I got my rocker assembly stuck on the head because I tried to install it with the shaft upside down. The smaller holes on that side marred the shoulders of the studs enough that, when I reinstalled the assembly correctly, they went on but became impossible to remove.
I found a few people online who’ve had this problem, but no really satisfying solution, so I came up with this tool. It uses a strap made from two layers of 22-gauge 6" x 1" steel. Thicker might be better, but I was concerned about it being flexible enough to get around the shaft, so decided to use two layers of thinner steel.
My biggest concern was that the bolts might tear out, but I used washers to sandwich the sling and torqued the bolts securely. I don’t think the forces ended up being that high. The two chain links on each side are there to rotate the attachment to the strap by 90 degrees. It took me a while to come up with that idea.
I used a 1" square aluminum bar (that I happened to have) placed across the valve-cover nuts as a platform for the tool to press against. I left the nuts slightly loose, and each time I got the assembly to move against them, loosened them a couple more turns. This helped keep the assembly coming straight off the head rather than twisting and getting more stuck on the studs.
