So I've decided to check my valve lash before I go on to start the car (the build list just keeps getting longer and longer)

Spent a few minutes pulling the valve covers off, and well sadly the first few I've done are far off enough to cause me alarm. I'm seeing lash going down at a very tight .010". With the bc 272's the car has, I know better than to run it like this...


So I have a few months here before I move and I want to get this car running slick in the mean time. I have enough time off from work and I can't play, and I don't have class. Here are my options:
1) Drop the heads off at a local shop and have them machine the valves to fit (not too looking forward to such a venture; the local shops although knowledgable take for-eeevvverrr; 8 months and my block/internals weren't even TOUCHED!)
2) Ship the heads somewhere good (dynosty, mazworx)
3) Play legos, and headache through this while buying plenty of buckets from the stealership (it's going to be super annoying with the block in the car. Will have to remove/re-install the whole chain assembly every time I want to check them)
4) Fawk it, and run it? Timing chain breakage is practically catastrophic failure... but would the tighter clearances just mean a decreased life or failure?
5) Possibly ship the whole long block off to dynosty/mazworx and get carillo rods put in too... (if I can afford it, I probably will do this tbh)


Open to opinions/discussion... The first time I checked the lash it was all close enough, just a bit loose where it was supposed to be .012" (coming in .013" which I've been told would be ok)...

PS For some reason nobody in the vq community seems to go over valve lash...

 

I feel your pain on the time schedule. Been without my car for going on 2yrs between body work and now some engine work while im too busy to DIY.

When hotrodg35 and I installed my BC stage 2 cams we checked all the lash and they were within spec. I wonder if that would still hold true if we were to recheck now though?


could you not measure all the buckets, write it down and then order new buckets and reinstall and remeasure? That would at least get you closer to spec. Yeah, its gonna be a pita and very time consuming process. Doesnt jwt sell a kit to help keep the valves in place while you replace the buckets?

Option 5 sounds like the best option if $$ wasnt an issue, otherwise option 2.

 

Why don't you call Dynosty and see what their timeframe would be. .....

 

Yeah I spent the night thinking about it. Sending the whole thing off to get done correctly looks like the plan. I know the engine will run, but for how long/how well... Just not worth the risk after how much I've spent on this thing. I'd rather have it just right and pay a bit more than always be worrying

Let's just hope they're not too backed up

Honestly wouldn't be surprised if I had the lobes at a funny angle and got different results. The valve lash has bugged me for a while because I wasn't too sure of what I was doing. Although a bunch were in spec... The eagle rod thing bugs me big time too

 

Dynosty not back up lol good luck. Cux what's left on your car? When I went and picked mine up my buddy with me was sweating your car.

 

timeframe is to damn long

 

"The time window is too damn LONG"




Still in progress...been waiting on a tune for 6 weeks. Bobby has spent some time with it on the dyno. Its his first Haltech i believe. Had a bucking issue that needed resolution. Was supposed to be tuned more saturday and be ready for a May 10th pickup. How did your vortech install go?

Plan is to get her home, powdercoat all the aluminum, put her back together and drive her up to Fontana for day during Zdayz

 

Haha! I got word from a friend who builds vq's pretty often (In Kuwait) that .01-.015 is fine for the 272's. Guy has some pretty good rep over there so I trust him. Says the biggest reason for any other specific spec would just be for noise. That range is like .02mm so I'm chilling with it. Upon second eval, I got as tight as .01 so I'm saving my money for the inebidable California cop rape my care will get

 

That sucks. I'm sure he should have you done on time. Every time I'm there their doing something to it. Went great. 410hp and 310trq I believe. Gauges I bought don't work so waiting for them to come in. Don't like driving it without. With my intake exhaust header set up I make power to 7400rpm. However he said my 600 injectors are at 90 something dc so we backed it down to 7k shifting. Car feels great. And sounds insane.

 

valve lash is easy.

Measure where they all are now without taking anything apart.

Take it apart, and organize which lifter came from which valve.

Measure each lifter and add/subtract to get to your valve lash.

Usually you can swap them around to get at least half of them done, and then order the rest you need.

You do not have to do it over and over and order a million lifters. Just one time, and only what you need.

 

That's pretty much what I did the first time. A few came in a bit tighter than the exact specs on the cam card. But what this tuner was claiming (that the .01-.015 is acceptable, won't change the actual performance, just that the ones on the cam card are for noise sake) makes me sleep well. Also he confirmed the BC confirmed it doesn't matter which way you install the springs; they work both ways. So I'm excited. I'll be installing the parts that came to day and checking the passenger side valve lash (because I lost my previous sheet where I had all the specs), and getting ready to start this puppy up. I'll post a thread when I have it running.