supports a bit to remove them. Usually a burr is the culprit.

[Jay Friedman]

When everything was new they slid off with just a minimun amount of help, but when the motor is no longer new this can happen.  It's happened on my own '49, too.  As Roger said, there could be a burr or there also could be engine dirt underneath what Cadillac called the "Rocker Arm Shaft Bracket". 

What I do is stand the shaft up on my wooden work bench.  I then take a short piece of 1"x 4" or 2"x 4" wood and place it over the bracket and then hit the top of the wood with a hammer.  You could also squirt some WD-40 around the area where the bracket joins the shaft.  The bracket will eventually move slowly down the shaft without any damage.  You then might want to then clean the shaft and the inside of the bracket, as well as lightly file any burrs you see.

While it's all apart I suggest you try and poke some brushes inside the shaft to clean out any gunk inside.  Also, with a thin wire or a straightened out paper clip clean out the oil holes in the shaft and the rocker arms.

When you reassemble everything and are ready to re-install the rocker arm shaft on the motor, make sure the notches at the end of the shaft are pointing toward the center of the motor. 

Also, keep in mind that Terrill Machine, DeLeon, Texas (254-893-2610) sells brand new rocker arm shafts at a reasonable price. 

[49 Caddy]

  Thanks for the responses.  I just didn't want to break anything.