Setting valve lash with new, non filled hydraulic roller lifters

74Scooter said
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.

He bent the valves because fluid doesn’t compress. When you fill/pump up the lifters on the bench before firing the engine, then set preload on a full lifter, you’re not actually setting preload. You are opening the valve to what ever distance you think you’re setting preload to. Hence bent valves.