SB push rod legnth checker, how to

What you need to do is make sure lifter is on the base circle of the cam lobe for the pushrod you're checking- ie, the valve is completely closed. The methods 67Dart mentioned work great, I just look and make sure the thing is on the base circle, but that's because I measure for the push rods before I install the intake.

Once you've figured out that the lifter for the valve your checking is riding on the base, adjust the checker until you feel solid contact. You don't want to worry about the lash, just figure out what the length is for zero lash. The lifter won't be pumped up, so you'll feel it start to compress if you go too far. I usually try to figure it out down to the 1/8 of a turn, that's about as close as you can eyeball the checker.

Once you've checked all the lengths, you can just add preload to the length. You probably want between .020" to .060", depending on your school of thought and type of lifter.

With any luck all of your pushrods check out in that range (or closer) and you can just buy one length. If you're really lucky, it will be close enough to a "standard" length to just catalog order something. Otherwise you're buying custom pushrods. Smith Bros. makes awesome pushrods, I've used them a couple times now (since I wasn't luck enough to be close to a standard length). Not cheap, but man are they nice...