[93mustank]

Well, if he's not slapping his pistons, what is it then? Is he using flat tops, domes or dished pistons?

He clearly says that he is hitting valve against piston in the first post......

the problem hit was with a trickflow stage 1 cam with .499 in and .510 ex everything together and it bent pushrods i bought a used set of heads e7 with trickflow springs for upto .542 lift cam now will i have the same problem with the valves hitting the piston

I was taught that once you get into cams with .500 or more lift, you begin to get into valve clearance problems if the cam isn't installed properly. Maybe not right at .500, but it can happen.

You were taught wrong.............


This guy needs to disclose more info on the problem and the set up....... and what valves are hitting (exhaust or intake)........could be cam timing or worn stock valve springs (floatin a valve) .......but we dont know exactly what happened........

I just dont get how he did it twice................

[fairlane_68]

Originally Posted by 93mustank You were taught wrong.............

Ford Senior Master Technicians and ASE Master Techs are very seldom wrong.

[1slo5.0]

Originally Posted by fairlane_68 Well, if he's not slapping his pistons, what is it then? Is he using flat tops, domes or dished pistons? I had a friend a few years back who owned a '69 Firebird drag car, with a Pontiac 428. It had 11.5:1 compression, forged this, balanced that, and the car kept bending pushrods. We found the problem after reinstalling the cam and degreeing it in. The builder (hack job shadetree builder), didn't use hardened pushrods and guideplates, nor did he use double springs, because he claimed the cam instructions didn't say he needed them. After we got those parts installed and fixed a bad torque converter, the car ran low 11's all day long. I'm throwing out questions to eliminate problems he could be having. I'm not trying to be argumentative. I was taught that once you get into cams with .500 or more lift, you begin to get into valve clearance problems if the cam isn't installed properly. Maybe not right at .500, but it can happen. If he's putting these parts on a worn engine, all of the above mentioned factors come into play. It could be a lifter that's pumped up solid, the wrong cam being used, pushrods that are too long, or a stretched connecting rod.

Like I said in a previous post his problem could be caused by a number of things such as pistons hitting valves, cam installed wrong, valve springs coil binding, wrong valve springs, etc. Until the problem is found the problem can not be fixed.

Your friend's Firebird comparison is not a valid one. You are talking about a car that has a ton of race oriented work done to it versus a car that is basically stock. Three things will bend pushrods - 1. valve spring pressure and 2. valves hitting pistons. 3. Valvetrain locking up (coil bind, etc.). Your friends Firebird obviously didn't have valve to piston clearance issues since the car ran after you changed pushrods and valve springs. You said the proper springs were not installed so that makes the answer pretty obvious, coil bind caused the push rod failure. Now if he did use the correct springs its possible you would have had pushrod failure then as well if he had any kind of aggressive camshaft that required high spring pressure.

[1slo5.0]

Originally Posted by fairlane_68 Ford Senior Master Technicians and ASE Master Techs are very seldom wrong.

How long have you been a technician and who told you that .500 lift is the magic number? Lift really doesn't cause the clearance problem. Its the timing events (when the valve opens and when the valve closes) that cause the issues.

[fairlane_68]

Originally Posted by Darrell How long have you been a technician and who told you that .500 lift is the magic number? Lift really doesn't cause the clearance problem. Its the timing events (when the valve opens and when the valve closes) that cause the issues.

Since 1995. Now I work on big rigs. Parts got bigger and heavier, and the pay got WAY better than flat rate would ever be. And my instructors didn't say .500 was the magic number, they said that problems start there, depending on the application. Some engines more than others. Some engines can take that much lift in stock form, others can't.





On another note...what kind of head gasket is being used? What's the compressed thickness? Copper? MLS? Fel-pro?

[1slo5.0]

I forgot to add in my previous post that your statement "Ford Senior Master Technicians and ASE Master Techs are very seldom wrong" I hope was a joke. I have a stack of ASE certifications from years ago and none of them mean anything. They sure did look good hanging on the wall though. When I went in and took those tests I laughed my ass off. The tests are so simple (especially the ASE tests) that anyone with any mechanlical inclination can pass them.

