With the cylinder heads and the crank case done the next step was to put them together.
The old head studs were somewhat the worse for wear so I have got some high tensile stainless replacements. Some blue thread lock on the crank case ends and the usual double nut technique and they were installed. The two longer studs go on the top and the shorter one at the bottom.
Next the valve push rods go into the head through the push rod tubes. The more domed end goes into the rocker end and the flatter end goes into the tappets.
The adjusters should be wound fully out at this stage to make assembly easier. Some petroleum jelly will provide additional lubrication for the first run and the surface tension will hold the push rods into the cups on the actuators.
The push rod tube seals and springs need to go on – there is a right and a wrong way so check the manual to make sure you get the alignment right for the engine.
As they’re at different angles, fitting the head onto the studs and the push rods into the crank case is another three dimensional puzzle that requires some finagling before it all slots into place.
Finally the head studs are done up the initial torque. The final torquing is done once the manifolds are fitted.
With some spark plugs in turning the engine over there was a good amount of compression so that’s an encouraging sign.
Finally the rocker clearances can be set.