Valve removal tools.

These tools worked surprisingly well removing the valve assy.
The vertical cylinder shaped thing is a valve assy from the Ford flathead. The round bar coming from the right side is the end of an old tire iron that I modified to push down hard on the valve guide to move it far enough to remove the valve guide retainer. I beveled the end because it goes in at a small angle and I wanted to get real close to the valve stem. I took some off the tip of the iron for more room in the exhaust port and I notched the bottom side for that 'hook' so I can push the valve guide down hard. This design is like that screwdriver Zane describes but that tire iron might be more 'convincing' then a big screwdriver. The large flat bar is sold as a 'valve spring compressor' and that will put a lot of upwards push on the valve assy to get it removed from the block. It fits into the valve spring most anywhere. I use a large socket sitting on the edge of the valve chamber as a fulcrum. You might have to go back and forth a couple of times to work it loose after the retainer is out but it isn't hard to do with these tools.

That looks like it would do the job.

To remove the valve assemblies after the horse shoe keeper is removed I just use that big old all steel GI issue screw driver to place against the bottom of the guide where the spring rests and drive them out with a hammer.