The Stovebolt Site Forums The Shop Area Engine Shop Valve timing

O.K. be easy on me, bought a 1958 235, that a guy had in a 1958 Impala 3 speed with over drive, had it for about three years have always used an electric drill and ran the oil pump, had a foot starer put lots of Marvel oil in the spark plug and turned it over. Now the numbers on the block CON 4 E 138 above starter block 3836848 , do I have solid or hyd lifters ?? Finally got it in a 1949 3100, a few weeks back got a new fuel tank new fuel line new fuel pump new carburetor new distributor cap , rotor new plug wires new points new plugs . O.K. tried to start , all it would do is pop back up the carburetor . Got the distributor installed , with the BB at the pointer ,and the rotor at 6 o"clock in the correct firing order, clockwise . O.K I have done a search the valves need adjusting ...... been to three state fairs four goat fu----- and one war, have never adjusted valves . On a search , it says put the flywheel on the triangle and adjust the valves cold at .016 exhaust and .010 intake , is this right ? seems funing to adjust all the valves in one place, when the cylinders all in a difference place,some maybe intake,some exhaust some in between . Or is there something I'm missing. Please help, easy I"m over 70 !!!

Car engine... hydraulic lifters. Before you go messing with valve adjustment do the following if you haven’t already. Pull #1 spark plug. Put your finger over the hole and have a helper bump the starter until your finger gets pushed away from the plug hole. Now look at the timing mark and manually turn the engine to line the marks up. Shouldn’t be more than a inch or two one way or the other. Now remove the distributor cap and see where the rotor is pointing. You may be 180* off, thus the popping when you try to start it.
Others will chime in on valve adjustment.🛠

Procedure for setting Stovebolt engine valve lash

Check that the “mating surface” of the rocker arm is smooth (no “groove“).

Big block GM 6 cyl engines have a different firing order.

Ed

Would that be a V6?
A different species/world from our Stovebolt sixes!

Which V6?
What about this V-6: 1-5-3-6-2-4

The BIG GMC inline sixes like the 503 cubic inch in Ed's truck have a different firing order.

The key to the whole valve lash setting and distributor placement is finding TOP DEAD CENTER on #1 cylinder while on the firing stroke.

The piston is at TOP DEAD CENTER twice, once on the fire stroke, once on the exhaust stroke.

There are several ways to find TOP DEAD CENTER.

1) As stated above, hold your thumb over the hole while the starter is bumped over, when compression blows your thumb away from the hole, you are on the fire stroke. Using the fan belt or pulleys, slow turn the engine till the correct mark line up on the view hole.

2) Pull the valve cover and bump the starter over while watching the valves on #1 cylinder. ( easier with plugs removed ) When both valves are closed, the timing marks should be getting very close to the viewing hole. Slowly turn the engine till they are aligned.

When on the firing stroke at TOP DEAD CENTER, the distributor rotor should be pointing at #1 spark plug wire terminal on the distributor cap. It doesn't have to be pointing at the cylinder or spark plug, just the correct terminal on the cap. Be sure the cap is wired in the correct firing order and the correct rotation direction. The vacuum advance unit is like an arrow pointing to the correct way of rotation. The vacuum hose / tube is on the feather end of the arrow, the pointed end is inside the distributor.

Good explanation on TDC.

My buddy once used a pencil in #1 cylinder hole, eraser first,to find TDC while his wife touched the key. The pencil broke leaving the eraser, metal band and wood in the cylinder. He completed his work. When he fired it up, the stuff was blown out the exhaust port and the engine suffered no bad effects. Gave him a bad time about that.

Sounds like your buddy got pretty lucky.

rubber stopper

It's covered in the tech tips...

"Valve timing" VS valve adjustment- - - - -there's no point in getting involved in this thread!
Jerry

I use a straw from local weed, unlimited supply, zero cost.

If one wants to check for valve clearance, modeling clay rolled to fit in spark plug hole works.

Ed