clutchdust

i'm still working on my friends '72. i finally got it running the other day. i did a C/R check because #6 seemed to be weak and found the valve adjustments were all scattered to hell. i readjusted the valves per my haynes manual: .008"/intake and .010"/exhaust, cold as measured between the cam lobe and rocker. this is the way i read it in the book. the problem i'm experiencing now is that i continue to have rocker arms jumping out of the valve guide (what do you call that little cup with rails the rocker rides on?). so after i adjusted the valves intially last week, i got it running and it sounded pretty good. i had to move it and it sat for a week over christmas while company was in town. so i go out to work on it last week and had a hell of a time getting it to start. i was even pouring raw gasoline in the carbs and it would not fire. so i do a compression check again (that is how desparate:ermm: ) and i find that the #$4 intake rocker has jumped up and is riding on top of the valve guide thingy. so i think, "hmm, that's weird" and i fix it and reset the clearance. i finally get it running and end up moving the car, everything seems to be running reasonably well considering the car hasn't run in 3+ years. got late so i put it up for the night. the next day, i want to just run it some more to run some of that crappy gas out of it and it won't start...again. go through the litany: got fuel, got spark, got compression... on 5 cylinders. i check and find #2 has done the same thing. i reset it and finally get it running but it has a definate miss. i pull the valve cover....AGAIN! to find the #3 intake rocker is cocked now. so i fix it and adjust the lash but notice this time that on this valve, the ball stud is ~1/4" higher than the others. i remove the rocker and measure across the top of the retainers and find the intake valve is lower than the valves next to it by ~1/4". i still get the car running but #3 cylinder has no compression, definately missing. so now for the questions: is valve to piston clearance tight enough that this 'cocked rocker' condition could cause valve to piston contact resulting in a bent valve? if the valve is bent, how did it bend #3 but not #2 or #4, which also jumped out of place? why do the rockers keep jumping out of place? is there a way, short of removing the head, to check the valve seat to see if the valve is bent or if it may just be a big chunk of carbon stuck in there? is there a good source on-line for valves and gaskets should this be the problem? hellllpppp!!!

thanks for the info. i have already done like you were suggesting with the rebuild. i rebuilt one before i even took the other one apart. i thought it was kind of odd that i actually opened up the right kit for the carburetor i was rebuilding the first time. little did i know both kits were the same! the rear needle i was talking about is definately one solid peice. i have cleaned it and confirmed it is definately not a two peice, ah, peice. i have had serious thoughts about just reusing it but i can't even get the needle part out to inspect it. you know how the front (i think) needle and seat, the shorter one, has that little clip to retain the needle in the seat? well, the back one (longer one) does not have that. i don't know if it is just crimped to where it won't come out or stuck (it will move up and down inside) so i'm confused. i'm going to take it by a local z shop here in the next couple of days and see what they have to say. thanks again.

so what do i do about both kits not having the needle and seat for this one? is there a third kit floating out there somewhere? everything is done on the rebuilds on both carbs except this one float bowl. just want to get this thing done so i can get it out of my driveway!

i'm sure this has been beat to death but i'm new to the z forum. i'm working on a friends '72 240 and rebuilding the carbs. they are the hitatchi w46's. the question i have is about the needle and seat for the float bowl. the carbs had two different types. one was kind of short with a needle and a spring loaded insert. the other was longer but the needle had a solid pin which the float pushed up on. the carb kits i got from checker have two different part numbers but exactly the same parts in them(?). can i use the same needle and seat in both float bowls? why is one different from the other? is this a factory deal or sign these carbs have been screwed with before? without you guys writing endless paragraphs repeating stuff you've already said, point me to some archive articles or threads or links that might break this down for me. also, i need a link on how to balance these things. any other pointers for a first-timer working on these things?