Try this link:

http://www.ehow.com/how_2142943_use-plastigage-measure-clearances.html

Plastigage has been around at least 40 years- - - - -I've been using it that long, and it was not a new product when I discovered it. You need to find a more experienced mechanic to help you, as some of the procedures you've described on this job would shock a shadetree wrench jockey. Good luck!
Jerry

"It is better to be silent and be thought a fool than to speak and eliminate all doubt!" - Abraham Lincoln
Cringe and wail in fear, Eloi- - - - -we Morlocks are on the hunt!
There is nothing noble in being superior to your fellow man; true nobility is being superior to your former self. - Ernest Hemingway
Love your enemies and drive 'em nuts!