Originally Posted by Citoyen du Monde

The mechanic is 100% correct, what he says is not nonsense, the headset will never be as designed again. This does not however mean that you cannot improve on what you have, and bring it up to an acceptable level. The suggestion given by lowlife simply will not work in a Campagnolo headset as the spacing of the balls in Campagnolo cages in Campagnolo headsets are precisely what they would be with loose balls. So placing loose balls will give you the same situation as a Campagnolo caged set. If you want to improve on the set-up, remove one cup and replace it at 90° to where it used to be in the frame, then get a caged bearing of a less expensive headset where the bearings are spaced differently than with the Campagnolo headset.. This is generally the best improvement that you can get for your buck. It will however not be like new.