Adjustable guide plates

[travis]

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This is my first experience with these things, and they are fighting me every step of the way. Do these look excessively loose fitting? I am having a hell of a time getting them to stay put when torquing the studs. I’ve tried several different fixed guide plates and none have been quite right, so adjustable seems to be the only option.

It also looks to me like it wouldn’t be hard to manufacture a guide plate that only adjusts side to side, instead of in every direction...

I haven’t tried a different brand of AGP’s, so maybe other ones aren’t quite so sloppy fitting???

[tenxal]

On a SBC, JoMar's are the best I've used. Not sure if they make them for others.

[Ohio Rob]

Maybe try to determine your required spacing and TIG weld them together.

[treyrags]

Maybe try to determine your required spacing and TIG weld them together.

This. Get them where you want them and tack weld them together. Then you can torque them down.

[Charliesauto]

8F1B3572-275C-45F3-8AB1-BFD002D38E35.jpeg



This is my first experience with these things, and they are fighting me every step of the way. Do these look excessively loose fitting? I am having a hell of a time getting them to stay put when torquing the studs. I’ve tried several different fixed guide plates and none have been quite right, so adjustable seems to be the only option.

It also looks to me like it wouldn’t be hard to manufacture a guide plate that only adjusts side to side, instead of in every direction...

I haven’t tried a different brand of AGP’s, so maybe other ones aren’t quite so sloppy fitting???

Lube the bottom of the hex on the rocker stud with CMD.

[CGT]

Welding them saves time in the long run.

[gmrocket]

use some cut up strips of feeler gauges of equal thicknesses, jam them into the gap, find your ideal spot rolling the engine over with the rocker studs just just cracked loose so they can move...then tack weld

Or some light seating of the rocker stud and tap them into the correct position, then tack

[jsgarage]

I suggest brazing. Guide plates by definition are hardened steel as are the pushrods they're guiding. Welding any kind of hardened steel usually results in the weld cracking plus annealing whatever hardening process was used, at least near the weld areas. My Boss-type 351-Cs use stock guide plates. I've never needed split plates, though.

[BOOT]

Jomar 3 piece are nice and finally just came back in stock, I got a call not long ago almost 2yrs after I ordered a set LOL The two piece moving sucks! You gotta kinda compensate then tighten down and check, but I wanted to try a strong magnet connecting both maybe on my next set, still got a couple isky sets to use up.

[gmrocket]

I suggest brazing. Guide plates by definition are hardened steel as are the pushrods they're guiding. Welding any kind of hardened steel usually results in the weld cracking plus annealing whatever hardening process was used, at least near the weld areas. My Boss-type 351-Cs use stock guide plates. I've never needed split plates, though.

Don't braze them, just a single tig tack on each side

[travis]

Jomar 3 piece are nice and finally just came back in stock, I got a call not long ago almost 2yrs after I ordered a set LOL The two piece moving sucks! You gotta kinda compensate then tighten down and check, but I wanted to try a strong magnet connecting both maybe on my next set, still got a couple isky sets to use up.

Are you talking about the 3 piece ones with the set screws to lock the pieces together? I seen a set for a BBC ... seems like that would work pretty good.

I do not have access to a TIG. Would a tack weld with a MIG work? I guess it's ok to ground to some place on the head to do this?

The rocker studs are standard SBF spacing...the problem is the valve tips are spaced farther apart than "normal"

[n2omike]

I suggest brazing. Guide plates by definition are hardened steel as are the pushrods they're guiding. Welding any kind of hardened steel usually results in the weld cracking plus annealing whatever hardening process was used, at least near the weld areas. My Boss-type 351-Cs use stock guide plates. I've never needed split plates, though.

Hardening is NOT a problem...

Decades ago when I was building my first engine, I noticed the valves were not centered on the valve stems. Solution was to cut them in half, and center them. After firing it up, I drove the car down to the machine shop, where he used a stick welder to lay a bead down the center of each guide plate! These were standard SBF guide plates, that were full length, about 1.5" tall... not narrow, wide BBC. lol Worked great. Only part that has to be hard is where the pushrods ride in the slots.

As for someone's recommendation to grease the bottom of the rocker stud, so it doesn't grab the plate to bad... I installed some last night, and that worked PERFECT. The guide plate grips the head, but not the bolt. I brushed some ARP Ultra Torque assembly lube on there, as that's what was sitting on the bench, and they tightened down without even moving. (Isky Adjustable on a SBF)

I didn't weld them. Rockers are already on and adjusted. Will break the SFT cam in on the run stand, and will need to change springs... so may tack them in at that point. Seem pretty solid as they are, though.

[BOOT]

Are you talking about the 3 piece ones with the set screws to lock the pieces together? I seen a set for a BBC ... seems like that would work pretty good.

I do not have access to a TIG. Would a tack weld with a MIG work? I guess it's ok to ground to some place on the head to do this?

The rocker studs are standard SBF spacing...the problem is the valve tips are spaced farther apart than "normal"

Nope the 3rd piece goes on top of the two other pieces and keep them from moving when you tighten the stud down. The pieces are thinner but combined the same thickness as regular guide plates I think.

I'm not a fan of welding adjustable guide plates unless your app is like circle track or anything that has prolonged rpm.

[travis]

Are you talking about the 3 piece ones with the set screws to lock the pieces together? I seen a set for a BBC ... seems like that would work pretty good.

I do not have access to a TIG. Would a tack weld with a MIG work? I guess it's ok to ground to some place on the head to do this?

The rocker studs are standard SBF spacing...the problem is the valve tips are spaced farther apart than "normal"

Nope the 3rd piece goes on top of the two other pieces and keep them from moving when you tighten the stud down. The pieces are thinner but combined the same thickness as regular guide plates I think.

I'm not a fan of welding adjustable guide plates unless your app is like circle track or anything that has prolonged rpm.

https://www.competitionproducts.com/mob ... lbfPCRMGEc

Would this be the one? I didn’t even see guide plates listed on Jomar’s website, but CP shows to have them in stock. Looks like this would work...

[tenxal]

That's the ones. I've used them in both 5/16" and 3/8". Good stuff.