Intense Racing 3^rd Gen 1.9 Ratio

Aluminum Roller Rocker Install

If you are reading this page then you may have already decided to not do a cam swap but you still want to alter the stock valve train by installing aftermarket high ratio rockers. This guide specifically regards the install of Intense Racing 3^rd Gen 1.9 ratio aluminum roller rockers. Some of what will be covered here may be of general use but please understand that there are differences between these rockers and other aftermarket kits that you should research on your own if you plan on using a different brand of high ratio rockers on your L36 3800 series II motor. The most important thing regarding this guide is that it is just a basic overview of my particular modification. It is written more for the intermediate to advanced home mechanic rather than the inexperienced. This is a serious and complicated modification that should only be attempted by professional mechanics or those with a strong skill set in engine repair. A full compliment of metric tools is required as well as a shop manual for torque specs among other things. Not to be rude…but if you are asking a question like “…can I change the rockers….?’, rather than just checking out this guide to get an idea of what may be involved or ‘particular’ about this mod as it pertains to this specific engine then you may want to seek the help of someone more skilled in this type of valve train work.

Your new rocker kit should come with basic instructions, mine did. This guide is a compliment to those instructions…so you will have some idea of what you are getting into.

If after initial tear down and removal of the stock rockers you intend to replace the original valve springs you can check out this guide HERE.

Specialty tools required: Torque wrench, ¼” male hex head socket, some old towels, GM quick disconnect tool for disconnecting the drivers side ‘over engine’ fuel lines (optional), 3/8 swivel socket as well as a full set of metric sockets and wrenches.

It is not mandatory to upgrade the valve springs when you change to high ratio rockers but it is HIGHLY RECOMMENDED. I cannot stress this enough. The stock springs are apx. 50 pounders. They have a problem keeping up with the new lift load that the 1.9 rockers will be putting on the valve-train. A good and cost effective spring upgrade is to use LS6 medium load valve springs. They are apx 90# springs and are a perfect match for the heads and valve retainers. They are a ‘drop in’ upgrade that requires no other components. A set of six should be less than $100 and are easily available. This install was performed on a nearly new engine that had less than 8000 miles on it. I installed the new rockers with out upgrading the springs. There was valve float at higher RPMs with the stock springs. A couple of weeks later I was back in the engine to swap out the springs. All is golden now with LS6 springs working perfectly.

I did not find it necessary to upgrade the stock push rods. Some people recommend moving to a higher strength push rod over the somewhat soft/mild stockers. I have yet to read about somebody bending a pushrod due to LS6 springs or from the 1.9 rockers. If you choose to upgrade the push rods research what your rocker manufacturer suggests as far as compatibility. For instance, Intense Racing suggests… “Our Lightweight pushrods weigh 425 grams per set of twelve (approximately 25% less than the factory rods) and their .049" thick 4130 seamless chrome moly one-piece design is significantly stronger than stock. These are the ideal choice if you're running stock lifters with stock or modified (First Gen) rocker arms, or CompCams lifters with any (stock, First Gen, Second Gen or Third Gen) rocker arms.

'Restricted oil flow' pushrods were developed especially for the hydraulic roller market. Our engines begin to experience varying degrees of valve float at 6,000 or fewer RPM's due to the inertia mass of the roller lifters. INTENSE™ Oil-restricted Pushrods are constructed of 4130 seamless chrome moly, feature a .080" wall thickness and weigh 595 grams per set of twelve (approximately equal to the factory rods). The rocker arm ends are 210 degree radiused and there is a specially metered oil hole. This oil metering works to keep the lifter 'pumped up', and allows the engine to operate at higher speeds with less chance of a failure. These are the best choice for customers with stock lifters and full roller (Second or Third Gen) rocker arms. We don't recommend the oil-restricted pushrods for use with CompCams lifters.”

So don’t pick just any pushrods if you choose to upgrade those as well.

On to actually installing the rockers:

If you have yet to remove the passenger side lift bracket read up on it HERE.

Here is a pic of a ‘quick disconnect’ tool if you have never seen one.

It is not mandatory to disconnect the fuel lines to remove the drivers side valve cover. It might help to get the fuel lines out of the way while you are woking on the rockers, however.

Have some baggies, a sharpy pen and some blank labels or masking tape to organize what you take off like spark plug wires, bolts, etc., to make sure you get everything back where it belongs. A basic method used by many mechanics is to replace nuts and bolts where they belong, when possible, after you remove a component or accessory. You should also have a shop manual for if nothing else the torque specs. It is also a good idea to get some new valve cover gaskets.

