496 Roller Rocker Studs
 

Guys,

Y'all's gonna think I'm nutz....

During our 496 build, it has become apparent that ARP rocker studs for the 496 are made with the OEM stamped rocker arms in mind, and, with roller rockers (at least the Scorpions), they are more than a little shorter than the builder and I would like, leaving only about 1/4" of thread engagement for the polylock nut, if that. Industry standard for fasteners is typically ~1.5X the thread diameter, and we are looking at barely .5X. I called ARP, and they have some on the shelf, .150" longer than part number spec, but, due to them being from a previous "custom run", they want $55 each for them That's $880, for those slow with the math, which is almost double the cost of the rockers. If I were to do this, added to the cost I've already got in the rockers, I'm only a couple hundred shy of the cost of a set of T&D shaft rockers, which is obviously a non-starter, as much as I'd love to go that route.

So...

I'm looking at the prospect of making some rocker studs, specifically for 496 roller rocker applications. The machine work is easy; it's a stupid simple part. I would intend to use the same material ARP uses, and my heat treat shop ensures me they can achieve the tensile strength specs ARP advertises. I would also intend to have the threads rolled after heat treat, just as ARP does, as this is a large part of their tensile strength achievement. Hell, it's probably the same thread rolling vendor ARP uses. My guess is I am going to be presented with a QTY incentive on the thread rolling. So, I could end up making a batch of them. Surely, there have been others encounter this same conundrum...? Maybe I could solve others' problems while I solve my own...? Any market?

Thanks. Brad.

Do you have a different brand rocker arm that you can try ?

I'd buy a longer off the shelf from ARP or Manley or whoever and cut them down. There are other manufacturers of rocker studs.

The problem with that on the 496 heads is the small 10mm hole that the studs thread into.

Brad,
Another option would be to put 7/16 timeserts in the bosses and then you can use any "normal" 7/16 stud. A lot cheaper than making custom studs.

Gotcha, I drilled and tapped out my old 3/8" heads to 7/16" before.
Correction. My head guy did the work. Probably inserted it.

Rookie,

You'd think. But the M10X1.5 base thread seems to be unobtanioum from anybody but ARP. At least as far as I can see at Summit. They have two options: The ones they offer for the 496, which are "too short", and the ones they offer for the 4.3Vortec, which are even shorter yet.

I'm not afraid to make them. ARP was gracious enough to share their material spec and tensile strength achievement online. This isn't voodoo. These things aren't coming out of a boiling cauldron, stirred by witches. I can make them on any given day of the week, and I have a world class heat treat shop right in my proverbial back yard.

I'm just wondering if anybody else has ever encountered this issue and wished someone offered a solution...

Thanks. Brad.

Bill, Rookie,

If only I'd known about this while the heads were being done. :picard1:

Thansk. Brad.

Maybe reach out to Raylar and see if they have something that would work?

your intake on yet.pull the heads and have the machine shop put the 7/16" threads in and buy the proper studs.I've converted a few 496 heads.
what size cam are you running?

good point