Lash caps bad idea?

[68Bird]

Having major problems getting my valvetrain setup on the intake side. Mainly my rocker to valve tip geometry. I have Jesel sportsman shaft rockers. My stands are somewhere between .030 and .050 too tall according to the mark the roller is making on my valve tip (off center toward exhaust port side of valve).

Jesel will gladly sell me 8 new .050 shorter stands for $300....:mad:

Or, I can use a .060 lash cap and shim the stands up a bit. Is there a down side to using lash caps? If not, then the next hurdle is finding a +.050 lock with a recess for a lash cap....:(

Thanks.
Craig

[Jay Allen]

Having major problems getting my valvetrain setup on the intake side. Mainly my rocker to valve tip geometry. I have Jesel sportsman shaft rockers. My stands are somewhere between .030 and .050 too tall according to the mark the roller is making on my valve tip (off center toward exhaust port side of valve).

Jesel will gladly sell me 8 new .050 shorter stands for $300....:mad:

Or, I can use a .060 lash cap and shim the stands up a bit. Is there a down side to using lash caps? If not, then the next hurdle is finding a +.050 lock with a recess for a lash cap....:(

Thanks.
Craig
Sometimes lash caps are mandated by the titanium valve tip not being hardened. In this case they are an excellent idea. For what YOU are doing.......I would do it.

If it were me, I'd mill .020" to .030" off of the head boss (rocker pad area) and another .020" to .030" off of the stands you own.

Had to do this many a time.......

Good Luck!

[68Bird]

Thanks Jay. I have exhausted my search for a +.050 lock w/ lash cap recess. So thats out. I guess I'm going to try milling the stands .030 and see where I'm at. Don't want to machine the heads at this point if I don't have to since they're already all together. Only other option to use a lash cap is to go back to a std. ht. lock and replace my .060 seat with a .015 shim. That'd get me to a 1.995 install ht.

Another question.....how ofter have you seen valve springs that don't sit completely square to the retainers/seats wear out guides?


Craig

[Jay Allen]

Another question.....how ofter have you seen valve springs that don't sit completely square to the retainers/seats wear out guides? Craig Something is messed up here.

Where the spring sets in the head (spring cup) vs the retainer should be a parallel plane. The valve center should pirece this in the radius center. If this isn't EXACT then something eventually is going to break. I can absolutely see the guides giving up first and Lord knows what is next.

I bet the spring cups were machined to house a better spring. Whether you wanted to hear it or not, your heads are coming apart for 2 reasons. And to check them out, I would NOT take them back to who originally did the work.

Good Luck To You!!!

[Chris Uratchko]

If you need the stands milled I can do that for you... call me if you're interested.

[68Bird]

If you need the stands milled I can do that for you... call me if you're interested.

Thanks Chris, appreciate the offer. I'm going to need to get them done locally though so I can get this together soon.


Jay,
All the machine work ever done to these heads has been done at Canfield. I honestly don't think the spring pockets are not parallel to the retainers. I think the springs may be warped. When you set the spring over the valve with the retainer on it and spin the spring, the hole in the retainer does not stay centered on the valve tip. It 'wobbles' around maybe an 1/8". I sent you an email, I'd like to call you and see what you think about a couple things if you have time.

Craig

[BBCStang]

Manley 13198-16 is +0.050 and is cut for a lash cap