Here's a "shade tree" trick for setting valve lash "close enough to run". With both valves closed and the distributor rotor pointing directly toward the spark plug wire terminal for a specific cylinder, GENTLY tighten the valve adjusting screw until you feel a little drag on the pushrod as you spin it, and then back the adjuster off 1/4 turn. Lock the nut down and move over to the other valve and do the same thing. Turn the crankshaft to the next cylinder in the firing order and do it again. Six times and you're done. The engine will run with all the valves closing completely. If they're noisy, carefully reduce the clearance until they get quiet. Kind of a "half-donkey" method, but it's worked well for me for 50+ years.
Jerry
