Printable diagram for adjusting valve tappets

[alexiskai]

Thank you and Bob Johnson for sharing ! Soooo how did she run after adjusting the lash?

I won't know for a while since I'm in the middle of a major overhaul (new valves, new head, new carb).

This was my first ever time installing and adjusting valves. Before installing the new valves, I backed off all 8 adjustable tappets as far as they would go. Then I put in new valves, springs, retainers, and keepers (those keepers are a tremendous pain). Then I took my initial clearance measurements, which ranged from .028 to .068.

Using this adjustment guide, I was able to adjust 3 of the 8 valves to the exact desired clearance on the first pass. The remaining 5 were all +/- .001" and I got all five to the desired clearance on the second pass.

 

[rocket1]

a little grease on the keepers will hold them in place.

 

[alexiskai]

a little grease on the keepers will hold them in place.

I used axle grease. It was mostly a pain because I was using this valve spring tool. Required a buddy to hold the spring up for me and even then I had very little room to get the keepers onto the valve stem – particularly for the 1/2/7/8 valves in the corner.

 

[Ruth]

I always just did it with two fielders gauges. One too big and one too small and adjust to go and not go.

FYI, they actually make a go/no go feeler gauge for the exact same purpose https://www.amazon.com/Lisle-68150-Go-No-Go-Feeler-Gauge/dp/B000HI9E7U/?tag=atomicindus08-20

Thanks for the tip and thinking outside the box alexishai.

 

[TZBrown]

Thanks for the link to the printable timing tapes

 

[old31]

Sooooo, what is the difference between a go/no go and a regular feeler gauge. They both look the same to me.

i just cant get a "feel" for this.

 

[katy]

A regular feeler gauge is all one thickness, a go-no/go gauge has a small potion up the end of the gauge which is .001" or .002" thinner that the rest of the gauge.

https://www.wonkeedonkeetools.co.uk/feeler-gauges/what-is-a-go-nogo-feeler-gauge

 

[David in San Antonio]

Newbie here - Okay, so the Go-No Go feeler has a smaller gauge section near the tip. How does this help?

 

[alexiskai]

Newbie here - Okay, so the Go-No Go feeler has a smaller gauge section near the tip. How does this help?

A go/no-go gauge is a feeler gauge with a portion at the tip which is thinner in both dimensions – less wide but also less thick. When inserted into the gap you want to measure, the gauge should stop right at the transition between the thinner and thicker sections, which is visible to you as the point where it gets wider.

If the gauge stops there, you know that the gap distance is larger than the thin part but smaller than the thick part. If it goes all the way in, you know the gap is larger than the thick part, and if it doesn't go in at all, you know the gap is smaller than the thin part.

The idea is that most clearances have a certain tolerance, e.g., .013-.015". A go/no-go gauge lets you quickly confirm that the clearance is somewhere within the tolerance without taking time to unnecessarily measure the clearance precisely.

 

[JayJay]

After you have done it a few times you will learn to recognize by the amount of slop or resistance on the feeler gauge how close you are. Frankly, the Model A is pretty tolerant to minor (say +/- 0.001") variations from "spec", in fact, depending upon the wear in the camshaft or position of the crank there may be that much slop between where you measure and true minor diameter (where the lifter is completely down). I would not obsess about it.

My $0.02 and worth at least that.

 

[David in San Antonio]

Thank you both.
Someone said that having a Model A provides the perfect excuse to buy tools. Not that I need an excuse, but it makes choosing easier.

 

[petew]

Looks good , think I will shrink it down print it and then laminate it .