So I'm FINALLY getting my 049 oval port heads together. (someday I'll get the whole boat together)
Anyway, My guides are machined for the .500 seals and I'm running Ferrea valves with 3/8 stems.
For the life of me I can't get the valve seals on without trashing them.
I'm using the little plastic condom over the valve stem and plenty of assembly grease, and the installer tool.
The edge on the valve keeps catching the inside edge of seal and tearing it. The condom thingy even cut. (I realized once that cut the condom was trash)
I even tried soaking the seals in warm water so they would be more pliable.
I was thinking of taking an old valve stem and making a little dunce cap and put it inside the condom to help the seal slide over the leading edge of the valve. I'm leary of dressing the edge of the stem of the valve itself.

Any help would be greatly appreciated, I'm pulling my hair out and throwing seals (money) in the trash.
Thanks,
DS

Seals????????? We don't need no stinking seals!
Besides, you have to actually run the boat to utilize the seals.

Use the back side(or the flat side) of the installation tool to get the seal over the guide, then turn it around and slide the seal the rest of the way. Gently roll the tool over the top of the seal/stem in a circular motion until it slides over the tip of the stem.

I used 049 heads once without success. These heads do not have hardened seats. The Exhaust valve sunk into the head about .050 or so and caused the spring pressure to drop. Floated and bent a few valves.

I agree with Linster, we went through the same thing many years ago with the GM 049 castings and the exhaust seats, but we caught it in time. So, it would be a wise idea to have hardend exhaust seats installed to match the hardness or whatever of the valves.

That's already done.

I don't use a pc seal on the exhaust valve.

Big drinking straw like they give you at Sonic with a milkshake.

Cut a 1" long piece of straw, slit it longwise so it can fit the valvestem. Roll the top side a little smaller and feed the seal over it. Use lube. Use the circular motion. Should work fine.