Setting valve lash with new, non filled hydraulic roller lifters

Just had a set of heads come in. He soaked the lifters until hard. Installed,Set the preload and cranked her over. Bent 6 valves. He brought the heads to us to fix. I run all the hydraulics at zero to 1/4 turn down no more. Comp Cams and others tells you do not soak the lifters. Prime the pump while turning the engine with no plugs in it. You'll feel the lifters pump up.

Where did you hear 1/4 turn at a time until full turn. That use to be GM instruction while they were running with oil deflectors on the rockers.

The performance tip in the mopar performance Engine book for Mopar is zero for the track and 1/4-1/2 for the street. Just so you don't hear them. T/A engines were 1/4 turn on all of mine

How the heck did he bend valves? If you put in too much preload you essentially turn the lifter into a solid when you bottom out the plunger. Sooo he got too much valve lift and it hit the piston top?

Getting ready to install a new set of heads on my 360LA and 1.6 ratio rockers which will increase my valve lift by about .030 IIRC. Thread is very interesting to me. I was thinking zero lash + 1/4 turn.