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Old Apr 20, 2010 | 01:11 PM
  #1  
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Shims and preload

My question is... is there a max number of shims you can use before you go to getting a shorter pushrod.

The motor is an 85 roller block that originally had flat lifters. I put on lincoln heads with a roller cam and roller lifters. No machining to the face of the heads or the block. Right now I have .105" of shims but I still am not at the correct preload. I am just gettin the pushrods off the bottom of the lifters. I would like to stick with shims becuase I can't find shorter pushrods and I don't really want to pay for custom ones. Pros and cons of putting to much shim to get correct preload?
 
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Old Apr 20, 2010 | 05:31 PM
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Are you using the right pushrods.. roller motors use shorter versions than flat tappet versions.. 6.25" vs 6.9".
 
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Old Apr 21, 2010 | 10:07 AM
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Yes, I have the original pushrods that came out of the lincoln roller motor. I believe they are 6 1/4" long with a band around them that says TOP and brass or copper ***** on the part that goes into the rocker arm. I am still trying to figure out why the geometry would be so different.

Do you think it would be ok to add another .04" of shim under the rocker? I would be at well over an 8th of an inch of shim.

Thanks for the responce. This has me scratching my head.
 
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Old Apr 21, 2010 | 07:27 PM
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I'd be worried with more than two shims if I was running a cam with much lift, and I wouldn't be totally happy about two.

If you're just unbottoming the lifters with .1 of shim you're still that much again too long. Get an adjustable pushrod and measure just how far off you are. However much it is it's more than you can fix with shims.

What cam are you using? Maybe it has a bigger base circle?
 
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Old Apr 21, 2010 | 07:34 PM
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It shouldn't be too radical. It is the factory high output cam from the lincoln. I believe it had an orangeish yellow blaze on it. I think ford racing can spec it from the blaze. The cam, lifters, pushrods, rockers, valves and heads came from the lincoln. I think it was an 87. I cannot imagine the deck heights would be that much different between the 85 and 87 block. Remember no machining was done. Nothing fancy with the head gasket either (not that that would make up that much space even). Its a mystery. It should work.
 
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Old Apr 21, 2010 | 07:49 PM
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I know there were some taller blocks back in the 70's, but that's no worry for you. Weird.
 
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Old Apr 21, 2010 | 07:52 PM
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Thanks.

I will take an old pushrod and make it adjustable to see what length I need.

I was doing this on the cheap. Never works out does it?... Farg!
 
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Old Apr 21, 2010 | 07:55 PM
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Don't get me started.
 
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Old Apr 21, 2010 | 10:04 PM
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So you have E7TE heads on there with a junkyard roller cam assembly installed in the block? You have the cam installed straight up and have the motor at TDC on the compression stroke(both valves closed) on the cylinder you're working on right?
 
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Old Apr 22, 2010 | 12:01 AM
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Correct. Cam is strait up and I am on the number one cylinder on the compression stroke. E7 heads.

Here is a thought... Could the lifters be going bad causing them to bind up and not be at the bottom? How much "throw" should be in the lifter? If I put a dial indicator on the top of the pushrod end of the rocker at zero lash and tighten it until the valve just starts to get pushed down... how much movement should I see?
 

Last edited by eatfish; Apr 22, 2010 at 12:27 AM. Reason: reword
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Old Apr 23, 2010 | 09:13 PM
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This is strange, with the valves closed and the cam on it's base circle the lifters should only just begin to colapse before the rocker bolt snugs up.
 
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