And no I don't mean any offense, I just hope that was a joke comment.

[1slo5.0]

Originally Posted by fairlane_68 Since 1995. Now I work on big rigs. Parts got bigger and heavier, and the pay got WAY better than flat rate would ever be. And my instructors didn't say .500 was the magic number, they said that problems start there, depending on the application. Some engines more than others. Some engines can take that much lift in stock form, others can't. On another note...what kind of head gasket is being used? What's the compressed thickness? Copper? MLS? Fel-pro?

Gasket thickness is going to cause minimal issues. The gaskets are only about .040 thick so a few thousandths variance isn't going to hurt anything. I don't think the guy really knows what he is doing which explains why he doesn't know what caused this problem.

[fairlane_68]

Originally Posted by Darrell I forgot to add in my previous post that your statement "Ford Senior Master Technicians and ASE Master Techs are very seldom wrong" I hope was a joke. I have a stack of ASE certifications from years ago and none of them mean anything. They sure did look good hanging on the wall though. When I went in and took those tests I laughed my ass off. The tests are so simple (especially the ASE tests) that anyone with any mechanlical inclination can pass them. And no I don't mean any offense, I just hope that was a joke comment.

Yeah, there was a hint of sarcasm there. I don't even have mine anymore. Right before I got out of the Army last year, I took the ASE tests for Brakes, Engines, and Steering and Suspension, without studying. Passed the Brake test, missed the engine by two, and I missed the Suspension/Steering by one. I laughed because I know jack shit about steering and suspensions, and never have. There are a few Master techs out there who know what they're talking about, but they're the ones who've been at it since before the Great War. My current employer couldn't care less about ASE, or Ford certifications.


I also cook.

[93mustank]

.500 lift magical number lol.........

What if you had a .300 total lift and big duration with all the valve events off....what then....

Where can i get my certification ? Cracker jacks box?

[fairlane_68]

Originally Posted by 93mustank .500 lift magical number lol......... What if you had a .300 total lift and big duration with all the valve events off....what then.... Where can i get my certification ? Cracker jacks box?

Sears. KMart had them on sale last month.

[1slo5.0]

Originally Posted by fairlane_68 Yeah, there was a hint of sarcasm there. I don't even have mine anymore. Right before I got out of the Army last year, I took the ASE tests for Brakes, Engines, and Steering and Suspension, without studying. Passed the Brake test, missed the engine by two, and I missed the Suspension/Steering by one. I laughed because I know jack shit about steering and suspensions, and never have. There are a few Master techs out there who know what they're talking about, but they're the ones who've been at it since before the Great War. My current employer couldn't care less about ASE, or Ford certifications. I also cook.

LOL! It is nice to have them though. For some reason the general public thinks that the guy with the most framed ASE certifications hanging on your the wall is the best.

Cooking gets the women from what I hear.

[fairlane_68]

Originally Posted by Darrell LOL! It is nice to have them though. For some reason the general public thinks that the guy with the most framed ASE certifications hanging on your the wall is the best. Cooking gets the women from what I hear.

I always wanted the money instead of the certifications.
Certifications weren't making the monthly payments on my Mustang back then. They ain't worth a damn to a pawn shop.

[GoodOleBoyzRacin]

i knew a guy who copied somebodys to his computer and then put his name on em......and didnt know how to do nothin. if you dont know how to turn a wrench even if you have the paper you still wont make any money

[eman88]

hey mother fucker fuck you i did it once and was askin advice so blow me

[1slo5.0]

Originally Posted by eman88 hey mother fucker fuck you i did it once and was askin advice so blow me

[woody1]

lol, this is crazy.

[93mustank]

Originally Posted by eman88 hey mother fucker fuck you i did it once and was askin advice so blow me

uh oh.............

[Nice 5.0]

I used to try and ask our Master Tech about my car which is a basic H/C/I setup when I had problems and he said if it wasn't stock he didn't know about it. I would never get a straight answer from this guy.

[haywood11]

Originally Posted by eman88 hey mother fucker fuck you i did it once and was askin advice so blow me

someone pissed in his cheerios huh?