How To: Remove valves from a Ford flat head

[Alastair Thomas]

Why does the valveguide not get pressed out of its bore by the pressure of the valve spring? Well the designer thought of that. He incorporated a “C” shaped clip in the groove shown above.
This clip is secured in a recess in the block.
In order to remove the “C” clip it is necessary to move the valveguide down away from the block to allow the “C” clip to emerge from the recess in the casting. Once this is done, the clip can be removed and then the valve assembly can be removed upwards. This last step is not straight forward but more of that later.
Valves in position