Here I am again with an amateur question - I hope you guys don't think of me as a nuisance...
I was able to source quite a few ball studs from a local dismantler which are supposed to be used but show very little, almost no, wear. I plan to replace my worn ones and pair the studs with new rocker arms, which are still available in numbers.
Reading here about the problems with aluminum threads coming out of the head when the whole units are taken out, I had planned to just take the upper ball stud out and leave the lower part sit. Now, it takes quite some effort (torque) to unscrew the ball stud, but putting the replacement one back in is fairly easy. Before I screw up with the otheres, does something happen to the thread inside the ball stud when you take them apart?