Slant 6 rocker arm metalurgy

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Bill Dedman

Bill Dedman

bill dedman
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Is there any information available on what kind of metal makes up the main body of the rocker arms on a mechanical-lifter slant 6 engine?

I need to know whether that main '6 rocker arm body is a type of steel that can be welded on, and how hard it is, in terms of its ability to be machined.

Has anybody ever done any research on this?

Any information will be appreciated.:cheers:

Bill
 
bill if you didn't no I work in a steel mill and if you don't get your answer maybe I can bring a rocker arm into work and have one of the lab people do a test on it is there any one spot u had in mind I'm off after tonight and don't go back till Mon nite pm me if I can help u I will
aaron
 
bill go to slantsix.org & pm doctor dodge(Doug Dutra) if nothing else he can steer you to the answers you seek, Lawrence
 
I don't know any more about them than yall do. I called them last year and they said they had 1.6 non rollers for the slant for like 300 or so. They didn't say at the time they were reworked though, but that makes sense. Bill, the rockers are some kinda stamped steel, so I see nothing that would make them non weldable. I find it strange that the company has had these offered for a while now and no one really knows anything about them. That's a big red flag to me.
 
I dont have a bunch of slant six experience. My 65 has one, and the rockers are stock. I don't think they are any different material from the V8 types.
 
Dont go bt RAS shaft recomdations.There shafts bound there rockers when torqued correctly.There earlier thicker shafts caused no problems.Go with the thicker wall rocker shafts.Guzzi Mark
 
StrokerScamp said:
I don't know any more about them than yall do. I called them last year and they said they had 1.6 non rollers for the slant for like 300 or so. They didn't say at the time they were reworked though, but that makes sense. Bill, the rockers are some kinda stamped steel, so I see nothing that would make them non weldable. I find it strange that the company has had these offered for a while now and no one really knows anything about them. That's a big red flag to me.
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I called them Thursday morning and they told me that they were out of the 1.6:1 rockers because they had run out of the type of rockers that they could modify for a 1.6:1 ratio. I don't know what those rockers were... but he said they had true (modified) 1.5:1 rockers for sale.

He was not sure when the 1.6's would be available... if ever.

But he was friendly and quite forthcoming with all he told me, and was aware of the very real market for /6 rockers, particularly the hi (1.6:1) ratio units.

If anyone REALLY wants to call him, I'd advise you to go ahead and do it; he's approachable, and very easy to talk to. He won't talk down to you...

I was glad I called.
 

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moper said:
I dont have a bunch of slant six experience. My 65 has one, and the rockers are stock. I don't think they are any different material from the V8 types.
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Thanks for the input. I was wondering about how "weldable" they are...
 
Well, I have researched it pretty in depth. I have looked at every available shaft rocker arm I can think of and none is close in dimensions to the slant rockers. The deal breaker is always the shaft center to valve stem pad center measurement. I thought I had a winner in the Ford FE rockers. Not long enough. As far as being weldable, I say go for it. They look plenty weldable to me. That biz from RAS sounds suspect to me. If he wouldn't tell you how they got the 1.6, I have to question if they ever did it.
 
The only change to a rocker for the ratio is the position of the pushrod end.... So on these stamped/welded steelies, you "could" simply move the threaded section, or remove it entirely and weld a new threaded section closer to the shaft centerline. With a jig, that would be easy and repeatable.
 
moper said:
The only change to a rocker for the ratio is the position of the pushrod end.... So on these stamped/welded steelies, you "could" simply move the threaded section, or remove it entirely and weld a new threaded section closer to the shaft centerline. With a jig, that would be easy and repeatable.
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I agree with all of that; there's a straight line (geometrically speaking) from the top to the bottom of those rockers that runs vertically, between the bushing boss on one side, and the flare-out for the adjusting screw, that could probably be cut with a band saw (if the rocker were held firmly in a jig) and "massaged" so that the pushrod end of the rocker was closer to the fulcrum (shaft) by an appropriate amount. The location of that cut would afford you a straight line approximately an inch long on each side of the rocker arm, for a sufficiently strong bead of weld, I would think.

You'd just have to determine how much inward, to move the adjusting screw, and build a jig to hold the rocker and adjuster-end in alignment and in the proper position, while it was being welded.

I'm no fabricator, but that doesn't seem too difficult to me...

What do you guys with t.i.g. welding experience think?
 
That's what I was thinking. Once you have that distance, cut away the material, weld the new barrel, and you're done. If you were good, and careful, I don't even think you'd need to Tig it. The force is primarilly transmitted through the entire length of that side, effectively thru almost an inch of thickness.
 
if you no someone the works in a well equipped machine shop that has a cnc machine why not make a new rocker???? or am I thinking out loud??....Artie
 
godfatherofchry said:
if you no someone the works in a well equipped machine shop that has a cnc machine why not make a new rocker???? or am I thinking out loud??....Artie
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Well, you're right; there's more than one way to skin a cat....

This slice the arm and re-weld just seems to me to be the easiest, at this point.

We'll see...
 
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