Valve Guide Installation

BigSky
BigSky Senior Contributor
What methods are being used / recommended to install new iron valve guides on a 212ci splasher?  Lubed or dry?  Special tool?  Pounded in or another method?  

I’m aware the manual has a spec on how far down to install the guides but has anyone done it differently?  Such as a little deeper, if so how far can one go before an issue is created below from lifters?   

Finally, and I’m sure this will raise the hair of 99.9% of the Hudsonites out there, but here goes anyway.....  Has anyone turned down (faced) the top of their guides before or after install to approximately level with the port floor (boss)?   

Comments

  • Uncle Josh
    Uncle Josh Senior Contributor

    Watch my youtube video on pulling and installing guides and don't monkey with the position specs.

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2gMBjx8fxKs

  • BigSky
    BigSky Senior Contributor
    Great video on removing a valve guide & I’ve watched it before. 
  • BigSky
    BigSky Senior Contributor
    Uncle Josh,  I attempted to use the tool I’d made which was similar to yours, threaded rod, etc.  Then I realized I’d changed from 3/8” to 11/32” valve stems & guide bores, so my tool won’t fit & no lathe to trim diameter down with.  I’ll have to run to the hardware store and see what I can find to possibly work.  
  • Geoff
    Geoff Senior Contributor
    Use 5/16" threaded rods, with double nuts on each end.  As Josh said, leave the height alone.
  • BigSky
    BigSky Senior Contributor
    Which direction are you going with the guide? Pulling The guide from the bottom up into place or pushing it down into place?   Previously today I was feeling around below where the spring rests and I wasn’t finding it too flat but that was a brief check with gloves on so I may have to recheck.
  • Geoff
    Geoff Senior Contributor
    Pull them up from underneath. 
  • BigSky
    BigSky Senior Contributor
    edited August 2019
    Thanks for the advice but I didn’t get it in time so I did it this way:  

    1) I chamfered the bottom of the guide a tiny tiny bit, since they had not been done & there were some issues which would have damaged the valve stems.  

    2) Next I cleaned the valve guides inside & out.  For the inside I used my gun cleaning supplies which worked beautifully.  I especially liked the gun oil (on all surfaces of the guide) as it is very thin & actually absorbed well into the iron pores.  

    3) Stuck the guides in the deep freezer.  

    4) Cleaned the guide holes in the block with my gun cleaning supplies.  Hoppe’s cleaner on a patch wraped around a well worn 12 gauge shotgun brush (almost the size of a 16 gauge brush).  This gives me a very nice fit against the walls of the guide bores in the block.  Let it soak 15 minutes then brushed it a few times with just the brush.  After another 15 minutes or so I ran clean dry patches thru, again wrapped around the worn brush.  I followed that with Hoppe’s gun oil on a patch again wrapped around the brush for a snug fit against the blocks guide walls.  Let it soak a while (I did an hour) then another patch of gun oil as above to make sure the bore was clean & had a nice oil layer.  Blew everything out to get rid of any fibers from the patches.

    5) After I readied everything and was ready to go, (3lb hammer, tape measure, drift, etc), I gave the guides one more blast of air to make sure things were clean.  

    6) To not mix things up I did all the exhaust guides 1st.  Took one guide out of the freezer, dropped it in the hole, quickly aligned it & gently started tapped it to start it.  Following with needed tapping to get desired depth of guide below the block.  Procedural Manual said 1&1/16” from the deck of the block.   After all exhaust guides were in, I then did the intake guides.  

    I was surprised just how quickly and easily the guides went down to the desired depth.  It actually caught me off guard, so if someone is using this as a guide in the future, check often with your tape measure because you may not realize just how far your moving the guide down and you don’t want to overshoot the recommended depth by much.

    All guides installed: 





    Grime removed:


    This is why the chamfering was needed, valve was hung up on the very end edge of the center bore & stopped the valve from passing:


    Very minimal chamfer:


    My drift tool to hammer the guides into place 3/4” head x 3”: