my Low dollar 318 hop-up project

All understood .... and I have done the same on budget race engine rebuilds: pull the valve out a way, wobble it, and see what I get. Do you, or anyone, have a rule of thumb on what can be 'gotten away with' on a budget build for valve-guide clearance or 'wobble', or what has worked OK? How much 'wobble' in the valve with it 3/4" out is OK? If it wobbled 1/32" (which is a LOT), is it time to toss the budget heads, or knurl the guides, or ????

I'm not trying to derail the process here, but it would be important IMO to give budget builders a limit to work to on valve-to-guide clearance, and what can you get away with on any clearance: piston-bore, rod or main bearings, etc. It is like the FSM giving new and service limits. A reasonable limit on valve-to-guide clearance has to exist in your mind and build work, or it's a wasted effort and will result in unhappy engine performance.

FSM has .017 with rocking method with dial indicator. After you do a few you get the feel for it. I check them at max valve lift, say .500 for example. You can also check stem wear with a mic or calipers on the wear areas to see if the stem is out of whack with the others. The exhaust guides take a beating more than the intakes. A non concentric valve seat is a sure sign of a sloppy guide to stem tolerance.