Help! 258 rockers look funny

[PlasticBoob]

Guys, my dad is installing a rebuilt head on our '89 YJ and this just doesn't look right...how do we get the rockers to line up directly onto the valve stems? Do we have to turn the engine around as we do it? Pushing them by hand as we torque them doesn't really help much, either.
http://home.off-road.com/~plasticboob/5555.JPG
http://home.off-road.com/~plasticboob/55551.JPG
Thanks for any help you guys can give. smile.gif

[Zorm]

I think your bridges are bent, or maybe not. I had one that looked like that and rebent my bridge back to make the rocker sit square on the valve. Now I have a knock but I think its a lifter with poor oil flow.

[flatbackdragon]

the bridge holds the rocker in place, must be bent like Zorm said

[PlasticBoob]

Thanks guys. Could it happen if some of them were accidentally switched around when they were removed?

[flatbackdragon]

possibly, try to keep all rockers, bridges, push rods etc on same valves when possible but it shouldn't really matter, try another bridge on it but by the pic it looks as if it had bent a bit, can rebend to straighten it out or find another one, donor motor at junkyard etc

[mandoneer]

My guess is that when you put the rockers back on the shaft you put them on upside-down and effectivly backwards - it looks exactly like one of my rocker shafts on the T-bird when I did that I just put them on upside down so I installed the shaft backwards and it threw the spacing WAY off

[flatbackdragon]

as a matter of fact, looking at the pic again, it should lean to the middle of engine not to outside, mandoneer you R correct it IS upside down.