[66sprint6]

I’ve seen varying opinions on tightening down the rocker arm nuts, a task that I’ve completed recently I did it cold, loosening the nuts and then tightening them down while spinning the pushrods until there is some resistance. The engine ran well, but they aren’t polylocks. I’m finding that the engine doesn’t have the vacuum that it did and doesn’t run as smooth. So I’m doing it again and have ordered the polylocks. This time I want to do it right. I’ve read that the very best way is to do it with the engine running. Has anyone done this? If so, what do you do to keep the oil from splashing everywhere? If it’s good to do it cold, then please let me know the best procedure.

[400 Lemans]

https://www.pontiacstreetperformance...p/rockers.html This is the best, most simple method there is for adjusting valves and no mess with oil splattering.

[78w72]

What cam/lifters & whats been done to the engine? if its stock, the best way is to just tighten them all to 20lb/ft with the stock nuts, when cold & not running.

if there has been machine work done to the engine &/or a different cam, then its best to follow the procedure for adjustable rockers with poly locks or crimped nuts like used on SBC/BBC.

if the cam is close to stock size, you can use the SBC/BBC procedure in most service manuals where you do a certain number of valves at a certain engine position, then the rest at another position. engine not running. or follow the process for individual valves done at the base circle of the cam rotating the engine for each one. lots of tutorials out there or on here to search for but this is a good explanation of how to do one at a time.

https://www.pontiacstreetperformance...p/rockers.html

It can be done with the ngine running but that is usually very messy & doesnt always adjust them ideally, just gets it to where the ticking stops which may or may not be at the manufacturers recommended pre load for a specific lifter. Ive seen friends do it that way on SBC engines back when i was younger & kids didnt really know how to do it the right way, oil flying all over & just guessing how much to turn them.

Spend the time to do it right using one of the procedures i mentioned based on which cam you have & what has been done to the engines. Im sure others will chime in with how they do it, but most will prefer to not do it while running, especially if the engine & engine bay are nice & clean.

[78w72]

Originally Posted by 400 Lemans

https://www.pontiacstreetperformance...p/rockers.html This is the best, most simple method there is for adjusting valves and no mess with oil spattering.

tree'd me...

[Goatracer1]

Take an old valve cover and cut a slot the length of it just above the rocker nuts. Install the modified cover and you can adjust the valves with the engine running with no oil loss.

[Schurkey]

WHAT ROCKER STUDS DO YOU HAVE???

If you have the stock studs, there is no adjustment. Tighten the MFs down to 20 ft/lbs and you're done.

If you've got an adjustable system, there's two dozen procedures, and they ALL work if done properly. They ALL do not work if done incorrectly. The most-difficult part is finding the true "zero-lash" point.

[78w72]

Stock rocker studs can be adjustable.... just convert the stock nuts to poly locks or crimped lock nuts, its best to use 7/16 studs but the stock bottle neck 3/8 studs can be used on smaller cams, i have done and am doing it on many pontiacs.

As mentioned above, if the heads or block deck surface has had machine work you cant just tighten the MFs down to 20lbs/ft.

[steve25]

If you run more then .450” to .470” lift with a stock bottle neck stud and a poly lock, then depending on the spring pressure and rpm you spin the motor to your going to snap off the upper fine threaded portion of the stud.

BTDT twice!

The factory standard non RAII or RAIV lifters had a total of .125” of travel range in the plunger.

The thickness range of the factory head gaskets used with these standard lifters was anywhere from .028” to .048” depending on the hp rating of the motor and the year.

The average overall deck Heights on the blocks could be from .005” to .007” off from spec from what I have seen.
If we go for the extreme of running a .028” gasket and the block being .007” short of spec then it’s clear that the factory was comfortable with using .035” of that .125” total of lifter plunger travel and the valves would still be considered adjusted right and the push rod geometry was still acceptable by the engineers, and this without factoring in the plunger preload that the 20 ft lb adjustment sinks the plunger.

This does not factor in the machining tolerance of the deck of the heads, nor the valve job of course which would veri the installed height of the valves.

If you have good valve train geometry with the rockers set for zero lash, then whatever you then add in for lifter preload is at least the amount you will loose from your cams valve lift spec so keep well in the for front of your mind!

