Thread: How to install Cams and Springs and/or Retainers in the VE

It's possible for a valve to drop using the air pressure method if at any time the valves are not sealing properly which can happen if you press on the valve stem too hard (or if you just have terrible luck).
The rope method is basically foolproof. Just make sure to get synthetic rope that doesn't tend to shed anything.

I've never had a valve drop doing it with air, and I only do it with air. It makes a God-awful noise if the valve is pushed down at all as the air escapes, but the valve never drops.

I'll go with air. I'm getting a compressor at walmart.

It does not matter what size compressor????, I think I'll go with a 3 Gal.

thanks Greg and Ben. So when you feed the rope into the cylinder, you mean keep feeding rope through the spark plug hole until no more rope can fit in there? or can you just feed a bit of rope till it vertically goes past the valve poppets, which would then prevent the valves from falling in because the poppets would hit the rope before sliding in any further into the cylinder?

You'll want to feed rope until the cylinder is full. You can feed a bit of rope in and then rotate the crank to press the rope up against the valves and head so you don't have to feed yards of rope in. Just lowering enough in to stop the valves from being able to move might work out okay but the sure method is to fill the cylinder.

ok that sounds all fine and dandy, but when you guys say to rotate the crank, wouldn't that be difficult with the wood block between the timing chain, and let's not forget the ziptied cam gears...?

Yah don't ask me. I've never done it. Maybe you don't get to rotate the crank. :o

ohh dear, just recently when we were doing springs/retainers the valve dropped in cylinder 3 using the air method! After we picked our hearts up out of our stomachs, we had to pull the head. I honestly don't know how to turn the crank WITH the zipties on the gears and without cams. It would help to have each cylinder at TDC but how can you do this?

well i guess if a valve were to drop into a cylinder, it wouldn't be much more work to get the head off. the only thing to worry about at that point would be keeping the timing chain happy.

thats my fear, Did you had to get a new Headgasket after removing the head????