What a shit day! Took head off again to do the seals and I've totally mangled the pushrods tubes - never ever done this before...so found one of my other heads and tried to fit this but I then spent about 2 hours trying to get one of the studs out as it was buggered and despite heat oil and brute force could not get it out - so off with that and another head on and that's reasonably ok stud wise but then when I all get it back together one of the feckin bolt holes for the exhaust bolts is stripped! That's about 5 hours of my life I won't see again - although did see the Vulcan on one of its last flights mid afternoon.......

Ooh feeling your pain. Sometimes you can get the tube back by putting the correct sized tight fitting socket in it as a d0lly and gently tapping it back in to shape with a light hammer starting nearest the head and working the wrinkle out to the bottom.

Thanks Sean but it's fecked - cut a groove in it and crimped it at the bottom - I'll post a pic when I get back to work on it this morning

Most fabrication shops could probably sort it out, even if they have to weld a new bit on the end.

Probably cheaper and a much better job just to fit new tubes...
http://www.ecas2cvparts.co.uk/push-tube ... -p-11.html

@ Nels, if you remove the rocker gear before refitting cylinder heads onto the engine, there's much less chance of damaging the tubes.
At the same time, replace those peg bolts at the lower end of the rocker shafts with M8 Allen screws 35mm long, plain not stainless which can gall in the alloy head if overtightened.

What are your suggestions on how to fit these?
Does it slide in easily with the tubes from the freezer and head from the oven?

This is how they look - I've had tens of engines to bits before and never had this happen before....Ken - how do you get those tubes out?

I now have a decent head in - the one with the stripped thread - mustn't have noticed when I dismantled it but it must have had a helicoil in it which I guess came out with the inlet bolt as I managed to push a helicoil through the manifold and wound it into the head no trouble and torqued up the bolts with no issue......this is how it sounds now after a run....

Yep, most definitely jiggered...
First, cut the damaged tubes off flush with the underside of the head, then feed the hacksaw blade through the section of tube which is embedded in the head and reconnect to the hacksaw frame.
Working very carefully, cut through the tube longitudinally, which should free off its grip in the head.
I made up a shouldered drift to make it easier to remove the remains of the old tube.

After cleaning up the bore, heat the head in the oven to about 350*F, then push the greased tube into the head from the underside until its end is level with the top surface. ( Gauntlets are mandatory.)
To expand the tube, I use a modified rawlbolt, but take note that this needs to be applied at specific depths from the top surface.

Tried to do a few smaller jobs and look at the oil leak. Right hand oil union definitely leaking, so have sorted that and it seems to stay dry now with it the engine going.

The right hand rocker cover still seems to leak though, even with a new cover. I've used one of the new reusable seals and the lower bit still leaks. Pushrod seals look OK I think, no obvious mega leak. It's leaking exactly the same as it was before I had the engine out, right chassis leg and backwards spattered in oil, and something is getting to the middle of the engine as the joint between the crankcase halves always seems to have a drip hanging off it.

Also managed to pickup another Harley rev meter, of the correct age this time. Thought it was all going well when I started it until I tried to rev it, and it just hovers around 1500rpm. I think I might give up on that idea for now...