Bent a push rod on my 292,one keeper is still in place and the other is about out .How can I get the other keeper back in without pulling the head? And have 350 miles on motor,why the push rod problem now?

Valves sticking from old fuel in tank???? I also had a tool that I can't seem to find that will compress the spring and let you replace keeper without removing head with. Goes in place of rocker arm and lets you compress spring.

Couple different ways to do it BUT the most important is to pull the plugs, take an old spark plug and weld an air chuck onto it and then fill the cylinder with air so that the valve won't drop down when you undo the keepers. One of the tools is just a flat plate with a slot in the middle and a hole on one end. You remove the rocker, place the hole of the tool over the rocker stud and replace the rocker nut. Now the slot will be over top of the spring which you can compress and pull off the retainer and replace the keepers on that spring. Or the other tool is just like a small gear puller which you screw down over the valve spring to compress it. If the keepers came loose and made the rocker arm twist, that would bend your pushrod. Maybe replace the rocker and pushrod as well.

Put that piston at TDC before you do what GM dad said. It should be okay after that.

Good luck.

One other simple way is to Take all the Plugs out,
Use a thin rope Or heavy string.Pushing it into the plug hole.LEAVEing Some hanging out so that you can remove it.Losen The rockers SLOWLY roll the motor over by hand.Till it stops It will hold
The valves in Place. They also Make a tool to remover the springs With out removing the head.
Called a Easy Squeeze Modle #2995 I can't remember if I bought it from Snap-on Or Mac Tools
This Tool compresses The Spring Right on the head and You can remove Or in Your case reinstall the Keeper.

The old "Poor Boy" way out on the farm was to lower the piston down about 1/2 way. and remove the spark plug and take the #6 spark plug wire and poke all but the last few inches in the hole and then raise the piston up as far as it will go. All that wire in the hole will hold the valves closed as you compress the valve springs. Just be sure you are on compression stroke. SCRAP

I bought a spring compressor like that (the gear puller looking one) at NAPA 10 or 15 years ago. I don't know if they even carry that brand anymore. I want to say it was a KD Tool brand.

Great job guys that should do it,thanks again.

Got the keeper inplace,cranked it up and bent another one.now what?Left the valve alittle loose so I could tighten it up after warm up.Valve doesn't appear to be stuck.

Before you fired that Motor Over DID you do it by hand first????? to be sure everything was moveing right/like it should?And did you bend the same one??

It bent the same one,I turned it over to see if lifter was moving,but without rod installed.

It doesn't make sense. You are using the correct pushrod ? Correct length? With the rocker arm removed and using the rocker stud as a pivot point, make sure the valve spring compresses enough so that the valve is opening all the way. If the valve is bent or stuck and won't open, that will cause the rod to bend. Might also be an idea to change that lifter if you have another as that seems to be the only one giving you problems.

Dear Ron;

GM Dad is right.

Are you sure the spring is the same height & # of coils as the others?? I'm thinking it may be compressing completly "into solid"??

Your sure there NOT oversize pushrods??

Let's try switching one with another & cranking the engine W/O the plugs in.

Good luck.

Also check the lifter, it might be hanging up in its bore. This would let the piston whack the valve and bend the pushrod.

I doubt if it could "hang up" and stay there. It may be Mfg. or machined wrong (to long) though.

There's a bad part somewhere.

you have a stuck valve or binding spring. take the rocker off , lube the valve stem as good as you can and hit the top of the valve with a rubber hammer to actuate it it up/down. if it does move than check for coil bind that is different from the other valves. tom