This kit includes the following parts:

(4) 10mm x 3/8-24 studs

(4) 3/8-24 thin wall barrel nuts

(2) Assembled rocker arm sets, each consisting of four rocker arms, one center

shaft, 2 end shafts with integral pedestals, thrust shims and snap rings.

(Not included in kit, but recommended: 1 adjustable pushrod, set of lash caps)

Before beginning any rocker installation, check your cam timing tag and compute the total valve lift by multiplying the rocker arm ratio by LOBE lift (not gross valve lift.) You should know the maximum amount of valve lift your heads will accept before they coil bind and also the amount of lift that will cause retainer/keeper to guide contact and of course valve to piston clearance. If any of these amounts are less than the lift you have computed for your cam/rocker combination, you will need to correct the condition before you install the rockers. Considerable damage to your engine could result if you fail to obtain adequate clearance in these areas.

The removal and replacement of the rocker assembly can be accomplished much less painfully if you follow these simple procedures:

Start by removing 1 valve cover (best if #1-2 side), rotate the engine by hand until it is firing #1 (you can check this either by position of the valves, both will be closed, or position of distributor rotor.) back the engine counterclockwise to 90-100º BTDC which should position all 4 rockers at or near closed valve location. At this time, removal of the rocker assembly will be possible without putting things in a bind situation. After removing the 1-2 side, simply rotate the engine 360º and remove the 3-4 side.

Keep this procedure in mind during final assembly, at which time you will place all four pushrods in their corresponding lifters then visually check to see that they are as far down and even with each other as possible prior to installing the rocker assembly. In this situation, the complete rocker assembly should set down on its mating pad/shim surface.

WARNING! Pulling the rockers down unevenly against severe spring tension can prove to be a serious mistake, damaging the pushrods, adjusters and in some cases, break rocker shafts.

It goes without saying that you should clean everything before proceeding, but we're saying it anyway. Remove the stock VW pedestal studs by jam-nutting the studs and unscrewing them from the heads. Screw in the replacement studs and slip the rocker assemblies over the new studs. The new rockers have been pre-assembled on stock heads and should sit flat on the pedestal bosses without hang up.

Check for any interference - rocker body to retainer, spring O.D., head casting and valve cover. Check shaft/pedestal assembly clearance and rocker arm body clearance near the cylinder head studs and nuts. Last, make sure the pedestal block bases are flat and tight against the cast pedestal boss pads of the heads. Any movement here during operation can loosen pedestal nuts, which can snap the studs holding the rockers to the heads or damage shafts. Be certain each rocker arm can pivot freely and does not bind against the springs, retainers or any part of the head casting. It is NOT necessary to laterally (sideways) center the roller tip to the valve tip.

With rocker assembly secured to the head without pushrods and at zero lift (valve closed) the rocker/roller tip should contact the tip of the valve or lash cap at approximately 1-1.5mm (.040-.060") BELOW center. If it is below center more than this amount, you must shim the rockers out from the head until it meets this dimension. If it is at center or above center at zero lift, something must be done to increase the valve tip length (add lash caps) or machine the head surface pads where the rockers are held down. NOTE, this is very unusual and can only be the case if valves or seats are of non-standard configuration causing shorter than stock valve tip-to-rocker pad relationship or if you have aftermarket heads, the pads may be higher than stock or the studs are in other than stock location in relation to guide centerline. In either case, correcting this problem requires re-machining the pad, relocating the stud or the use of other than our rocker assembly. To continue, ideally roller tip should contact valve tip at .040-.060" below center at 0 lift and .040-.060" above center at full lift. (See drawing & photos, at bottom.)

If shims are required, do not let the shims overhang and interfere with the valve springs, cylinder head nuts, etc. Do not shim adjacent pedestals on the same head with shims of different thickness. This will prevent the roller tips from sitting flat as they contact the valve stems or lash caps and cause premature wear of these parts. Note: hardware store fender washers are NOT flat enough and could cause the rocker assemblies to loosen up and snap the hold down studs. Shims should be large enough to cover most of the pad in terms of surface area.

After you have set up the proper roller tip to valve tip contact, you can then begin to figure pushrod length needed to complete rocker arm geometry. We like to start this procedure with the adjusting screws turned out about 2 turns from bottoming in the rocker arm body (at the cup end). An adjustable pushrod is then used to establish the required finished tip to tip length. The correct length places the adjusting screw and the pushrod in line with each other when the valve is positioned at half lift.

You can order pushrods from Pauter assembled to length, or you can cut and assemble them yourself. Just be sure that the ends of the tubes are flat and square so the tips (with interference fit) will seat solidly. By the way, we favor spherical pushrod tips.

