Today I made a little progress on the valve train build today. The clearances I found seem pretty good and check out against the data in the books I have, but double check me so I know I'm not overlooking something.

I bolted on the heads without gaskets. I'll be using steel shim gaskets that deliver a compressed thickness of .021.

I measured cylinder #2 with clay and the intake valve-to-piston clearance between the valve face and the piston was .110 and valve-to-piston vavle rim to relief cut in the piston was also .110. Adding in the gasket thickness for the valve face to piston distance nets that out to .131 clearance. Exhaust valve clearance didn't make much of an impression in the clay but I have at least .200 clearance on that side wth no worries about valve rim and relief cut clearance.

I was going to measure another cylinder on the opposite bank but I got a little clay smeared along the cylinder and thus into the rings and had to pull that piston to clean out the clay. It had gotten all the way down to the oil ring so I'm glad I pulled it and cleaned it up even though it originally didn't look like much got down in there. Anyway, this job ate up more of my available time. I'll measure another cylinder another day.

I also used my pushrod length checker. I have stock length (8.280 and 9.250) pushrods at the moment. According to the checker (again, with no head gaskets) my pushrods are about .030 too long though given the way it works (slightly sloppy fit on the rocker stud) this measurement was made on the wide side for safety. Adding the head gasket thickness that leaves about .009 of too-longness. In watching the rocker tips they start (closed) just inboard of the center of the valve tip. As the valve opens the rocker tip (rollers) crosses the center of the valve tip and at full valve open it is more biased to the outboard side than it was biased to the inside when closed. It was not close to rolling off the tip of the valve or anything, but the action is not completely centered on the valve tip. Of course I need to check this again with the head gaskets torqued in place.

The heads and block decks were surfaced a few thousandths each. The rockers were set at zero lash. I think shorter pushrods can be had at .100 shorter than stock but I can only find longer ones available in my catalogs. Assuming I can get .100 shorter pushrods I would probably end up with much more bias to the other side of the coin with the tips biased to the inboard side of the valve stems. The question is: if I have to have a bias do I want it to the inboard side or the outboard side?

As always, TIA.

you really mean .300? or .030? I can't begin to imagine how you get stock pushrods coming up .300 too long. over 1/4"? maybe slipped a decimal place?

Yes! .030! What was I thinking! That makes them only .009 too long according to the checker when taking the head gaskets into account. But I still don't think they are very well centered on the valve tips. I'll have to install the heads with gaskets before I know for sure how things look.

**I went back and edited my original post.**

Longer pushrods will move the wear pattern out, not in. You need to get the heads assembled and torqued, and correctly adjust the lifters before trying to measure pushrod length. Many companies offer them in .050" increments, and a few will make them to your exact specs. If you come out .009" off leave them, that's very close.

Jody

Longer pushrods will move the wear pattern out, not in. You need to get the heads assembled and torqued, and correctly adjust the lifters before trying to measure pushrod length. Many companies offer them in .050" increments, and a few will make them to your exact specs. If you come out .009" off leave them, that's very close.

Jody

I must have been tired when I made my original post. I meant to say "..assuming I can find .100 shorter pushrods..". I edited my original post again.

I wish I wasn't waiting for a few small parts that are holding me up from finishing up the short block so I could move forward with the heads. I am pleased about the piston to valve clearance though. I'm glad I didn't go with a bigger cam. I wouldn't relish having to have the pistons cut to fit.

When i built my motor i needed an odd set of pushrods, if i remember correctly it was .310 longer intake, and .400 on the exaust. I got them the exact lengths i needed from Competition Products.

Todd, good Lord within' .010" is near dead nuts. Totally agree with Jody.

The same attantion to detail you show in your restorations will be of immense benefit in this monster!

stock length pushrods will be fine

I sure hope the head gasket thickness will get the rocker tips more noticably toward the center of the valve stem tip.

I checked cylinder #3 with clay today and piston to valve clearance is good. I don't plan to check them all individually since I don't seem to be able to use the right amount of clay and cleaning it up after it gets down in the rings is a pain! It is plastic clay and thus has no grit and appears to be oil soluable which makes cleaning it off easy enough, but it sure gets everywhere in a hurry.

I looked at the rocker tip to valve stem tip issue again and it doesn't seem as biased to the outside as I originally thought. I will be very interested in seeing how it looks with the gaskets in place and everything torqued down.

Crankshaft end play checked out to be .003.