Did you change the lifters as well? Or just rockers and mounting?

 

Lifters were done about a month ago, to slow bleed style Hughes 5006S, today i just changed the rockers to harland adjustable 1.6 ratio stud mounts.

 

Get 'em adjusted up good, and see how things are. I would *hope* they would be quiet now.

 

Did you verify correct pushrod length and correct rocker to valve contact patch? I went to their web page and they offer zero support. BIG red flag in my book.

 

Yeah, pushrod length was correct. I put an adjustable checker in there, and then put the adjustment nut halfway through its travel and then extended the adjustable pushrod. Hughes seems to be an old fashioned company still, and if you recall I did mention I called them awhile ago confirming the preload requirement being .120-140 with those lifters, and I had a great (rude) experience talking to Dave over there.

I ended up going 1 full turn past zero vertical play on the rockers, and it is definitely significantly quieter than before. There is still a tick that I can notice, but it is not overwhelmingly loud anymore, so I think there is still a little more adjusting to do. I'm currently now looking at getting new valve cover gaskets as my new valve covers are the MP performance ones, and they are 5 bolt style, so obviously the Magnum style gaskets don't seal. Which style gasket would you guys recommend? I'm seeing a lot of cork style, and I've heard that they were most commonly used, but there's the rubber impregnated ones, and then some with rubber/metal inside of them. I've seen 3 part numbers from FelPro, being VS13395 (PermaDryPlus), 1609 (Performance Blue Stripe), and then 1646 (CorkLam). But there's some others as well from Mr. Gasket, etc.

 

Another quick question relating to preload. So my studs are 3/8-24, so one full turn is about .0417” preload.

My initial setup was 1/2 past zero vertical play on the rocker, this was using the 90 degree method. I had a horrible clacking, that was actually louder than before I got the adjustable rockers in there. This did not go away with oil pressure, temp, or after a drive.

After this drive, I let the engine cool overnight and went back and adjusted all rockers again to 2.25 turns past no play (in theory about .094” preload). According to Hughes, this is still well below their recommended preload, and I’ve even read that they recommend 2 turns past zero lash with their adjustable rockers, and the engine ran like complete crap and my vacuum gauge looked like a compass in an MRI machine. This time I used the EO/IC method.

I went back again and adjusted them to where they are currently, 1 turn past, using the EO/IC method once again. And like I mentioned, the ticking is still there, but significantly quieter, the exhaust at cruise is louder than the ticking now, so progress is 100% being made, I’m just kind of processing this all.

So Hughes wants over double the preload I currently have where the valve train is ALMOST quiet. So is my assumption that I have about .0417” preload incorrect? Or is Hughes’ number way off from what it should be?

Once I get the proper gaskets in, I’m going to do an adjustment with the engine hot and running. But when I do this, I’ll back it off until it starts to tick, turn it in until it stops, then should I go 1/4, 1/2, 3/4, or 1 full turn?

 

At 24 threads per inch, that number would be correct. (technically its .04167.... but, rounding is a thing. )

 

So I mucked around with the rockers again, I warmed up the engine and then set them. I attempted to do it with the engine running but oil was going literally everywhere lol.

Each rocker is about 1.25 turns from no vertical play, and everything’s nice and quiet other than a FAINT tick.

 

Yep, that is a hazard of adjusting while running..... I had some cool clips for GM motors, that would deflect the oil, to an extent, and it was 'less' messy, but, still.... messy.

 

Yeah I put cardboard on top of the manifold, still got oil all over the manifold, the fender, the firewall, my plug wires, etc lol