TR2/3/3A reaming out the rocker bushing.

[sp53]

I remember sometime back talking about reaming out the rocker bushing. I think Randall suggested getting an adjustable one at HF. I am cool with that, but I have no experience using one and was wondering how difficult the process is.

 

[TR3driver]

Sure wasn't me that suggested an adjustable reamer, especially not from HF. The ones I have are only marginally better than nothing at all, I honestly think I could cut a better bore with my pocket knife! Besides, I've never found a place where they were needed on a TR. All of the joints that I've had to ream have the clearance built into the pivot, so the reamer is a standard fractional size (eg 5/8 or 11/16). The only exception I can think of offhand is the aftermarket bronze valve guides, but you really need an oversize fixed (and piloted) reamer for those.

However, I've never done the rocker bushings. After I learned about Rocker Arm Specialists, there didn't seem to be any point.

My experience with the adjustable reamers is that if you set them for the right size (as measured across the blades), they just bind and don't cut at all. Then once you set them larger so they do cut, one or more of the blades will tip sideways in it's slot and gouge the bushing, so you wind up with an oversize hole that isn't even as round as it started. Fixed "chucking" reamers are cheap enough, especially after you ruin a few bushings with the adjustable ones.

 

[TRTEL]

Thank you Randall for a good morning laugh. The only time I can recall not screwing up with those things was cleaning up some undersized polymer A arm bushings. And that was a pretty crude result.

 

[sp53]

Thanks Randall for your note. It looks what happened is a number of years ago when I was doing a rocker shaft, I put new bushings in a set of rockers only to find out they needed to be reamed, so I set them aside and bought new rockers (I think). Anyways what I have now is a set of rockers with new bushings that need to be reamed. I have a memory of going to the local cam shaft store and the guy telling me to super glue the old bushing in and ream it out, and I never bought a reamer or anything, so I am just not sure. Perhaps I will try one of those fixed reamers and see what damage I can do.

 

[Jerry]

I inherited a set of reamers from my father. There are about 15 different sizes, all adjustable, in the wooden box. They actually work pretty well, but figuring out how to adjust them and keeping them straight in the part is an art. I have only used them a few times and I agree with Randall about Rocker Arm Specialists. I have used them on all but one engine. That one happened to be built at the time of a big sale which made new rockers cheaper than even Rocker Arm.
Jerry