top end knocking

[2000dreambird]

OK so i posted awhile back about a knocking that i had in the top end, i pulled the push rods, there straight, springs look fine, valves look straight...... how hard is it to get to the lifters? do i remove the heads then can access them or what? also what kinda noise could i expect if it was the lifter?

[mark21742]

Yes you have to pull the heads to get to the lifters.
Once you pull the heads you have 4 lifter trays (4 lifters per tray) 1 10mm bolt per tray.
I had a lifter blow apart (roller shattered and all the parts blew out the top of it) when this happened it was loud as hell and sounded like I snapped a rod.
You should have series 1 bolts in your heads (short bolt on each end and the rest are long). Stock bolts cost $26 a head, but do yourself a favor and buy the ARP bolts because you can reuse them where you can't reuse stock head bolts

[2000dreambird]

why can't you reuse the stock ones? do they stretch?

[mark21742]

Yup, the stock ones are torque to yeild and stretch A LOT when you put them in and are made for one time use