what kind or brand seal do you guys reccomend for our trucks? motor is a 390 and was curious to the best brand or design. I will be installing with heads on. thanks for help.

 

Ive always used the ones that come in the Felpro gasket kits.No issues

 

i did mine using the clothesline trick to keep the valves from falling into the engine. pressurizing an old worn engine and counting on that to hold that pressure while i'm working on the valve train, and gently tapping on the valve stem to seat the new seals and possibly knock the valve into the engine didnt sound like a good idea. make sure you use the little plastic installation sleeve that comes with the set. mine were in pretty bad shape, this is one of the best things you can do for your truck. i soaked the seals completely in oil before putting them on. i'm not sure this is necessary for the umbrella part of it, being that that part shapes around the guide and just holds the seal in place, but you definitely cant go cranking that key if they are new and dry as a bone, the valve gets forced up and down REALLY FAST. you may not be able to get your valve spring compressor tool all the way at the bottom of the spring to be able to compress it enough to remove the keepers. what i did was get it at the halfway point of the spring, and just rotate the tool counterclockwise while holding the spring from turning till it was far enough down on the spring to compress it fully. and to remove the keepers you may want to use a strong magnet. this was my first time ever doing the job and its amazing what i've learned from it. it sure feels great to get that kind of experience. be sure to properly torque the rocker arms after youre done, if you dont have a torque wrench go out and buy a beam type that is inherently accurate and never needs calibrating.

 

Don't forget to cover any openings in the head in case you drop a keeper.

 

thanks for the info.