i am just getting my car back together i put adjustable pushrods in there, i am wondering what is the correct way to adjust them? How tight am i suppose to hsve them snug
Really you don't need adjustable pushrods unless you've had the block seriously deck and/or the heads seriously milled with a HUGE cam. I would toss the adjustable rods and buy some chrome moly ones. just my thoughts on the subject, probably not helping you any.
well i already have the pushrods in and they are doing ok execpt a couple on the passenger side.my heads were milled .40
The right way to adjust them is to get zero lash( No play up or down) and then turn the nut another 1/2 turn. This will put .020 of preload on the lifters. You will really need these push rods having taken that much off the deck. Good luck
He's right on the money. 1/2 turn after "slop" is taken out of pushrod. Just make sure the cam lobe is properly positioned before adjusting. I tried a little less, which is what I believe I read in Dove's book, about 1/3 or so, and it was like having a solid lifter cam TICK TICK TICK. Good luck. Phil
Thats right phil I forgot to mention that the cam lobe needs to be on the base circle for each rod as you adjust it. If not you will have a really hard time adjusting them properly.
Ya anything over .030 should have adjustable valve train. The more scientific way of adjusting them is adjust them till the slop is out, then open them up some more, stick a feeler gauge between the lifter case and the retainer clip in the lifter. This will give you the exact prelod. Adjust it till you have the preload you want. I had the same question when I used mine, here is what Dave from TA Performance, the people I bought the pushrods from, said to do- "IRT the pushrod adjustments: start with the #1 cylinder, rotate the engine so the lifters for both valves are on the base circle of their respective lobes, in other words both lifters are at their lowest point. Turn the adjuster screw until you can no longer move the pushrod up or down, but before the plunger of the lifter begins to depress. At that point adjust the screw another 3/4 of a turn which should give your proper pre load, between .030 and .060. Confirm your preload by inserting a wire gage between the retaining ring and top of the cup of the lifter. At that point you can copy the length to your other pushrods, but confirm the preload. Make sure the lifter is on the base circle when you check pre load." But remeber that your original pushrods were for a motor with a steel gasket(.020 thk). So if you used a composite gasket(.043 thk), you basically only lost .017 by milling it .040, which would probally work fine with stock pushrods. Either way, you already bought them, so go with it. -Nick
