8MM retainers/locks on 5/16 valves: OK or not OK?
Here’s a little thread over on the bullet where someone has a few problems going on.
school me on valve locks/keepers - Yellow Bullet Forums
The one thing that stood out to me from the pics is....... the bead lock grooves in his LS valves look much wider than the grooves in a stock magnum valve.
I can’t see how locks that would fit those valves would possibly fit a stock magnum valve correctly.
And, I have to think that when you buy some 8mm bead lock style locks.......that they’re going to work on an LS valve.
According to Manley, the std bead lock groove is .110”.
My measurement of an OE Magnum lock groove is .085”.
Here’s an easy test.
If you’re in good with a machine shop, if they have any LS heads kicking around....... see if they’ll lend you a valve out of one.
If not, you could shop around and buy whatever is the cheapest stock LS valve you can find(a stock replacement lq4 intake valve is about $5).
Test your Lunati 8mm locks and matching retainer on it.
If it all locks together properly...... then there’s nothing wrong with those parts....... they just don’t work with a Magnum valve.
The oddball part you’re fighting with might just be the valves, not the other stuff.
One more thing, I notice when looking through various catalog listings for 8mm bead lock style locks, they often specify “LS style groove”, which leads me to believe that perhaps they aren’t the same as a “std” bead lock groove.
Another possibility for the problems your having with the Crane or Manley locks and the Lunati retainers is brand incompatibility.
Sometime parts from different manufacturers don’t fit that well together.
The bead/tang of the lock should only contact the very top of the radius groove of the valve, at the very edge of where the groove and stem meet.
Here’s a little thread over on the bullet where someone has a few problems going on.
school me on valve locks/keepers - Yellow Bullet Forums
The one thing that stood out to me from the pics is....... the bead lock grooves in his LS valves look much wider than the grooves in a stock magnum valve.
I can’t see how locks that would fit those valves would possibly fit a stock magnum valve correctly.
And, I have to think that when you buy some 8mm bead lock style locks.......that they’re going to work on an LS valve.
According to Manley, the std bead lock groove is .110”.
My measurement of an OE Magnum lock groove is .085”.
Here’s an easy test.
If you’re in good with a machine shop, if they have any LS heads kicking around....... see if they’ll lend you a valve out of one.
If not, you could shop around and buy whatever is the cheapest stock LS valve you can find(a stock replacement lq4 intake valve is about $5).
Test your Lunati 8mm locks and matching retainer on it.
If it all locks together properly...... then there’s nothing wrong with those parts....... they just don’t work with a Magnum valve.
The oddball part you’re fighting with might just be the valves, not the other stuff.
One more thing, I notice when looking through various catalog listings for 8mm bead lock style locks, they often specify “LS style groove”, which leads me to believe that perhaps they aren’t the same as a “std” bead lock groove.
Another possibility for the problems your having with the Crane or Manley locks and the Lunati retainers is brand incompatibility.
Sometime parts from different manufacturers don’t fit that well together.
The bead/tang of the lock should only contact the very top of the radius groove of the valve, at the very edge of where the groove and stem meet.
