[69CamaroSS]

Had a hell of a time getting the Crane locks to let go of my valves! Had to end up compressing the springs and hitting the valve face several times to get them to let go. No way they would have let go using compressed air. Is this normal?

I am in the process of tearing down my engine and am wondering how best to go about cleaning up the valve train components. Pictures of Twisted Wedge Heads

Should I just soak the parts in a parts cleaner and then bag and lightly coat them in WD40 until it's time to go back together? Also, how do you go about cleaning up the valves?

[dnult]

First, keep the valves oriented with their respective bores. A wooden yard stick with holes drilled in it work well for this purpose. I use a bead blaster to clean the valves making an effort not to blast the polished surface of the stems. Then I'd take a bit of emery cloth and remove the burs from around the retainer area. Lastly grind the valves and seats.

To see if the valves are seating properly, lube the stem slightly after cleaning all the blasting debri from the guides etc. Then mark the seating area of the valve with a blue permanant magic marker. Stick the valve in the bore, hold it about and inch above the seat and slam it down against the seat. When you remove the valve, you should see witness marks in the valve's face. If the mark goes all the way around, you don't need to grind any further.

WD-40 may work well as a protectant. Plain old engine oil is probably best.

It is normal for the retainers to stick a bit. It isn't uncommon to have to hit the valve with a hammer to break them loose. But it should take as much force as it would to drive a nail. Just a smart hit should do it.

-dnult