valve to piston checking tool

[Dragsinger]

This is without question a positive checking tool

[FireSale]

Send it back, Larry. Got to be a cheap Chinese piece and won't last a week. Look at that machining! What did they cut it with, a rip saw?

Woodfin deserves Shiny!

Dale

[NORMAN BARNARD]

well "duh"....did it come with a manual????

[Dragsinger]

I had a lumber jack cut it with a chain saw

[Dragsinger]

seriously,

because of angle milling and valve radius etc it is only specific to my engine. I initially cut the damaged head out of curiosity then realized it could be a cool visual aid.

I may touch up some of the chain saw marks with a rasp

[Ed Wright]

I made a little fixture that hooks on my Jessel rockets at the push rod end, uses a 1/2" break over, using the actual heads & used head gaskets, "checking springs" installed, pull the valve down against the piston, measuring actual travel. Ex from 10 deg BTDC, until TDC. Intakes from TDC. to 10 deg ATDC. Two degree increments. I have checked mine with checking springs vs racing springs. On mine, subtract about .004" from the checking spring VTP clearance. I have learned how much I need with checking springs, so only check it that way now.
This works for me. If a pro has a different recommendation, I defer to them. This is just how I have done it for several years.

[Ed Wright]

Originally Posted by Dragsinger

This is without question a positive checking tool

Larry, do you also have a tool (I think mine came from Moroso, about 20 years ago) that holds a dial indicator, sets on the gasket surface of the head, has an Allen bolt with the Allen head ground to fit in a head bolt hole to locate it. Put the ground bolt head in the short head bolt hole in the head, indicator stem touches the face of the valve head. Measures the distance from the head gasket surface to the face of the valve. I use it to verify my valve hight are all equal. Intake all the same, exhausts all the same. If you used one (you may have) to get that piece of a head there to verify they measure the same as your race heads. Then, that would be an accurate clearance checker.
After that, I measure valve drop to the piston @ TDC on all valves. I have caught piston valve pockets off over .010". I'm kinda anal about all my clearances. I can't afford to be knocking heads off valves. Hell, I can't really afford to be doing this anyway. I need to quit. Getting too old.

[Dragsinger]

Ed, knocking heads of valves is VERY expensive Doing so has set me back a full season.

And yes, I will verify the checking head dimensions are the same as race head. Gary Hettler is doing a replacement head for me and also has the "good" head for double checking.

The cut up head is mostly for fun, I will verify the clearances with new race head.

I expect everything to be OK and "maybe" make the D 4 September race at Thunder Road.

One thing about the cut up head, it is a good conversation piece. At the shop a number of folks have noticed it and looked it over. The same comment from everyone, "I did not realize how the water passages look"

[Dwight Southerland]

Originally Posted by Ed Wright

Larry, do you also have a tool (I think mine came from Moroso, about 20 years ago) that holds a dial indicator, sets on the gasket surface of the head, has an Allen bolt with the Allen head ground to fit in a head bolt hole to locate it. Put the ground bolt head in the short head bolt hole in the head, indicator stem touches the face of the valve head. Measures the distance from the head gasket surface to the face of the valve. I use it to verify my valve hight are all equal. Intake all the same, exhausts all the same. If you used one (you may have) to get that piece of a head there to verify they measure the same as your race heads. Then, that would be an accurate clearance checker.
After that, I measure valve drop to the piston @ TDC on all valves. I have caught piston valve pockets off over .010". I'm kinda anal about all my clearances. I can't afford to be knocking heads off valves. Hell, I can't really afford to be doing this anyway. I need to quit. Getting too old.

X2 I have one of those, too.

[west coast]

Yes it is all about how much deflection your combo has. From what type of rockers you have is a huge in deflection shaft, pedestals or studs. also the length, diameter and wall thickness of the push rods it all adds up. so pushing your cam lift to your max spec and not going over is hard to do when ordering cams. My tear down last year when we measured it was really legal enough to think we were doing something wrong when we measures it.