VCCA Home Forums TECHNICAL - 1945 AND EARLIER 1937-1945 valve adjustment

http://www.speedprint.com/deves50/valveadjust.php

This seems to be a lengthy procedure. I just noticed my valvetrain seems more noisey after installing a second orginal muffler.
"a noisey valve is a happy valve" seems to be the common expression on a 56/235. How do you know when to go thru this procedure? The engine does not use oil or smoke. Just trying to figure out when this is needed.

No really set time to set valves. I go over mine every three or four thousand miles. I would imagine a new car would be about every ten thousand.

I don't agree with the procedure and remarks under hydraulic lifters. I don't know where this guy got his facts but they are incorrect. One of these sixes with hydraulic lifters at idle will be a quiet running motor.

I have always adjusted the rocker arms with the motor running,I tried it with the motor off but always ended up with a couple too loose so its running when I adjust them. I turn the idle down some and its a little more difficult and beats up the feeler gauge,you might want to look at the rocker arm tips as they might be worn as was mine so I filed them down with a sharpening stone and oil and did not need to adjust since.

http://www.secondchancegarage.com/public/371.cfm

This site gives different numbers.. Confused

What happen to this major step?

"Shift the tranny into neutral, set the parking brake and chock the wheels, remove the spark plugs & the entire #1 plug wire from the engine and using the fan, and turn the engine until you see a steel ball bearing (like a BB) in the flywheel line up with the pointer. Now carefully remove the distributor cap by holding it in place and gently prying the two spring clips off with your screwdriver, lift the cap away and see if the outer tip of the rotor is pointing at the same position that the #1 plug wire occupied in the distributor cap - it may well be 1/2 turn away (180 degrees); this is OK. You can either begin at step 2 or turn the engine one full revolution until the steel ball is again lined up in the window with the pointer and the rotor tip is pointing toward where #1 plug wire goes."

That's a big difference in what to do correctly.

I guess the manual writers assumed the reader knows how to find TCD on #1. The main issue I have with the first link is you'll end up with mighty loose exhaust valves.

"Now turn the engine one complete revolution until the steel ball lines up on the pointer in the window again; you're now on TDC cylinder #6, so let's do the other 6 valves in this order, working from front to back: valve #12 to .018", #11 to .006", then #10 to .006", then #8 to .018", next is #6 to .006", and lastly #4 to .018"."

And #6

It's not all that important or correct.

If the distributor is installed wrong - it's wrong - fix it.

Use the fan belt, not the fan.

Setting Valves the Easy Way

Stove firing order 1-5-3-6-2-4 and starting on the BB gives me this chart:

153
624
153

Works fine for either valve train.

For first time adjust after an over-haul - do the same but instead watch the lifters and/or push rods.

I do the adjustment per the Chevrolet service manual. Get the oil hot, pull the valve cover, start it up and turn the idle speed down. Then adjust each valve. The first few will be hard but once you get your wrists limp you won't have any problem. This task is nothing compared to some of the tasks you have done on your car.

You haven't picked it up yet Steve. It's .013 on the exhaust, not .018. They must have been more accurate in the '50s. My '38 manual gives a range of .006-.008 intake and .013-.015 exhaust. <CLICK> .018 is a bit on the loose side.

I guess I'm living in the past. They only way I've ever seen anyone adjust the valves is with the engine running at idle. All I've ever heard is that you can ruin the valves getting them to tight, just letum rattle. I was just curious since I can hear every valve making a noise now...gheeez

Maybe that's why old cars had loud mufflers.

Steve....Don't your car have a later engine??? if so don't it have Hydraulic lifters??? If so....they have zero clearance>>>>>>>ED

Unless your 235 is a '53 or newer...Maybe.

http://www.secondchancegarage.com/public/373.cfm

Yes. I think they need something, I hear them ticking away.

"
Kevin...What do you mean by "53 or newer" ? The newer the engine, the more possibility exists that it has hydraulic lifters please elaborate.....Thanx ED

If the engine is from any Power Glide car it will have Hyd. lifters
If it is from a 1956 or later passenger car it will have Hyd. lifters.
f it is from a truck it will have solid lifters.

There are at least two important reasons for correct valve adjustment. 1) as pointed out above is to keep from burning the valves. 2) Another important reason for the correct valve adjustment is that every thousandth the valve is loose is a few degrees of engine turning with the valve closed, either closing early or opening late. That, of course, leads to power loss.

Like Don says, do it the right, the manual way...Boys if you can't adjust the valves on a inline Chevrolet six or know someone that does know how, then please just keep the car in the garage or pull it out on the driveway ever so often. Paint it metallic green and chrome plate everything that you can pull off and get to a chrome plating shop, then get a nice soft rag, (a old baby cloth diaper that is good and soft) and wipe and wax everything you can reach, take some pictures then post them here and soon you will be known as a Chevrolet Guru.

Actually that's pretty close. Not a daily driver or a showcar. I do wipe around on it quite a bit. I do love chrome and post a ton of photos.

The part that doesn't fit.. A GURU? How can someone ask a thousand questions about one car and be a GURU?

BTW. I didn't paint it green , it came that way from the previous owner.

wawuzit,

You mentioned in your 10/10/12 post that you set your intake valves at 0.006" and your exhaust valves at 0.018". Admittedly in am very much a novice, but every thing I have read says intake at 0.006" and exhaust at 0.013". Am I missing something here?

When I put the 56 car motor in my 37 I am going to adjust the hydraulic lifters like I did on a 70s smallblock and see how it does.

I found that link by goggling "235 valve adjustment". The numbers vary from link to link. I think the owners manual figures should prevail. That's the bad news about forums and websites they don't always give the same information or even sometimes give bad information. I'd personally would rather take the advise of someone who has really done the work and has a good reputation. These guys on this forum have never given me any bad information. This is a valuable website if you're trying to fix up and old chevy. What I'm worried about is not asking enough questions. I've only asked about a million questions so far...smiles.

I read that twice and I'm still not sure if Gene meant to say 1956 and newer...Oh, well, we know what he means...