Be certain that whichever pushrods you use are capable of passing oil through tip-to-tip, our method of lubrication to the rockers, springs and guides depends on this. While on the subject of lubrication, during normal use, be it daily driver, off-roader or all-out racing, the entire valve-train (rockers, springs, valves and guides) is bathed with oil to the extent that some customers have requested "blind" adjuster screws (with no through holes) to restrict the flow of oil in this area. Keep in mind, nearly 60 years of small-block Chevys as well as all 9 years of Corvair (horizontally opposed 6 cyl) products use this method to this day with great success.  Blind adjusters can be installed upon request or purchased separately.

Lube all pushrod wear points with a good moly lube. Install barrel nuts with hex head against rocker stand, round barrel out. Torque the rockers to the heads at 30-32 ft/lbs. Set your valve lash according to your camshaft spec card. Set aluminum pushrods to use factory specs. Steel pushrods should be set COLD at .000"-.001"; operating clearance will be achieved through thermal expansion. Caution: setting valves when hot may cause them to open when cold. At this time, take a long look at the pushrod to pushrod tube for possible interference. You should have at least 1mm of clearance throughout a complete engine rotation cycle. Check all 8. If interference is a problem, it may be possible to shim the rocker arm to one side to clear. As we stated previously, it is not necessary that they are perfectly centered on the valve tip. If stock pushrod tubes are used, sometimes just carefully tweaking them may be enough. If these methods are not sufficient, the use of larger aftermarket tubes should work. Further interference may require the addition of tapered pushrods.

In most cases when using Type 1 head castings with standard length valves, stock Type 1 valve covers will work. The long hold down nuts supplied with the kit will allow you to use bolt on valve covers, be sure the valve cover bolts you use have 3/8-24 threads. Be certain to check for any interference of rockers (particularly the adjusters) to valve cover prior to bolting them down completely. After initial operation and the engine has cooled to ambient temperature, inspect the valve train, re-torque stands and check valve adjustment.

If you have any further questions, please feel free to call our technical department at 619 422-5384.

 Roller tip to valve contact at valve fully closed.                              Roller tip to valve contact at valve fully open

Pushrod/adjuster, valve closed                             Pushrod/adjuster, half lift                             Pushrod/adjuster, full lift

Comments regarding methods of lubrication

A great deal of discussion has been brought forth concerning the method of oil delivery to the A/C Type 1 valve train.  Typical ideas are divided between two factions: “self oil” and “splash oil”.

    A basic comparison between the venerable, and evidently the primary, “self oil” Type 1 and the typical “splash oil” system  (those types whose only path of lubrication passes through the pushrod /adjuster screw) shows the original Type 1 pressure fed rockers as a steel on steel shaft arrangement which requires the forced feed of oil to the area to lubricate and cool it, an absolute necessity with this contact surface design.   However the free flow of oil pretty much ends at this point and any directed path of oil flow from here is only minimal at best.  The oil hole to the adjuster screw is in most cases deadheaded by the screw itself and most are welded shut.  Actually about 15% of stock rockers don't even have this 2nd hole. The rockers that do offer this passage to the tip may allow a very minimal amount of oil to weep by the threads onto the valve tip and perhaps the guide, however there is by no means a sufficient volume to effect the adequate cooling of valve springs. In reality most of the oil force-fed to the shaft exits through the thrust surfaces on either side of the rocker and some factory rockers even have notches machined in them in this area. There is also a slot cut in the stand, which allows oil to escape rather than be pressure fed to the tip. In reality the majority of oil that reaches the spring and guide comes from the splash that takes place when oil pressure between the pushrod and rocker cup is released during the clearance cycle and sprays the surrounding area with a spattering of oil which is aided in its purpose when mixed with turbulence from internal pulsating air pressures rising through the pushrod tubes (windage). As stated previously, the only path of lubrication in the “splash oil” system is through the adjuster screw itself.   This path is largely unobstructed other than a partial restriction in the cup at full lift and closed valve, even so, the volume of oil thrown into suspension is far greater than its factory engineered Type 1 counterpart and the afore mentioned windage also aids its dispersion throughout the enclosed valve cover. The only major difference between the “self oil” units and the “splash oil” type is the pressure feed to the rocker shaft itself, which is not required where a roller bearing is involved.

   With regard to questions of loss of spring tensions through “splash” delivery, it's very doubtful that either system will have much of an impact on preventing these losses especially when dampeners and inner springs are forced together to control harmonics inherent to higher valve lifts and speeds. First-hand experience with spray bar systems directed at cooling the valve springs has shown minimal gains in high performance environs such as off-road and midgets, very little advantage was noted in extreme pressure/ lift /valve speed applications, it probably should be mentioned here that the original intent of these added valve train spray bar oil setups was to offset loss of lubrication by suspended, transient oil in engines equipped with high vacuuming pumps and/or dry sump systems with similar capabilities. In virtually all cases I've found the quality of part and it's correct implementation to be the most significant factor in the valve spring’s cycle life.

    DM Pauter