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EFV-8 Club Forum / General Ford Discussion / How the heck?

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Posted By Discussion Topic: How the heck?     carpguy 04-09-2010 @ 6:40 AM reply profile send p.m. Member Posts: 17 Joined: Oct 2009 Morning All, Still pluging away on rebulding my motor for my '37 pick-up and now I'm tring to adjust the lifters. I got a tool to adjust the solid lifter from C&G and I cannot figure out how to use it. It's in there catolog but came with no directions. Also what is the correct way to install head studs? Thanks Gary Moscow, Idaho 37RAGTOPMAN 04-09-2010 @ 7:27 AM reply profile send p.m. Senior Posts: 1965 Joined: Oct 2009 Gary the lifters should have holes in the top of them that one the ends will fit it, this with the adjustment above it,there is a LEFT and RIGHT wrench,or you might have one wrench with 2 tabs that go into the hole and lock up against inside valve galley in the block tighten and loosen,you have to lock the wrench against the block or whatever it hits, and turn the ajustment till you get the right clearance, DO YOUR SELF A FAVOR, BUY yourself GO and NO GO GAUGES.will save to a lot of time and give you a accurate adjustment, as far a the heads studs, I use #2 permatex measure you height of each stud so they are uniform in height in thier row,, HOW did you make out with to person that SOLD you the truck with the [ rebuilt engine ] ???? hope this helps 37RAGTOPMAN try to adjust with a warm engine not hot, use a heat lamp or a small ceramic heater,or space heater, I think the adjustment will be more accurate just not a real cold engine,and nice to work on,,, also make sure the pistons are ontop dead center,if you have them in the engine, I leave them out,till the end make turning the engine over easier, you can look at the crank and see if it is all the way up, can use a ruler on one till it is all the way up, this way you can use the ruler on the next one and so on, This message was edited by 37RAGTOPMAN on 4-9-10 @ 7:36 AM TomO 04-09-2010 @ 7:46 AM reply profile send p.m. Senior Posts: 7256 Joined: Oct 2009 I addition to the wrenches you have, you will have an easier time adjusting the lifters using a special tappet wrench. This is a short, thin wrench. I bought mine from Snap-On back in the 50's, so they may not be available now. The alternative is to grind down an open end wrench to allow adjusting with the valve seated. I always recommend that when using adjustable lifters, buy the hollow lifters and then drill the valve boss in the block to allow an allen wrench to fit in the slot of the lifter to hold it while adjusting it. Tom supereal 04-09-2010 @ 10:17 AM reply profile send p.m. Senior Posts: 6819 Joined: Oct 2009 Your post says you have "solid lifters". If so, there is no adjustment. The valve clearance is obtained by grinding the end of the stems in a valve facing machine. It takes time and patience, and if you take off too much material, the face of the valve or the seat must be reground. We install adjustable lifters and straight stem valves on our rebuilds. The special wrench is required if you didn't provide locking holes in the lifter bosses. To install head studs, first, be sure that the threads in the block are clean. There is a special tap for that purpose that doesn't expand the holes like a standard threading tap. Sort the studs (there are 3 sizes) so you use the correct length in each position. Coat the block end of the studs with a good sealer, such as the Permatex non-hardening type, and start them in the block. You can turn them into place by "double-nutting" the top of the studs. That is, place one nut on the stud, hold that with a wrench, then add another nut on top, and tighten against the first. Screw the stud into place, but don't overdo it and strip the old cast iron. Don't reuse old studs. We prefer the ARP studs, available from many sources. They are good quality, and have a builtin locker. 37RAGTOPMAN 04-10-2010 @ 2:04 PM reply profile send p.m. Senior Posts: 1965 Joined: Oct 2009 super I have disagree with you, you mean to tell me a ajustable lifter is not solid ? my 3 centsworth 37RAGTOPMAN Stroker 04-11-2010 @ 7:16 AM reply profile send p.m. Senior Posts: 1460 Joined: Oct 2009 I think you are hung-up on semantics. Stock lifters, and adjustable lifters are "solid" as opposed to hydraulic or "self-adjusting" lifters. Some stock lifters had a "solid" appearance, in that they had no slots, or holes in them. Those "solid-looking" lifters were in fact hollow, but they looked "solid". Adjustable lifters are most often of the open, or slotted variety, thus do not look "solid". Confused yet? supereal 04-11-2010 @ 10:42 AM reply profile send p.m. Senior Posts: 6819 Joined: Oct 2009 Here we refer to stock, non adjustable, lifters (tappets) as "solid", while adjustable lifters are called just that. Both are hollow, of course. They may be called differently in other places. As he said he couldn't find a way to use a wrench, I assumed he had "solid" non adjustable lifters. 37RAGTOPMAN 04-11-2010 @ 1:26 PM reply profile send p.m. Senior Posts: 1965 Joined: Oct 2009 Gary I also heard of people working on the valves would drill 1/8 inch holes in the lifter bosses in the block and you could use a drill or a punch to hold the lifter and turn the adjustment, I have never done this, but would have to be real careful with the metal left over from the drilling, the drill or punch would go in the vertical grooves in the lifters,and keep the lifter from turning, 37RAGTOPMAN supereal 04-12-2010 @ 9:39 AM reply profile send p.m. Senior Posts: 6819 Joined: Oct 2009 Don't drill the lifter bosses unless the block is disassembled. The filings, even if careful, will kill bearings. You have to be absolutely sure the lifter is on the heel of the cam lobe before doing so, and that the lifter is secured so it won't rotate. For most adjustable lifters, the special wrench is OK. We made our own version, which is less clumsy, but it still takes lots of time to get the clearance correct.

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