Topic: Removing valves on a kz - What would MacGuyver do?

[Skonnie Boy]

So once again, I'm looking for Kaw advice in the SOHC pool.  I love me the kzrider site, but I think there's less than half as many people on.  Takes forever.

Got the cam cover, top cylinder off our '77 kz650 in order to replace valve stem seals.  Instead of paying $150 for the special valve spring compressor, I'm using a c-clamp and I've fashioned a PVC pipe with slots to retrieve the retainer pins as well as a wood wedge.  I made the wood wedge to fit under the bottom of the valve, so as not to use the outer flanges of the valve as a brace for the c-clamp.  My question is, does one actually brace the c-clamp using the bottom of the valve, or does one place it elsewhere on the head?  I don't want to bend the valve or otherwise harm it.  Here's two pics for reference.

First one shows the PVC pipe and the wood wedge I made.  Second one shows where I would use the wood wedge to brace the c-clamp under the valve, if that's what I'm supposed to do.

Any advice welcomed.

   

[tbpmusic]

Make your little wedge point bear on the center of the valve face.

[Skonnie Boy]

THANK YOU.  I've had the head off for two days waiting for a definitive answer.  I feel like I owe you a six-pack. 

Its always the dumbest little questions that hold me up. 

[fishhead]

Thats one way to do it.

 MacGuyver wouldnt need a valve compressor of any sort.
   Just a peice of chewing gum, dollar bill, paper clip and a Peppermint Patty and MacGuyver would have those valves removed in no time.
 

[Skonnie Boy]

Yeah, MacGuyver wouldn't have bought a digital dial caliper either.  I'm the worst MacGuyver ever.

I am using a beer bottle though.  Does that count?

[Steve_K]

Sometimes finding a socket from your tool set that fits over the retainer that hold the the spring on, whack the socket on it to loosene the valve keepers before using the the compresser. Note: Don't hit it too hard!

Steve_K

[Skonnie Boy]

Yeah, heard about that technique.  I thought the guy was joking at first.  I went with the abovementioned method.  Figured I'd need them anyway to put them back in.

For the record, sohc4 beats kzrider once again as far as response time to a Kaw problem.

[HavocTurbo]

If I'dve known I would have ridden out there and brought the tools with me. Have it out in a snap.

Much easier to put them back in with a larger sight hole.

[Skonnie Boy]

And I would have bought beer and watched.  Not in a weird way, mind you.

Yeah, think I might cut a new piece of pipe and just make one bigger sight hole.  The one I made worked nicely for getting 'em out tho. 

Thanks for the offer, though.  You'd be most welcome anytime to our #$%*ty Berwyn garage.