If it's running I avoid and put off this difficult and messy job even when I know it should be done. Do you have a favorite way that works well? Do you do it hot or cold? Do you use feeler guages or just spin the lifter. How do you keep oil from blowing all over everything under the hood? What a mess!
Get the engine hot and throughly heated through the valve train. If you're running a low temperture thermostat or no thermostat place a piece of cardboard in front of the radiator until the heat gage reaches 180. After it reaches 180 slip some of the cardboard out so it will stay hot.
Just slow the engine down to as slow as it will go and still run. Well, thereabouts.
The feeler gauge should slip in and out with a slight drag.
Use a valve adjusting tool, if you have one. Make's it much easier. Or, use a short, stout, slotted screwdriver and a box-end wrench. 9/16 best I remember.
I always use a feeler gauge and have done it both ways, running and also cold when building an engine then recheck hot.
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If you turn the idle down it really doesn't make a mess. It does take a little practice to do it. The old timers I have talked to think nothing of adjusting the valves hot and running...that is how they all did it.
You fellows keep talking about a mess while adjusting the valves with the engine running. Hey, this is a straight 6 engine. As the instructions have all noted you adjust the idle to the slowest while running. If you don't run the engine at extremely fast RPM you will not have a drop of oil on the floor. (Assuming you didn't have some before).
Hydraulic lifters would be nice. Three hands would also help, one for each, the screwdriver, the wrench and one for the feeler guage. What kind of a tool would help?
Those motors do not pump enough oil up to the rockers to make a mess,oil is not going to squirt out every pushrod like a newer motor and you can rev them up a bit and still no mess.
Maybe we need to keep that old valve cover and modify it.
That video has absolutely nothing in common with a Chevrolet 4 cylinder ohV or a Chevrolet Straight six up thru the 216 and 235 engines.
However, if you have a newer 230,250, or 292 engines with the rockers on a stud (same as a SBC or BBC V/8) you will need clips to prevent the oil from squirting up and over the engine.
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