new kid here

[boosted68stang]

hey guys just wanted to say you guys have a really nice forum here... Im glad i joined it im probably gonna be posting alot of threads on the 5.0 tech page because im building a 302 for my 1968 mustang... its a gift for my dad before i join the army in a few months.. he doesnt know anything about it yet lol

my question is can anyone give me a good tip on doing valve geometry? i have a 1987 302 that was rebuilt and cleaned up it has only 32k original miles! i have done the full roller conversion so i have e303cam the lifters and i have 1.7 roller rockers and metal headgaskets.... so i don't wanna guess my pushrod length.. i bought a pushrod check tool from compcams. I know how it works I just don't know at what position the Roller Rockers should be in to get the most precise pushrod length... any help?
its also has a paxton centrufugal supercharger and a t-5tranny lol your welcome dad!! haha im only 19 this is all new to me

 

[88mouse]

What did the 87 motor come out of? If it was out of a mustang it should have allready been a roller motor. And then you could just use the stock push rods.

 

[50specialist]

^ Welcome!

 

[boosted68stang]

it might of been a rolling motor to begin with im not to sure because i got the motor with e7 heads and the cam and lifters were already in, i bought the 1.7 roller rockers and now need to order my pushrods. i cannot just use the pushrods that came with the motor because i have gt40 heads and a metal headgasket and im sure the lifters are all aftermarket too.. so i just need to figure out how to measure the pushrods length (i have the compcam pushrod checker tool) Im just making sure that im doing everything right

 

[88mouse]

Im pretty sure that you can use a stock push rod. But somebody will be in here before long that can help.

 

[Brian@PAR]

First you need a solid lifter or a set of checking springs. Sometimes you have to use the checking springs as the valve springs will bend the checker. Lets assume you are using checking springs installed on one intake and one exhaust valve. Make sure the lifter is full of oil and is the plunger is all the way up

Roll the motor around until the lifter is on the base-circle of the cam. Color the valve tip with a marker. Install the checking PR and the rocker. Adjust the PR so the roller tip is centered on the valve. Roll the motor over two revolutions and remove the rocker. Look at the pattern on the valve. You want the narrowest pattern possible. Centered is not as important as narrow. Keep trying different lengths until you get the best pattern. Measure the PR and add .020 (for the lifter preload).

Repeat for the other valve.

Now sometimes it is hard to get the pattern to show especially if you are using checking springs. I've use different methods but the one I feel is easiest is to use a LIGHT coat of black rtv on the valve stem. This will show the rocker sweep really well. Make sure you wipe all of the rtv off the rocker and the valve stem each time you check.

If you bought the good COMP checker then you just count the turns to get your measurement. I've also used that checker on some fairly stout springs with no issues so you may just need a to make a solid lifter. This is where it comes in handy to have a couple of old lifters laying around.