Check My Cam Degreeing

nm9stheham said
IMHO, do that clay test at all 4 corner cylinders of the engine to try to catch any spot that might be tighter than the others; the decks can slope front to back and so on. And, then check the dome height out of the block on each and every cylinder, as well as the open chamber depths. You don't want a longer-than-average rod or an offset crank throw to close that gap up too much. You're getting that piston-to-head gap snugged up nice and tight but you don't want to get too tight anywhere.

I just did cyls 1 and 7. They both have about 1/8 at the top and 1/16 at the bottom between the head and piston. I used the .038 gasket, tightened by hand with the socket.

yellow rose said
Are you checking your P/V with clay and the springs you are going to use? If not, you should be. You'll find the valves are closest at about 10 degrees ATDC. With clay you will also see radial clearance.

Running soft springs will show much less clearance than you actually have.

I get that theory. The running springs don't allow the valve to lift as far as a checking spring would, because of the spring pressure. I checked them with the running springs when I disassembled it.

nm9stheham said
If you have hydraulic lifters, if the lifters are not pumped up properly to take up all slack and to STAY pumped up, if you use even stock pressure springs then you will get larger P-V clearance readings than you will actually have once the lifters pump up in operation. In my mind, that is the worst of the 2 outcomes. So I would rather get a lower P-V clearance with light checking springs, and then if the number is satisfactory, then I would know that I will have at least that much. If I got too little with that method, then it is time to use another approach.

But hydrualic lifter behavior is a problem if it is not filled with oil first.....while in the engine, with the valve train assembled and the lifter on the base circle. (Man, what a PITB! If the P-V clearance is too little then there is oil all over the place!)

Regardless, with those pistons' valve pockets and the cam type with slower ramp, I would not expect an issue.

I have checking springs. The lifters are soft now. It hasn't run in years.

I have one mech lifter. I could check them with the running springs and the solid lifter. That would be a lot of work.
I could use the checking springs. That would be a lot of work, too!

I had plenty of PV when I disassembled it (Min .180). I didn't move the cam, the only change I made is a gasket that's about .016 thinner.