Originally Posted by steven botes
size 19 on the crank bolt - rather tedious
what i have done to make life easier to remove valve springs as follows:
get a big open ended spanner(20 mm plus)
lay this on the valve spring retainer with the other end of the spanner towards the cam laying on the rocker stud
with the rocker removed , mark the spanner where it touches under the spanner
drill an appropriate hole through the spanner
attach your new "tool" with a rocker stud bolt and compress the spring - sorted!
you now have a spring compression tool
a modified plug with an air compressor attached will keep the valves up , alternatively , use some nylon rope , feed into the chamber , rotate the piston up
AFPMSL!!!! What a classic.
Rather than waste a perfectly good spanner, buy a proper valve spring compressor.....
http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/SEALEY-Valve-S...QQcmdZViewItem
That makes the job alot easier and they cost next-to-no money.
The references to TDC are made simply to avoid dropping a valve into the cylinder. I always wind mine over on the cam pulley bolt. To be honest, the old seals may be loose and the valve will slide down, but once the new seals are on, the chances are they will hold the valves OK. The valve
may slide down only as far as the ridges anyway.
Here's another tip for you too.....
Get some kitchen roll and lay it around the inside of the head to cover the oilways, because if you drop a collet down there it's sump off time!! Just take care not to trap any of the paper under the stem seal or spring and make sure you get it ALL out.
