Rocker Arms

I've been looking at the rocker assembly for the last 30 minutes and am just not sure it's possible. Can the rocker arms be replaced with out unbolting the rocker bracket (unbolting the head) ?

No - but it won't affect you head if you only remove the rocker assembly.

Tony, so only loosen/remove the bolts for the rocker brackets, replace arms then re torque head ? Sorry if the question sounds lame but better safe than sorry.

Here's what I ddi at the Mitty a few months back with a customer's car there entered in the races. He snapped a adjust bolt on his roller rocker arms, no one had any spares so he was screwed. I had Speedracer there as part of my vendor display, so we took it's rocker assembly off and put it on the customer's car. I drained the water down on both engines to assure me I had the water level below the head. I then loosen all the head bolts a half turn or so, then removed the 8 nuts on the rocker arm pedestals and remove the entire assembly. You can remove #1 and #8 rocker without removing the assembly and theoreticly you could remove any and all of the rocker arms by un-locking the shaft and pulling it out, but that would more trouble than just taking it off.

Thanks Hap, loosening all the head bolts makes sense to me but wanted to be sure. Bet you know what I'm doing.

I changed two rocker assemblies a few years ago. I did not loosen any bolts/studs except those securing the rocker assembly. I loosened all the valve adjusters so there was no pressure from the rockers. Drain the coolant to below the head gasket. Remove the nuts/bolts securing the rocker assembly. Don't turn the engine with the rockers off. I installed the new rockers torqued the nuts/bolts and assembled everything. It worked for me. I would be concerned the head gasket seal will break if all head bolts are loosened. This procedure was posted by Chris Betson form the UK in the MG Enthusiasts BBS several years ago.

FWIW, Clifton

Clifton - that's how I've done it ...back tension off valves, remove rocker assembly - reinstall....I'm sure Hap has a reason for backing off all the head bolts - don't know why though - Hap?

Yeah, I normally back off all the rocker adjusters as well. MGB heads are so bad about cracking (most MGB heads crack as a result of a blown head gasket and/or over heating). I always fiquired that if they were so picky about how you tightened up the head evenly, bolt sequence, raising the torque through a few different ratings until full torque was reached, that diss-assembly should be handled with the same amount of care.

Thanks to all here this went very successfully. Hap I did use spacers and get the roller rockers spaced pretty much centered over the valve shafts. It took 4 tries though, wait maybe 4 was where I stopped counting.