[TR] Will a 'out-of-spot' tappet necessarily be higher, like this?

[Randall]

I've not tried it, but my guess is that a magnet would make the task much
harder, rather than easier.  The tappet has to be positioned "just so" to
drop into it's bore (as noted, you cannot force it, it will fall of it's own
weight once it gets lined up).  But unless you are very lucky, a magnet is
going to want to grab it and tip it at an angle.  The hole in the center of
the tappet does not have a flat bottom.

I did it using just the pushrod as a tool, to scoot the tappet around until
it lined up and fell in.  But of course you can't see what is going on, so
it's all by touch, intuition and guesswork.  I doubt seriously I could do it
again today.

Sorry, Paul, I didn't understand your question about brass or bronze.  They
certainly have their uses (non magnetic, non marring, rust resistant, softer
than steel, etc) but I see no particular advantage here.

A bent coat hanger seems less than ideal though, because it is so springy.
Hard to move the tappet by just a thousandth or two, since first the coat
hanger will bend and then, when enough force is supplied, it will fling the
tappet to the other side of the cavity.

-- Randall