You will need to remove the alternator as well as the EGR assembly, (fuel lines*), ignition control unit, front and rear engine lift brackets and some of the front engine mounted wire harness hold downs among other things before you even get to the valve covers. Be careful with the metal EGR flex hose. It is strong…but can be pricey to replace if it gets torn. Also, it is a good idea to remove/brush/clean off the outer arears around the valve covers. Dirt, pine needles and gunk in general like to collect between the intake manifolds and the valve covers. You don’t want that junk falling in the heads when you remove the valve covers. Once the valve covers are off initial tear down is complete.

Before you start removing the stock rockers you should pack some towels down in the heads. You don’t want anything falling in there.

Remove the stock rocker arms and the stock rocker pedestal plate. You can now proceed with installing the new rockers or move on to swapping out the SPRINGS.

IMPORTANT: You are almost ready to put the new rockers on. Before you start bolting them on take some cotton swabs and clean out the rocker boltholes. Any grime or debris on those threads could inhibit proper torque readings. Also, you can put a DAB of engine oil on the rocker bolts to ease assembly but just a dab. If there is oil in the bolt hole that too will not allow proper torqueing of the bolts.

Now is when you need the ¼” hex head socket. The bolts that came with the Intense 1.9 rockers are re-usable but need a male hex head rather than a conventional socket. Starting from the rear of engine put one new rocker plate in place. Fit a rocker bolt through rocker and then slip on a new pedestal. The new pedestal is grooved on the bottom to mate with the grooves on the new pedestal plate and convex on the topside to mate with the rocker. You may want to apply some assembly lube to the rocker arms push rod socket and the roller tips/valve end as well. Use two hands to get the rocker/pedestal assembly on the rocker plate. Line it up and hand tighten. Do the next rocker the same way. When you have both rockers hand tight on their pedestal plate you can then use a 3/8-drive socket wrench to pre-torque the rockers. Keep an eye on the alignment between the push rod end and the socket as well as roller tip and valve tip. The roller should be squarely over the end of the valve. Also make sure that the pedestal is properly seated in the pedestal plate. This below pic might help you get the idea. You can see the slot machined into the new rocker plate. The bottom of the new pedestals are also machined (squared off) to lock down in the new pedastal plate.

After you have the first pair of rockers on and pre torqued the install will go pretty easy and relatively fast. I recommend starting from the rear of engine because you can get a better look at the pedestal alignment to make sure the three components are properly seated. I recommend pre torqueing not only to speed things up but because you will be rotating the crank to properly torque the rockers and that could cause the rockers to lift off their pedestals and mess up their alignment.

When both sides of the engine are finished it is time to double check that all the pedestals/rockers are properly aligned. If all is good it is time to torque. With a quality torque wrench use the setting recommended by the manufacturer of the new rockers. These Intense Racing rockers need to be torqued to 25 ft. lbs. Put the engine in neutral and use a breaker bar and the appropriate socket to rotate the crank clockwise from the harmonic balancer bolt so that the rocker you are torqueing is at TDC. This is when both valves are closed and the rockers are ‘up’…they are not putting downward pressure on the end of the valve. Now, notice that while the crank is in this position you can also torque half of the remaining rockers as they are also at TDC. When those are all torqued rotate the crank 180 degrees and torque the remaining three sets. (There is a particular way to do the engine rotation but I have since lost that info (DOH!) and don’t recall for sure which cylinder to put at TDC first. You will be able to see which rockers are ‘down’ and which rockers are up, however, as you rotate the engine so don’t worry.)

When everything was all torqued to spec I used an oilcan to liberally squirt fresh engine oil on all the rockers, valve ends, etc.

A dab of axle/bearing grease or assembly lube on the corners of the valve cover gaskets helps to keep them in the valve cover grooves during assembly.

If you did everything right you may still hear a little bit of ticking from the valve train when you first start the engine. It is most likely because one of the lifters has de pressurized. This is common and can even happen when you do an oil change. Don’t worry…just don’t rev the motor…that minor ticking should only last a few moments if at all.

NOW…here is the kicker….before changing the rockers you should have lifted the hood on the car, started the engine and spent some time listening to it run and start BEFORE you dug into the valve train. This will help you know the difference between ‘stock…working fine…” or “…modified…a little bit of ticking the first time engine is started…but it quickly goes away never to return…” and “…something really bad like an unseated push rod or poorly seated rocker pedestal or loose rocker….”

Mainly you just don’t want rev the motor right away. Listen to the engine and make sure every thing sounds good. Any ticking should stop after a short while. It can be a little scary at first….

HOME BACK TO GUIDE MAIN VALVE SPRING REPLACMENT