Stock rocker arm bolts, WTF

[281pony]

i was tightening down the rocker arm bolts on my pos car. they are the stock 7/16" bolts.

im using a star 40 to tighten/loosen them and they keep stripping. they dont fit well at all, you try torquing them and they just give and strip. i just stripped 2 of them on my passenger side, with the star 40 at least.

what do you all use to tighten/loosen yours? im not angling the socket in there, it is sitting flat, im pushing down with one hand and torquing with one. hard to explain, but it is not angled weird or only halfway in. i think they are just ****ty quality or am i using something wrong?

 

[Gearbanger 101]

What the heck is a "star 40"? Stock rocker arms use a regular old 6-point socket. Sounds like you're using a torques bit? Besides, there's no need to really "torque" stock stamped steel rockers, just crank em down tight and forget about them.

 

[Ourobos]

And stock pedestals are 5/16 anyways.. Torque them to 26 ft/lbs.

 

[04sleeper]

Never heard of Torx bolts on stock rockers. T-40 I assume you mean. Are you sure they are factory and someone did not replace them?
I have always used a hand impact tool to remove bolts like that. Like this.
View attachment 520278

 

[281pony]

yeah, t-40. ive always seen them called starr

im torqing down 1.6 rockers, using a torque wrench is even harder with them not stripping out. thats why i stepped it down to a 3/8" ratchet, just to tighten them.

i think the best solution is to just get some better hardware, that is if i can even get these out whenever the time comes. i dont have an impact driver, probably a wise investment.