Engine and Transmission Tech

Hello Fellow Enthusiasts; Recently drove a 400 mile round trip to purchase some Buick/Olds 215 parts & a set of 1964 Buick 300 heads.

Included in the "Stash" was/is a set of new Kenne Bell roller rocker arms, but NO instructions.

I understand some pedestals need to be drilled for oiling to the rocker arm shaft.

Does any one PLEASE have a copy of the Kenne Bell installation instructions?!

THANKS!!!...Mark

Mark, I don't have a copy of the instructions you are looking for but can pass on some info that might help.

Your 300 heads should be drilled already for shaft oiling. Inspect the block and you should find a small hole (about 1/8") near the front on each deck that connects to the oil galley. Should be a matching hole at each end of each head that IIRC comes out right beside the bolt hole for the end pedestal. From there it goes up through the pedestal bolt hole and into the shaft. You should be able to verify all of this by inspection. In some cases there could be an interrupted thread where the oil comes into the bottom of the stud boss.

For roller rockers that passage is often fitted with an orifice to limit pressure loss. .030" comes to mind but do your own research. The orifice can be in the heads or in the deck.

Jim

Sorry for the condition,but hopefully you should be able to read it,

Hello Bryan; I sent you a PM...Thanks!...Mark

Note; A Buick requires plenty of oil pressure to adequately lubricate the rocker arms and shafts.It is highly recommended that you use a Kenne Bell high pressure/high volume oil pump or booster plate(turbo v6)
1. Lubricate shafts and rocket arms liberally with moly lube(cam lube) and lay out shafts with drill marks as shown in illustration.Small oil feed holes should be pointing down toward the lifter gallery.NOTE solid shafts may be installed either way as oil is fed through the pushrods.
2.install a cap on one end of stock 400"-430" shafts by tapping with a hammer and then install parts as shown.(KB V6 & V8 shafts use a cotter pin and washer instead of the cap)Stock shafts or stock shafts supplied by cam manufacturers are not recommended for any high performance application because of their poor reliability and strength
3.When all parts are assembled stand shaft assembly on end and tap on the other cap.
4.be sure all pushrods are in their respective rocker arm cups before attempting to clinch down shaft assembly.Coat pushrod end and rocker arm cup with moly lube.
5.Tighten rocker shaft bolts or studs EVENLY so shafts are lowered PARALLEL TO THE HEAD .Then torque to 25 psi.DDO NOT torque shafts unevenly under any circumstances.If using KB studs,torque to our specs.
6.the easiest method of setting valves,if you can see the cam,is to get the lifter on the base circle(bottom of lobe) of the cam.However if the intake manifold is on the engine,set the valves for each cylinder(1at a time) as follows.Turn the engine by hand or bump the starter and..... C
(1) Set the intake valve when the exhaust just starts to open,
(2)Set the exhaust valve when the intake just starts to close

Special notes
1.The rocker arm adjusting screw should never be adjusted below the top of the lock nut.The rocker arms will not be oiled if this is done,resulting in ruined rockers and shafts.One turn on a KB rocker arm is 0.040".
2.We recommend setting our hydraulic lifters 1 1/2 turns from 0 lash.This will depress the lifter plunger 0.060" and give maximum RPM potential.
3.Never adjust Buick valves with the engine running unless you want to give yourself and the engine compartment an oil bath.
4.KB 9300 series rocker arms work on any Buick engines.Pre-1975 V6's and pre-1970 V8's oil through the heads and into the rocker shafts.All 1970 and later Buick engines oil through metered holes in the lifter and pushrods.KB 9303 series rocker arms fit the stage 2 Buick V6 head only.
5.Always use new shafts with our rocker arms.
6.Never use the last model Buick shafts with KB rockers(1970 and later V8 or 1975 and later V6)
7.Installation kits are available for V6 and V8 engines.They include all the springs washers,cotter pins,retainers and studs to install our rocker arms on new shafts.
8.All Buick engines require using KB tall cast aluminium valve covers to obtain adequate rocker arm clearance.
9.Never restrict the oil supply to KB rocker arms with "piddle" lifters or small pushrod holes.
CAUTION; Do not use these rocker arms on an engine that is not equipped with a KB oil pump or booster kit.The Buick lacks sufficient oil pressure at idle to lubricate the rocker arms adequately.Lubricate rocker arm bushings and shafts liberally with cam lube and oil.
10.There are 2 different Buick pushrod ball diameters.Pre-1970V8's (1961-69) and 1961-74 V6's used a 3/8" ball with a corresponding 3/8" rocker arm cup.1970 and up V8's and 1975 and up V6's had a 5/16" ball and 5/17" rocker arm cup,Never use a 3/8" pushrod ball in a 5/16"rocker or a 5/16" pushrod ball in a 3/8" rocker.KB pushrods are not all 5/16" and are compatible with our rocker arms which come standard with 5/16".Mixing of other manufacturers pushrods and lifters with KB rockers is not recommended.Stock Buick lifters and 5/16" ball pushrods are acceptable.
11.Due to casting variations in the cast rocker shaft pedestals,(mainly 75 and laterV6's) they often contact the bottom edge of the rocker arm.If this condition exists,grind clearance in the pedestal or rocker arm.KB9201 1.7 ratio rocker arms for the late V6's already have the necessary clearance built into the rocker arm,
12. 1961-67 and Jeep V6 rocker shaft assemblies require the washer beneath the hold-down bolts be ground for clearance on both sides adjacent to the rocker arms.Smaller diameter washers and bolts may also be substituted to obtain the necessary clearance.

Hope you can see pics,

Here's my old set (now sold) with outrigger posts and KB heavy duty shafts mine was a solid lifter cam,
TA performance now sell adjusters for the KB rocker,it's always good to have a few spares
Good luck




Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 06/28/2016 02:48PM by Blown v8.

A couple of notes:
Since KB was taken over by TAPerformance, those directions almost certainly predate the discovery that extended oil pump gears wear out the distributor drive gears. Note the "or booster plate" recommendation, current practice is to use the plate and not the long gears, control clearances, port the plate, pump, and oil galleys, and if that isn't enough, restrict the feed to the roller rockers. It's important to realize that bushed rockers inherently limit oil flow whereas with roller rockers the oil will flow freely past the needle bearings, so all the oil you send up there will end up in the valve covers. The only restriction is the small oil passages up through the block and heads but even so those can leak out a lot of oil if they are open ended.

A good part of those instructions applied to pushrod oiling. It might be important to understand which is what.

Jim

Do these actually ride on needle bearings or a bushing?

The Kenne Bell rockers I have are bushed.

I understand the two oil passages that extend to the two pedestal bases, my question is..."How is the oil tranfered from the oil hole passages at the base of the rocker pedestals to the rocker arm shaft?!"

The ONLY way I see the oil being transferred is through a oil passage hole being drilled into the two rocker pedestals that then supplies oil to the rocker arm shafts.

Without the oil passage hole being drilled through the pedestal, the pedestal would merely cover & plug the two oil passage holes in the cylinder head at the base of the pedestal mounting area.








'do

No, the oil travels up around the bolt and into the shaft through the bolt hole.

Jim