[Cliff R]

Any static valve lash (solid lifters) or lifter pre-load (hydraulic lifters) adjustments MUST be done with the lifter on the base circle of the camshaft.

There are several ways to do this and one is mentioned above in the link. Nothing at all wrong with that deal and IF you have af fully marked balancer you can also adjust valves by starting at #1 TDC and moving the engine 90 degrees to line up the next cylinder that's on firing at TDC on the compression stroke, etc.

Here I use a completely differnt method for a couple of reasons. I do NOT have to follow the firing order of the engine, worry about whether or not it's on the compression stroke, nor do I have to rotate it to #1 TDC then 180 degrees to TDC again then follow a chart as to which ones to adjust at each TDC position. Although very effective it's EASY to get all screwed up, mixed up, and messed, and you'd better make sure that as you made adjustments you marked them off not only on your chart but something on the engine like the rocker arm as well.

OK, here's my method. I remove the valve covers. Since they are lightly RTV'd to the covers and car paste was used on the gasket to head surfaces they come right off without any effort and the gaskets don't tear.

I take a rag and spray some brake clean or carb cleaner on it and clean off the ends of the rockers arms so I can mark them with a magic marker. I start turning the engine slowly and watch the valves open. When any intake valve starts to open I continue to turn th engine till it's FULLY OPEN. At this point I know the exhaust valve beside it is well on the cam base circle. Adjust it, mark the rocker arm and move on. When I notice any exhaust valveJUST STARTING TO OPEN I stop and adjust the intake valve beside it, mark it with a magic marker and move on. Continue this until all 16 are marked and you are finished.

This method is DEAD SOLID reliable and has served me well for many years. It isn't overly complicated, and you aren't likely to adjust the WRONG valves following a chart telling you to adjust this or that based on which cylinder you are firing on and whether it's the intake or exhaust, etc. Although those methods are also accurate they just leave too much room for error for my liking.

One more thing that I do here and I started this about 20 years ago is to adjust hydraulic lifters so that I fully BOTTOM OUT the plungers in the lifter bodies and adjust UP. How many turns to back up the locknuts is a matter of personal preference and depends on what lifters you are using (plunger travel). A spin on that deal is to bottom out the plungers with a feeler gauge between the valve tip and rocker arm. Then just yank out the feeler gauge and move on. The only thing that you MUST do with this method is to wait a few moments with each turn of the adjustment nuts to push the oil out of the lifter. You know when this happens because the pushrod "locks up" momentarily with each turn on the nuts then a few seconds later (can take a bit longer with "S" or slow-bleed lifters) it will turn with slight resistance again. There is also no "grey area" whatsover when you bottom out the plungers because EVERYTHING locks right up and no matter how long you wait it stays that way.

Anyhow, that's how I do it here and can take credit for none of it. These methods were shown to me clear back in the 1970's by my "mentor", who was one of the most successful engine builders and drag racers I have ever known.........

[Nyairguard]

Originally Posted by 400 Lemans

https://www.pontiacstreetperformance...p/rockers.html This is the best, most simple method there is for adjusting valves and no mess with oil splattering.

The best


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[1968GTO421]

Several years ago when I had a Studebaker with a SBC 350 in it with Dart heads and a Comp cam/kit, I used the method cited on the Pontiac Performance site. It worked well and did have a few complications. After I got my GTO I came across Cliff's method and it has worked very well for me. Especially with the lifters we have today with varying differences in the lifter plunger travel for the same engine.

Since we all have different idiosyncrasies, I recommend using the method that best works for you personally.

[Cliff R]

Way back when I first entered the hobby we warmed the engine up, got it to idle as low as possible, removed the valves covers, and working quickly loosened up the rocker arms one at a time till they clicked, then down till they just stopped. After both banks were completed and we made enough smoke from the oil that leaked onto the exhaust to kill all the mosquitos in a 20 mile radius the engine was shut down. Then we'd turn each one an additional 1/2 turn put the valve covers back in place and walk away for about 20 minutes.

When you came back fire it up and drive it like you stole it the rest of the life of the engine. Things aren't quite so simple these days and I can't deal with the mess, or the lack of accuracy from that particular method.....but it will work if you want to do it that way.........FWIW.....

