411 Engine noise

[Kevin H]

Originally Posted by Hunter

I assumed they where aluminium, they have BRISTOL cast or Machined into them.

In that case they are not original. Bristol used the the stock mild steel rocker covers that came with the engine.

The rocker covers on your car are an aftermarket item and it sounds like there isn't quite enough clearance at one point, OR there's something funny about that rocker arm!

Maybe the oil hole in that rocker arm is blocked and the rocker arm and/or the shaft has worn so that it's sitting up a bit higher? (although I can't imagine it getting that bad unnoticed).

Or perhaps someone has fitted non stock rocker arms?

The stock rocker arms do not have a bearing at the pivot point.

You can remove the rocker arms and shaft without removing the head, in fact I think you have to remove them to actually get at the head bolts.

However, when removing the rocker shaft it's important that it is unloaded evenly to prevent it being bent. Also make sure you keep the rocker arms in the same order, because they will all have slightly different wear patterns.

Once you have removed the rocker arms you may as well remove the push rods and make sure they're all straight

Of course if you go down this disassembly path it's a slippery slope, because there are all sorts of things you may as well clean and check. In which case it's probably worth investing in a book on rebuilding big block (B/RB) mopar engines