I'm getting close to switching to a roller cam in the big block!

What if….



I put a pie cut in the lever…



Hammered it back together….



Welded it back up and spritzed it with Duplicolor…..



Now it is angled a bit like a Pistol grip shifter…



This ought to work and save me the cost of buying one.

I kinda like the design of this one since the valve retainer isn't pulled to the side

One of the reasons for the delay is that I will need to do a few things here that are not familiar to me. I never had to figure out how to set up a cam button. I have seen suggestions that others have made but until I do it myself, I’m feeling a bit sketchy. I’ve never measured installed height for valve springs either. Maybe I have just been lucky because in every other build, if I changed valve springs, the heads were on a table and… I never checked the installed height and it always worked out fine. I am guessing that if I were aiming higher for lower ETs, I would have been burned for not paying closer attention.
I bought stuff through Dwayne Porter. Spring shims in the three common thicknesses.







I have a spring height measuring tool…



I recall the spec for installed height was 1.860 plus or minus .010. With it set to spec, it checked out.



Okay, these are not NASA level instruments but the numbers did match up.
Regarding the measuring process:
I have Edelbrock heads and I’m pretty sure they have steel pockets the springs ride on. Do I just put the measuring tool over the valve stem and onto the steel pockets/seats with the retainer and locks in place… then unwind the measuring tool until it is snug under the retainer?
Let’s say I come up with 1.890 and I need 1.860. Is this really as simple as just adding a .030 shim and rechecking it?

Usually there will be a recommendation for installed height to get to a target seat pressure. Do you have that info? What spring do you have?

And to answer your question, yes. Add 0.030” and remeasure.

Bear with me here…some of this is so new, I barely know what I am stating.
I am going from the advice of Dwayne on this for the things I’m not familiar with. Here are the cam specs. The cam card shows the same info, nothing on the suggested springs.


The lift will be higher. I have 1.6 rocker arms, these specs are based on a 1.5 ratio.
Dwayne suggested these:



The goal was to move the power peak below 6000 and to increase vacuum for the power brakes.

I assume Dwayne wants them in at 1.875”, +/- 0.0075” (1.867 - 1.883).

Or just target less than or equal to 1.875.

I wrote down 1.860 with + or - .010. I also wrote down 130 lbs and 310 lbs for closed and open pressures.
I don't know enough to go against his recommendation. He also specified the part number for the springs.

I’m just looking at the box. Certainly follow his recommendations.

I also wrote down 130 lbs and 310 lbs for closed and open pressures.

Click to expand...

I don’t know how you came up with that.

I made it as simple as possible.
Just install the springs at 1.860” +/- .010 like I suggested, and you’re done.
The pressures will be what they should be.

As I wrote above, I don't know much about spring setups and such. I had the 130/310 numbers written on the same pages as several other things related to this setup. Below it, it had the words Edelbrock 5792 spring. Maybe I was looking at the springs that are currently in place?

The 8005’s @1.860 will be a nominal 140lbs closed and 370-ish @.580 lift.

That makes sense. If they are listed at 135 at a height of 1.875, compressing the spring .015 should result in an increase of spring pressure, right?

That’s how it works.

Good information on Comps site for valve springs.

INSTALLATION
​

STEP 1
Before installing the spring on the cylinder heads, check the installed spring height (Diagram A). This is the distance from the bottom of the retainer to the surface where the spring rests on the head. The valves, retainers and valve locks will be used in this step. First, install the valve in the guide, then install the retainer and valve locks. Pull the retainer tightly against the valve locks while holding the valve assembly steady. Measure the distance between the spring seat and the outside step of the retainer using your height micrometer (Part #4928) or (#4929) or a snap gauge and a pair of calipers. Repeat this procedure for all the valves and record your Information. After you have measured all the valves, find the shortest height. This will become the spring’s installed height on your heads. If your combination includes a dual or triple spring assembly, it will be necessary to allow for the inner steps of the retainer.
STEP 2
Once you have determined the shortest installed height, it will be necessary to use shims to obtain this height (±.020” is acceptable) on the remaining valves. These are available through our catalog or at any of your local COMP Cams® dealers.
STEP 3
Before removing the retainers, measure the distance from the bottom of the retainer to the top of the valve seal (Diagram A). This distance must be greater than the lift of the valve. If not, the guide must be machined. This is a very common cause of early camshaft failure.
STEP 4
Once the valve springs have been installed, it is important to check for coil bind. This means that when the valve is fully open, there must be a minimum of .060” clearance between the coils of both the inner and outer springs. If this clearance does not exist, you must change either the retainer or the valve to gain more installed height, or change to a spring that will handle more lift or machine the spring seat for extra depth.
STEP 5
Always check for clearance between the retainer and the inside face of the rocker arm. This will be most evident while the valve is on the seat. Rocker arms are designed to clear specific spring diameters, so you should check to see that you have the proper rocker arm/retainer combination. This situation can also be the result of improper rocker geometry and may be corrected with different length pushrods or a different length valve.
STEP 6
To aid in the engine breaking process, spray the springs, rocker arms and pushrods with COMP Cams® Valve Train Assembly Spray (Part #106).

This part:

STEP 1
.................................... After you have measured all the valves, find the shortest height. This will become the spring’s installed height on your heads. If your combination includes a dual or triple spring assembly, it will be necessary to allow for the inner steps of the retainer.
STEP 2
Once you have determined the shortest installed height, it will be necessary to use shims to obtain this height (±.020” is acceptable) on the remaining valves. These are available through our catalog or at any of your local COMP Cams® dealers.

Okay, I'm not removing every spring and having them all off at the same time. I will be doing this one at a time because the heads are on the engine.
My understanding is that I am aiming for a specific number no matter what my current measurement is. As long as my current shortest height is at or above the 1.860 number, I can shim to get to the correct number. If by some chance my installed height is already shorter than 1.860, (minus the .010 range) then I will have to find a fix for that.

It appears they are definitely talking about heads not installed. Since you are replacing the springs you can measure to see if they need shims and go from there. Keep a record of what you have for future reference.

Thank you. That is a good suggestion.
I do keep pretty good records of stuff like that. This being a monumental change, I plan to record everything that I do.

Sometimes you gotta do what you gotta do with what you have lol

Ha ha...THAT is close to the chart that I was thinking of making.