| dingerjunkie |
Thu Sep 04, 2025 6:58 pm |
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Hey all. I've done some searching on this, but nothing cleanly targeted what I'm trying to answer.
Getting ready to install rocker assemblies on new heads/valves. Stock ratio, solid rocker shaft, swivel feet. I'll be setting geometry and lash after I get the left-right alignment correct.
Two rockers are rather offset from center, though not hanging off obscenely. To get them where they are requires NO shim against the mounting block for the two.
Cylinder 1, intake centers only w/o block shim:
Cylinder 2, centered, but no block shim on exhaust rocker:
Cylinder 3, exhaust off-center even without shim:
Cylinder 4, intake off-center from thin shim:
Are my concerns about rocker wear against the mounting blocks warranted? Should I try rotating/swapping the blocks? Sanding them down? Juggling rockers to look for different dimensions? Will I be "close enough" with the thinnest shim I can run against those blocks?
Input would be greatly appreciated. |
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| oprn |
Thu Sep 04, 2025 7:59 pm |
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| The stock rockers do not have a shim there. Never been a problem without one as far as I know. Also the adjusting foot is not supposed to be centered on the valve stem. It should be offset just a little to promote valve rotation. |
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| dingerjunkie |
Fri Sep 05, 2025 3:05 am |
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| Thank you very much for the quick answer. |
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| Brian_e |
Fri Sep 05, 2025 1:46 pm |
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Do yourself a favor now, and ditch the roller balls... Even stock adjusting screws are far better than those. Those roller ball adjusters were designed to work on a Mazda, and have no place on a VW engine.
Brian |
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| oprn |
Fri Sep 05, 2025 2:43 pm |
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| I have them on one of my engines for several years now and I have not seen any downside. Maybe there is with a high lift cam but mine is a stock cam with 1.25 rockers. |
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| Brian_e |
Fri Sep 05, 2025 3:44 pm |
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The more lift, the worse it gets. I will do a video on it here soon. They are near impossible to get correct geometry, unless you REALLY cut the rocker arms. Stacking a bunch of shims under the rocker blocks will not get the correct geometry either.
Brian |
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| oprn |
Fri Sep 05, 2025 3:48 pm |
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Brian_e wrote: I will do a video on it here soon. Brian
I look forward to that! Thanks! |
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| dingerjunkie |
Fri Sep 05, 2025 7:00 pm |
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| Stock set of adjuster screws on order. I'd also be very interested in seeing the video of why the swivels are a bad idea. |
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| Brian_e |
Fri Sep 05, 2025 8:34 pm |
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dingerjunkie wrote: Stock set of adjuster screws on order. I'd also be very interested in seeing the video of why the swivels are a bad idea.
Just clean up and reuse your stock screws. They are 10x the quality of new ones. If the ends are beat up, spin them in a drill on a belt sander and put a little radius on them. They clean up easy, they are free, and they will last longer than any newly made ones.
Brian |
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| raygreenwood |
Fri Sep 05, 2025 9:52 pm |
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Brian_e wrote: dingerjunkie wrote: Stock set of adjuster screws on order. I'd also be very interested in seeing the video of why the swivels are a bad idea.
Just clean up and reuse your stock screws. They are 10x the quality of new ones. If the ends are beat up, spin them in a drill on a belt sander and put a little radius on them. They clean up easy, they are free, and they will last longer than any newly made ones.
Brian
That...or get a GOOD set of actual "swivel feet". The Porsche style ones of which there are a few high quality makes are a far different animal than the Mazda/Ford Swivel ball. Ray |
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| BFB |
Sat Sep 06, 2025 10:05 am |
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oprn wrote: Brian_e wrote: I will do a video on it here soon. Brian
I look forward to that! Thanks!
id be interested in seeing that too.
ive used them a couple times and think I had to cut back the rockers no more than with elephants feet.
and don't think Ive had more than one shim under them either, but also on engines with cut to length PR's too
the thing I don't like about the swivel ball is making sure you get the flat spot of the ball on the valve, that can be a real pain in the ass especially if your peepers aren't as good as they once were |
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| Rob Combs |
Sat Sep 06, 2025 10:07 am |
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Brian can set you up with some nice Thorsten Piepers.
They aren’t prohibitively expensive and fairly easy to set up. |
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| raygreenwood |
Sat Sep 06, 2025 10:15 am |
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BFB wrote: oprn wrote: Brian_e wrote: I will do a video on it here soon. Brian
I look forward to that! Thanks!
id be interested in seeing that too.
ive used them a couple times and think I had to cut back the rockers no more than with elephants feet.
and don't think Ive had more than one shim under them either, but also on engines with cut to length PR's too
the thing I don't like about the swivel ball is making sure you get the flat spot of the ball on the valve, that can be a real pain in the ass especially if your peepers aren't as good as they once were
Yes, and one of the biggest issues with them is rocker ratio. I know on the stock type 4, the stock advertized lift ratio is 1.3:1 with some exhaust (early cars?) having 1.25:1.
You add in a non stock cam like even a web #73 and it no longer becomes an issue with clearance under the rocker arm. It becomes available rotation issue in the ball socket. Its very common to rotate so far that the swaged edge of teh ball socket contacts the edge of the valve or retainer and cracks.
Ray |
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