Hyd Roller vs Hyd Flat tappet on SM heads

How much did the rocker shaft hold down bolt holes need to be opened up?
Quite a bit - probably amost half the width of the existing hole in the shaft. I did it with a carbide burr but would definitely recommend taking them to a machine shop - those shafts are quite hard so it's pretty easy to get too much heat in the burr and make it dull.