Here is some more info about adjusting lash:

http://www.metroli.org/pdf/WHITE%20P...Adjustment.pdf

I hope some will actually read this, and see this is really the correct way to adjust valve lash.

Note the use of .001 larger to check.

Gary

The old Duntov 30/30 cams from those days used to idle about about 500 rpm or so, Brent and you are right about the feeler gauge set being in motion all the time you were using it. Thinking about it, the mental image is worse than the actual event. The other mitigating factor was the valve lift was typically down in the mid to high 0.4xx" range so it was not that big a deal. The oil was a different story — it went everywhere but somehow always found its way to you as you were doing the valve adjustment. :)


Ed

Solids
 

Gary

You had me starting to question my own sanity and saying to myself " It was a long time ago but I think that's the way we did it". If I remember, the oil splashing was a bigger issue than the adjustment.

Fred

Oil
 

Ed.

Yes.The oil was the bigger issue than the actual adjusting. Even with the cut open valve cover and an over abundance of rags.

Fred

Actually ..the best way......is to get the valve to be fully open...make a mark and turn it exactly 360 degrees....the litter will be exactly at the bottom of the lobe.
The other thing , when the engine is running, just tighten the rocker until it stops clattering and then back it off slightly...when you have done this more than a few times it becomes easy... Hence my solid litter motor runs pretty quitely. I just put stud girdles and new rockers but did not take a video....I will here soon just to show you......I must ask of you experts.....how many of you have actually built a motor from scratch....and I mean from scratch...not a short block...????

Ehh, I've built one or two....

The BEST way, is to use the EVO/IVC method. If you go by TDC, or the balancer degrees, you can end up with a valve that's starting to open if the cam is big enough.

So you adjust a solid cam by tightening the rocker until all the lash is out then you introduce a little bit of lash? Really? You're not one of those guys who builds an engine "tight" and then drags the car down the road with a tractor to try and start it, are you?

I have been one of those from scratch guys for the last 55 years, Chanmadd. If you like that sort of thing check out some of my gallery pics.

The EOIC approach that Brent suggests will always work best because when each valve event occurs the lifter for the other valve must be on the base circle of its lobe


Ed

I have built many different engines, stripped down to nothing, parts clean, inspection, measure, engine machining shop discussion, measure up for assembly, dummy build in different areas, cylinder head porting, inlet manifold porting. Valvetrain geometry checking, light springs etc.

Some shops I have dealt with don't know what bearing crush is.
One shop couldn't understand what was causing the rear main seal to not fit correctly after line boring the block. The groove where the seal sits is not machined round again after the caps are ground.

One shop fitted cam bearings with about .020 of clearance, yes .020.
I did not assemble this engine.
Needless to say, the engine had no oil pressure hot.
Strip down revealed the issue.
I ALWAYS TRIAL FIT A CAMSHAFT TO THE BLOCK FIRST before continuing with assembly. It is very easy to remove a cam, if not happy. A bit more effort if the rest of the engine short block is assembled first.

And I have NEVER run a solid cam engine down to zero clearance. That is the roughest way of deciding on what amount of clearance to run. Set them manually, engine off, rotate to correct place for lobe (EOIC) works every time. Some engines with mild timing can have many valves adjusted at the same position, ie: TDC No.1.

Has anyone ever seen a solid lifter cam ground with no ramps at all, base circle all the way around to the opening and closing flanks?

3 techs adjusted the valves on this engine before it was decided the camshaft was the cause. Dial indicator showed completely round base circle.

Gary

I would like to thank everyone for all the advice. I will put my stethoscope
away and get out my remote starter and valve adjusting tools. All the practical
mechanical help is one of the things that makes this website so valuable...and so interesting! Help from Club Cobra and Bob Putnam and Peter Portante at ERA have greatly contributed to the stress free enjoyment of my car.

No, you don't need a remote starter. Just put a socket on your crank bolt, put your ratchet wrench on the socket and take the pole out of your floor jack and put it on the end of the ratchet wrench. Rotate your engine slowly by hand. That way is easier, and a remote starter always seems to fly past the spot you wanted it to stop at anyway. Then there's that nasty flywheel tooth breaking problem you get from tapping the engine over a few inches at a time with a remote starter.:cool:

Patrick...do you pull any or all of the spark plugs to make it easier to turn the
engine over more easily?

I pull no plugs, the engine will turn very easily and you turn it as if you were tightening the bolt. That bolt is torqued to around 90 to 100 ft/lbs so have no fear that you are over tightening it somehow. You aren't. The bolt that is in the end of your crank will either be a normal big bolt, or the newer ones actually have a 1/2" square hole in them that fit the the square on your ratchet wrench, or the end of a short extension, so you don't even use a socket. This is wayyyyy easier than bumping it with a remote starter. :cool:

Thank you Patrick...the floor jack handle is a great idea!