SBC valve lash?

[Rusty19]

Ok.... I’ve googled and YouTubed and even Bing’d a couple times. I’m trying to do a valve adjustment on a (what I believe to be stock) 283 SBC. I can NOT for the life of me find what the clearance is! I know it’s a solid flat lifter/cam. My dad and I tried years ago to switch to hydraulic lifters without knowing you’re supposed to change the cam and pushrod length... we weren’t ready to tackle that so we put our solids back in adjusted it and has been fine ever since. Shouldn’t be an aftermarket cam. The consensus I seem to be getting is you literally adjust it until there is just a little bit of resistance when turning the pushrod by finger then go another 1/4-1/2 turn. That’s it. No shimming, no feelers... is it really that simple? I don’t want to pull the damn thing apart and measure the cam spec. My dad and I did the adjustment YEEEAARSS ago when we got it. But he doesn’t remember either. Thoughts or suggestions?

The block code says it’s a ‘66 from what I can cipher.
Thanks in advance for the help! And sorry if this has been answered. Didn't find the info I think I’m looking for through searches.

 

[DoubleDingo]

With it being solid, I doubt you turn past a certain point, and you need a feeler gauge. as the push rods may bend. Then again, I have never adjusted solid lifters. To me, if you turn them beyond the specified lash point, the valve would be open, and like mentioned, push rods could bend. I thought my 1963 and 1965 supplement had the solid valve adjustment in them for the 283, but now I cannot remember. I can look after work. Unless someone with solid lifter knowledge chimes in before I can get home to check in about 4 hours.

 

[Bextreme04]

Ok.... I’ve googled and YouTubed and even Bing’d a couple times. I’m trying to do a valve adjustment on a (what I believe to be stock) 283 SBC. I can NOT for the life of me find what the clearance is! I know it’s a solid flat lifter/cam. My dad and I tried years ago to switch to hydraulic lifters without knowing you’re supposed to change the cam and pushrod length... we weren’t ready to tackle that so we put our solids back in adjusted it and has been fine ever since. Shouldn’t be an aftermarket cam. The consensus I seem to be getting is you literally adjust it until there is just a little bit of resistance when turning the pushrod by finger then go another 1/4-1/2 turn. That’s it. No shimming, no feelers... is it really that simple? I don’t want to pull the damn thing apart and measure the cam spec. My dad and I did the adjustment YEEEAARSS ago when we got it. But he doesn’t remember either. Thoughts or suggestions?

The block code says it’s a ‘66 from what I can cipher.
Thanks in advance for the help! And sorry if this has been answered. Didn't find the info I think I’m looking for through searches.

You absolutely, positively, DO-NOT want to do 1/4-1/2 turn past zero lash on a solid lifter. You should set them to .020-.025" cold or .015-.020 hot. You need to set them just like any other sbc lash adjustment starting with #1 at TDC with both valves closed and then moving through the firing order rotating the crank 90 deg in between each cylinder. Yes, you should change your cam and lifters together especially when going from solid to hydraulic, and yes you most likely will have to measure for different length pushrods when you do.

 

[75Monza]

The rough specs I used on my '63 C30. https://www.chevytalk.org/fusionbb/showtopic.php?tid/291290/
Biggest thing to me was always doing a cold lash then hot lash check, and prefer to do non-running check, but still have my custom pealed back top chevrolet script covers and rocker clips, lol.

 

[Bextreme04]

Man, that is TIGHT....

 

[idahovette]

I think it's gonna depend on the camshaft. Some were.024-.025 some were.020. Then there was the "30-30 Duntov" that was, you guessed it, .030. These were all hot measurements, which usually meant you were in oil up to your elbows and it was running all over the inner fenders and the rest of the under hood area!!! And did I say it was HOT!!!

 

[Rusty19]

Thanks for the responses so far guys. Technique I am familiar with. I know HOW to do it. Just don’t know WHAT the spec is and can’t find a definitive answer on that. Worst come to worst I guess I’m pulling the cam :/ really don’t want to do that.

 

[hirschdalechevy]

I had a comp solid cam (282s) in my big block 68 camaro and I always set it (twice a year) at .022, hot with a feeler gauge, no problems ever with iron block and heads. If you are doing the lash cold ,(with iron heads) I would add a bit , so I would go .024 to .025. I never really did mine cold except when my engine was brand new, (first start). I never worried about the lash being perfect, as long as I was within .002 I just went for it.

I drag raced my 68 for 5 years with that cam and never had a problem and I street cruised it all the time.

 

[BillK]

The only solid lifter 283 specs I could find were for early Corvettes. They were adjusted hot at .012 intake and .018 exhaust.

Are you absolutely certain it is a solid lifter cam ??

 

[Rusty19]

The only solid lifter 283 specs I could find were for early Corvettes. They were adjusted hot at .012 intake and .018 exhaust.

Are you absolutely certain it is a solid lifter cam ??

I’m 100% positive it’s solid lifter. I don’t know 100% what the cam is, I’m 90% sure it’s stock. I asked my dad about it but he can’t remember. Whatever was in there when we bought it is what we set it to. But this was 15 years ago. I can take it around the block once a month... but really wanna get the damn valves done so I can go further, lol.

 

[75Monza]

I don't know how many, but chevy used solids in some industrial, truck and boat applications too. The carb kit for my '63 283 says it's a boat carb, no clue if it's original or not. Honestly don't remember really seeing specs for an 097 or a 30-30 cam, just "no lash specified". Probably why I always did the hot running lash getting oil everywhere till it sounded good. A lot of the old timers seemed to prefer hot lash to cold. I just didn't like having to adjust them every month or so of running the weee out of it, lol. Mine was a '64 327 fuelie with the 30-30 and 11:1 in a '62 Chevy II 400 hardtop tied to a super T-10, sure miss that car.

 

[75gmck25]

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[idahovette]

Pull off a valve cover, loosen up and remove one rocker and the pushrod. Use one of those magnets on a stick to pull out the lifter and see what type it is. Its a quick check and by then you are halfway there towards making the valve lash adjustment for that side.

Bruce

You are gonna have to have the intake off to see what the lifter is, unless you got small block heads that I've never seen?

 

[75gmck25]

You’re right, the intake would also have to come off. My bad.

Bruce

 

[Rusty19]

Ok.... did some more digging after many suggestions here.... it appears I was given some wrong information about the block! the engine code ending in “-6519” is a 58-62 small block 283. I tried pulling the valve covers last night to check the casting number but they’re stuck on pretty good and don’t wanna yank em till I have a set of gaskets to put back on.

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Based on some image searching of the casting mark at the front of the head, which doesn’t look 100% identical, it seems to be shape “D” based off this website. https://www.crankshaftcoalition.com/wiki/SBC_cylinder_head_identification

that would indicate the heads are: “1956 Corvette 2X4-bbl 283; 1958 passenger car FI; chamber same as 1957 270 HP Corvette.”

My understanding is this would be considered “fuelie” heads? And I maintain my belief they’re original to the block. Does this change anyone thoughts on being a solid lifter?

https://imgur.com/a/dLuTD7j