The passengers side head in my 1985 GT is cracked. To replace it I got an engine to keep it for extra parts and stuff. When I did disassemble the "new" engine, I think at the moment when I lifted the lower intake still attached to the head, the push rods came out and fell on the floor (probably I did it the wrong way). I see that everyone says to keep all that stuff in order.

Is really a big issue if the push rods are all mixed? Or... would be more convenient to buy new ones?

Thanks for your help.

quote Originally posted by Zentaury: Is really a big issue if the push rods are all mixed? Or... would be more convenient to buy new ones?

On a pristine high performance engine, I probably wouldn't want to mix up parts that had already established wear patterns with adjacent components. On an old engine that's not being pushed to the limits, mixing up the push rods will probably make little difference.

On the other hand, push rods are pretty cheap... so splurge if it'll make you feel more comfortable. (Keep in mind though that the ends of the new push rods will also not "match" the old rockers or the top of the old lifters.)

[This message has been edited by Patrick (edited 01-29-2020).]