I read that wear on the tip of the rocker arm that contacts the valves, could make it difficult to adjust the rocker clearance to spec.

When these rocker assemblies are rebuilt do they sleeve the rocker arms and or change the shafts?

Can I just file down the rocker arm tips?

55 Thunderbird 292.

The rocker "tips" that contact the valve are resurfaced. If necessary, the shafts are replaced, and the rocker arms are bushed. Depending upon who does the work, they might be pressurized as well. You can find videos on hotrodreverend.com and yblockguy.com. You could send yours to Rocker Arms Unlimited (rockerarms.com), but they won't pressurize them. 

To properly recondition the rocker arm tips, the tips need a grinding rock finish that puts an ‘arc’ back on the rocker arm so it can easily glide over the valve stem tip.  Hand filing the tips will not get you there for being a high mileage repair and can actually speed up valve guide wear.  Many of the older valve grinding machines have the attachments in which to put that arc (radius) back on the rocker arms.

If the surface within the rocker where the shaft rides is worn, then the rocker can be bored and bushed.  The cost of that must be weighed against simply getting more rockers.

Worn shafts are simply replaced with new shafts.  The shafts typically wear at a quicker rate than the rockers so new shafts will tighten up clearances where the rockers are not excessively worn.

Lorena, Texas (South of Waco)

Is there a way to measure the wear on the rockers to see if they have to be replaced/re-bushed?

Blacktie mentioned Rocker Arms Unlimited. I just had a set of ECG 6564 rocker arms rebushed and resurfaced by their outfit and I can attest to the quality of work. I was very happy with what I received. Ted is correct in the idea of weighing out the cost - things can get very pricey very quickly. However, for the high ratio rocker arms I believe my investment was well worth it.

Daniel Jessup

Lancaster, California

aka "The Hot Rod Reverend"
check out the 1955 Ford Fairlane build at www.hotrodreverend.com

I use a dial bore gauge for measuring rocker arm hole wear and for any out-of-roundness. A micrometer and a snap gage would be another option but would give less detail on the out-of-roundness aspect.  A dial caliper would be a sloppy measurement tool for this but could potentially pick up any excess wear or out-of-roundness.  Simply putting a used rocker on a new shaft and checking for any excess looseness or slop would give you an indication without any special tools.

Lorena, Texas (South of Waco)