Rudimentary valve clearance question.

John, I just want to be sure you're checking them the right way. By your first description, you're not. It's a dynamic relationship, and the checking procedure also has to be. So you need to have the cam you're running, and the piston, and head, then put them together with the timing chain and turn it thru a few cycles to get the correct readings. Also, your cam's timing (where you installed it at) will also change the piston to valve clearances.