BUMMER!!!

Well, that virgin block has a crack!! It is on the inside by where the distributer (cam) drives the oil pump!! I will not use that block!! That sux!! Anyway, now we will try the one with the rusted in pistons!! I just hope it is good!!
Anyway, last nite Tony and I were trying to sort out why my rocker arms are adjusted all the way out!! Tom and John feel that it may be because the valves are not seated deep enough, which is a definite possibility!! I kind of think that they look okay, but what do I know?? Can somebody do me a real favour and measure the combined height of the older style lifter and pushrod?? If you have the newer style (bucket type) also and you could compare them, that would be perfect!! Because we are dealing with a 'compounded height' 1/16th of an inch could make a difference!! If they are the same height, it is just a combination of 64th's of an inch!! And Tom and John are probably right!! Thanks in advance! If you want the discussion from last nite, I will post it!! In fact, I will put the link up next and you can ignore it if you want!!
Thanks all!!!

It is thru this thread, but we started getting somewhere at the bottom!!
<http://www.mgbexperience.com/phorum/list.php?f=1&t=99050&a=2>

Gary, I don't have the newer style to measure, and my old ones are at home, where I'm not, but now that you mention it, you may be onto something there. My adjustment changed dramatically after I switched lifter styles and had new seats installed.

As I told you in one of my e mails. I had this problem once changing an early style engine with the heavier tappets to the later style. I ended up replacing the early rocker towers with the later ones and it solved the problem. The one thing you have to do is fill the offset oil grove with a brazing rod, and finisk it off flush. This is if you valves are seated properly.

Sorry Tom!! Stupid me!! I didn't really realize what you had said!! So, let me get this right, the older towers are slightly higher??? If that is correct, why not just shave 30 thou off of them?? By the way, I appreciate your patience!!

You could do that I suppose but they had damn well better be exactly the same. Seems like a lot more trouble than brazing the offset on the later towers.

OKAY!!! Thanks Tom!! Now I can sleep again!! This has been driving me nuts!! I have woken up, put on my pants and been in the garage at 3:00AM for an hour!!!! Now is that sick or what?? :o) Damn!! I wish I had re-read your e-mail!! I could have saved everybody a lot of thinking!! :o)

You're sick Gary. Sick Sick Sick.

Well, at least I put my pants on!!! :o) I wasn't gonna!

LMO. I wouldn't have.

REMEMBER I said if the valves are seated correctly.

That's the first thing to find out. Don't chance screwing up something by "fixing" something right next to the rapairable problem.

Okay!! Now, what are the specs?? The guy that did them, said he did them to 'spec'. So is there a measuerment that they should be sticking above the head, or above the bottom of the head?? They do look right to me, but I have never paid any attention to an MGB head before, an 350's and 302's and 351's and all other engines that I have done have hydraulic lifters!! They are very close to flush with the firing chamber, right?? I would assume it is.

Gary,

There are two different adjusting screws. They are at least a 1/4 inch difference in length.

Early adjusting screws have an oil passage at the tip and the later ones don't.

Your towers didn't "look right", but after seeing mine, I can't put a finger on it.
If you shave the base, you lose the footing cast in. Maybe you could start by gettin a measurement of someones towers just to be sure you don't have a Cambridge rocker arm asembly in there or some such.

I did measure them chris!! I think I need a newer rocker assembly ad doa s Tom says!! OH!!! I didn't know that David!! tell me more!!

Gary,

I also couldn't back out my adjusting screws to set the rocker clearances correctly.

The engine that I built for my car is a 73-74 18V block with the big valve head. The rockers and shaft were very worn so I bought a new rocker shaft and used the LIKE NEW!! rockers from the previous engine I had in the car which was from a 1970 Austin Marina. So it was using the long tappets and short rods.

I then changed the short adjusting screws from the early rockers to the longer ones from the 18V engines (short lifters-long rods) and that solved my problem!!

Hope this is the solution to your problem!

Interesting!!! Thanks David!! I think we are getting there!!

1/4" is a huge difference. I will have to look at this. I wasn't aware of there being any difference. I find a difference of 1/4" hard to believe.

Yes, because it would compound and become huge!! I think maybe 1/8 inch compounding to 1/4 inch!! Man!! Am I glad I persued this!!