[mgarblik]

Originally Posted by Cliff R

Way back when I first entered the hobby we warmed the engine up, got it to idle as low as possible, removed the valves covers, and working quickly loosened up the rocker arms one at a time till they clicked, then down till they just stopped. After both banks were completed and we made enough smoke from the oil that leaked onto the exhaust to kill all the mosquitos in a 20 mile radius the engine was shut down. Then we'd turn each one an additional 1/2 turn put the valve covers back in place and walk away for about 20 minutes.

When you came back fire it up and drive it like you stole it the rest of the life of the engine. Things aren't quite so simple these days and I can't deal with the mess, or the lack of accuracy from that particular method.....but it will work if you want to do it that way.........FWIW.....

That's exactly the way we adjusted valves for years, successfully. If you were quick and careful you could get a decent valve adjustment. But what a smokey mess. I had little Lisle wire and plastic oil stopper tools that snapped over the rocker arm and plugged the oil hole. But when the engine was hot, which was when you were supposed to do the adjustment, the plastic part would melt, separate from the wire and be floating around in the head. I have had more than one of those end up in the oil pan. Once the engines gained tons of emission controls and fuel injection, running valve adjustment became nearly impossible. The method Cliff Ruggles highlights will work better and is cleaner and much more accurate than a running adjustment. One side note. Setting the engine at #1 TDC and adjusting 1/2 of the valves will only work if the engine has an extremely mild cam, like an 067 or something similar. Cliff explained the reason. Some of those 1/2 of the valves will not be exactly on the base circle so the adjustment will be off some. The more performance oriented a camshaft is, the less likely to have 1/2 of the valves on the base circle at a single setting point, like #1 TDC.

[Gach]

They used to sell clip on, you would clip on to the rocker on the push rod end of rocker, that stopped the oil from squirting all over the place. I still have a set, they worked real good. I haven’t used them in years since I went to sell a roller. Which I don’t adjust with motor running.

[Gach]

Here’s link to them if your talking about adjusting hydraulic lifters

Mr. Gasket - 1015 Rocker Arm Clips, Oil Deflecting https://a.co/d/aerUCCx

[Skidmark]

I've done my 462 a few times with valve covers off. I laid a couple old bath towels beside the heads to catch the oil.
The clean up wasn't that bad. Found bad lifter quick by accident too.

[b-man]

Take note if you’re wanting to use polylocks - your rocker studs need to be pretty much perfectly flat on the top. Otherwise the locking screw in the polylock nut won’t have a proper seat and will come loose.

Either buy some quality ARP studs or other aftermarket rocker studs that come that way or take yours and either turn the ends flat on a lathe or grind them flat using the proper equipment.

This is one reason why I always recommend buying new 7/16” rocker studs to replace the stock bottleneck studs, you not only get a stronger and less flexible rocker stud but they’re already made to accommodate polylock nuts.

[Dragncar]

Back when I ran a hyd I took a old P350 valve cover and cut out a big enough slot length ways to adjust the valves. Got the vast majority of the oil.

[Cliff R]

I'd also add here that I installed a Ford type starter solenoid with a push button on it. This made valve adjustments so much easier than trying to put a breaker bar on the crankshaft bolt. Just "bump" it around and watch the valves move into position, make an adjustment, mark it with a magic marker and keep going. I could run all the valves in about half an hour start to finish once I installed the push button solenoid........

https://www.amazon.com/SOLENOID-BUTT.../dp/B013TCJ4B6

[glenn911]

My father in law rebuilt the 350 2bbl in his 69 firebird. Had a local shop to the machine work and he assembled it using a stock type "rebuild kit" and a book by Rocky Rotella I believe. Anyway, he broke in the cam and found out once he tried to drive it it ran like crap, breaking up and popping. He had a shop rebuild the carb that he already rebuilt, no change. He asked me to look at it. I asked him how he adjusted the valves, he said 20lb like the book says. This was supposed to be a "stock" type cam that came with the "kit". I pulled the covers and did a running adjustment that cured the issue, then ordered polylocks and installed them. The car has been setting about 3 years since. I sometimes wonder if he wiped the cam during break in. We won't know until he fixes a trans issue and gets it one the road again.