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Valve Spring Compressor

933 Views 5 Replies 6 Participants Last post by  jwmbishop
Need to change valve guide seals on a 327 in the car. Can anyone recommend a good
Valve spring compressor?
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Specifically no, but one that uses the rocker stud and nut as a folcrum, and pry's down (lever action) on the valve spring, is the fastest and best. The Lisle name come to mind.
Don't know about the fastest and best, but the Lisle tool works well on stock springs.

There's better stuff as you move up in the spring world, and as you do this more often. Mr. Gasket sells a nice one that handles big springs that's a modified DeStaco clamp. Jesel makes some nice pieces for this too. Cost goes up as the tool gets more capable.
moroso has one I use it all the time available @ summit:party0031:
If you are going to replace the seals while the heads are on the car you will also need the adapter that plugs into the sparkplug hole that allows you to connect an air hose to it. The constant air pressure keeps the valve from falling into the engine.. Would be a bummer to have that valve drop down in the engine. You can also do it the old school way and take some string and keep shoving it in the sparkplug hole until its stuffed. That way the string crammed into the head will keep the valve from falling down where you cannot reach it. either way works...the air is less time consuming! I think Summit and Jegs carrys that as well.
Before plugging the air to it a quick squirt of 30wt oil will help keep the pressure up - I have dropped a few because the cyl bled down to fast (it is amazing how the rings will make good compression but the air flow can't always keep up with end gap seepage etc.) Just blow her down first (crank with plugs out) so as not to foul plugs when you lite her off.

Of course by the time you do all the cyls one at a time you know you will have very close to the same amount of time and effort as pulling the heads (depending on vehicle - I did an R&R of both heads last month - 4 hrs total)?
Drop just one of them keepers and you could end up with a much larger problem.
And if you need seals you probably also need to check the guides and seats anyway...
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