I finished putting on my 918’s last night using the “More Performance tool”. It went fast once I got the hang of it. I just brought the pistons up and did it that way (no air, or ropes, just piston tops). I think the concept of the tool is ok, but it does not center well on the CC titanium retainers. The tool took a beating. The surface that meets up with the retainer got mangeled up, but is still in good enough shape to do a few more changes. Also I ended up putting a 2 foot cheater on my wrench handle. Where I almost screwed up is I got going too fast and moved to a cylinder without putting it up at TDC. Strangely the keepers came right out and I pulled the spring (Stock heads that have never been run so the retainers are easy to break free). When I went to put on the new one the valve kept dropping. I gasped!, quickly pulled up the valve and all the assy lube held it up until I could get the piston up. I consider myself very lucky. Never drink and change valve springs!

 

I just changed my springs to 918s without air also: "cake." You can catch an error real easy because as you compress the springs, they should go down only a little ways, then the valve will hit on the top of the piston and pop the retainers loose. If that doesn't happen, you just back off the spring compressor and go back and make sure the piston is at TDC.

 

BTW, I did mine last night also and used the cheap-*** Napa tool which did a fantastic job once I modified it a little. Besides cutting the handle off just past the hole, it really helps to grind the lips flat just where the tool starts to curve upward. This does two things: 1) keeps the tool from scratching the gasket surface and 2) makes the tool sit lower so you can use a stock rocker bolt and washer to compress the springs. Normally, a stock bolt would be a little on the short side and the use of metric threaded rod would be adviseable.

 

We came up with our own design. Puts the fulcrum inline with the pivot center. Tool grade steel ring allows for a slim design giving great access to the locks. We are going to fab up about 10-15 next week and send them to whover wants one.

 

Yea, I noticed the pop when the valve hit the piston top. But since the heads had never been run about half of them cam loose before I hit the piston. That's how I almost got to remove a head! I bought the More tool thinking it was a little better than it actually is, they should have made it out of tool steel.

Nice valve spring tool 383. Looks good and sturdy!

 

Did you find that cutting the tool reduced the mechanical advantage of the tool making it harder to compress the springs. I read about cutting this tool as you have done and it seemed to make sense because the tool is quite long. I think it is really a little too long for a head-on spring installation, but didn't you find that cutting the handle off made it difficult to compress the springs because of the reduced leverage? You really need all the leverage you can get especially on the CC 918s if you are going to use a pivoting type tool as opposed to a squeezing tool.
I just did my springs too, but I used compressed air (60 lb). I put the transmission in 1st gear before I attached the pneumatic quick disconnect to keep the crank from rotating even though I too had the piston at TDC on the compression stroke. This helped a lot because I was installing 1.85 CC Pro Mag fully rollerized rockers at the same time. I did the valxes in pairs this way to save time. I did one EX and one IN spring pair and them installed both new rockers at that time before moving on the the next cylinder. That way I was able to do the PRELOAD adjustment on BOTH rockers at the same time. I found that jiggling the tool (OEM compressor type rented from Auto Zone) a little bit would free the retainer from the valve stem once the spring is compressed. I found the trickiest part of the job was getting the spring compressor tool adjusted JUST RIGHT so the keepers would slide in between the retainer and valve stem easily. If you have the tool either too tight or too loose the keepers are difficult to get in. I would recommend having a couple of spare keepers around for anyone doing this job with the heads installed. I did and it came in handy because I dropped one. I fell down and hit the header on the way to NEVER NEVER LAND where it was never to be seen again. One way around this problem would be to put a lot of shop rags around the heads as you remove and install the keepers just in case you drop one.

 

The More tool is made of a **** poor aluminum hence it getting eaten up after one spring change. It's a rip-off. The one that is posted here and the Napa tool are the only ones anyone should use. All the rest are a PITA and/or a rip-off.

 

The napa tool is pretty good, and since the rocker arm bolts are a little short, pull out a water pump bolt, stick a 3/8" drive socket over it thats about an inch tall (to reduce effective length of the bolt), and then you've got a perfect length bolt to use with the napa/autozone tool.

 

Good idea, JMX or you could use a steel or nylon spacer of the same length b/w the tool and bolt head that way it'll compress sooner with less thread grip needed.

 

I found that before compressing the spring to take a 18 or 19 mm socket (can't remember which one), placing it on the retainer and tapping it a couple times with a small hammer will loosen it up. Then when you compress the spring it easily comes apart.

 

The change in leverage has no bearing on the use of this tool on an LS1 because you don't use the tool as a lever at all. You just lay the tool on there and tighten down the rocker bolt until the spring is compressed the right amount. Now the tool will hold it there indefinitely and you have both hands free to work with the keepers. I can't imagine an easier or cheaper way to do it.

 

You can send me one of those tools if you want I have a bunch of stock rockers I can donate.. I have 10 sets of 918s installed with the MORE tool and it will be good for a few more before the square holes for the ratchet are round. I cant see how it can be ruined with one 918 swap. Either way when you spend that much for a specialty tool it should last forever, plus the way it comes is a pita since they use the stock rocker pivot and you have to loosen it to get the new spring on. I pried one of the end caps off a little so it can pivot all the way up - cuts the time in 1/2..

 

I'll take one of those if you can spare an extra. email me at edbon@adelphia.net. I could also document it in CAD as I've been toying with the idea of drawing something similar up. I've designed a few LS1 tools/access. and have been looking to do one along these lines to make available to f and y-body guys to fab for themselves.

 

Lol...i hope I didnt mislead anyone. We will be making them and selling them for $100 shipped. PM me for details.

 

Be sure to put me on that list for that tool, that looks SWEET.

Dope

 

Here's my experience with the More tool... After performing my first spring swap (to 918's) this weekend, I found that I could only really use it to compress the springs to remove the keepers. Holding the new spring down, while trying to fiddle with the keepers was just too aggrivating when working alone.

To put the new springs on, I reverted to my SLP compressor. I'd just compress the spring, put it over the valve, install the keepers, and decrompress it using a ratchet & 5/8" socket. I couldn't imagine using the More tool solo and trying to wiggle the keepers in.... In all, once I got the hang of it, this method worked out well.

I did find that for the passenger-side (#6 and #8) springs it helped to put two valve cover bolts in place to give the socket extention a place on which to pivot. Without those bolts in place, it was difficult to rotate the tool and keep it centered on the valve (all while trying to remove the keepers).

 

See that's my whole point; with most of these fancy tools, you have to use one hand to run the tool while you are left with only the other hand to deal with the keepers. With the the Napa tool, you compress it to the best heigth then let go of it and you have both hands free to work with the keepers, and those slippery little devels are hard enough to hang on to!

 

Great a new spring tool

 

Like everybody else has been saying, there's no need for any fancy tools. The leverage type mean you have to hold the spring compressed with one hand and get the retainers out with the other. I prefer spring compressors where you can just crank em down, and leave them. The napa/autozone/gm stamped steel one does this like everybody above has been saying, and it costs maybe $10.

 

Yeah, the cheap tool from autozone works fine. If it was an inch or two shorter it would work perfect. Its just a little too tall for the springs in back. It has decent leverage on the springs, its fairly easy to turn.

Keepers are crazy when you drop them. Once I dropped one while walkin towards the car. When it hit the ground it bounced up with a wicked spin and when it landed again it took off rollin for about 15ft. Its like a freakin football it doesnt end up where its dropped. I dropped a few while changing the springs and theyd end up underneath the other side of the car. Id be how the hell did it get over there?