'99 3.1L M Pushrod Question

[Jogasz28]

Had a delay in reassembling my Monte Carlo's 3.1 from it's oil and coolant dilemma.
But now, so far I've got both heads on and removed and cleaned the lifters and
reinstalled them in their original locations. I had previously cleaned and stored the
pushrods and rocker assemblies (needle bearing style) in their original order.
When I went to install the first rocker/pushrod, I noticed a couple of the pushrod tips had lost their chrome coating and had flashrust.
Should I replace all the pushrods or is this normal?
TIA for any helpful replies.

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[86FieroSEv6]

They weren't chrome plated, they just get ultra polished in use, and yes, if left laying around stripped of lube they will corrode. You should have soaked them in some oil and put them in a plastic bag for long term storage. You can use them, but I would take a little ultra fine steel wool and buff the ends off, then blow out the rod with a shot of WD-40 to make sure none of the steel wool is left in the oil hole.

[Azrael]

I don't think any were ever chromed. The very ends will get very polished from metal to metal contact against the rocker/lifter.

[Jogasz28]

They weren't chrome plated, they just get ultra polished in use, and yes, if left laying around stripped of lube they will corrode. You should have soaked them in some oil and put them in a plastic bag for long term storage. You can use them, but I would take a little ultra fine steel wool and buff the ends off, then blow out the rod with a shot of WD-40 to make sure none of the steel wool is left in the oil hole.

Thanks for the replies.
I had drilled holes in a 2X6 and put the rocker arms and pushrods in order so they'd go back in original place.

Question: Do the rocker arm (needle bearing style) bolts need a threadlocker or is oil on the threads good enough before torquing?

[86FieroSEv6]

Lightly oiled threads, a wipe with a oily cloth will do, the holes must be clean . . . really clean, and follow the torque spec.

[Jogasz28]

I don't have a Metric die set to chase the threads, so I've used round brushes, Q-Tpis and Brake Parts Cleaner to
clean the heads female threads. The Rocker Arm were cleaned with wire brush and Brake Parts Cleaner. I then soaked
each of the Rocker Arms in a bowl of oil/Break-in additive, pivoting the bolt back and forth 'til I had no more
small bubles coming out of the needle bearings. I figured that would prevent a dry start.
The Rocker bolts were coated with oil from the dip, so i wiped each off before installing. I also used assembly lube on each
end of the pushrod and on the rocker where it contacts the valve.
Right now they are all torqued to where the pivot base(?) meets the head. I've still got to do the torque/degree turn
on each.
Sound good enough? All the rocker bolts threaded in with the same slight resistance.
Again, thanks to all for the replies and guidance,