Need Hemi Advice

[dan juhasz]

I very recently purchased a 66 Hemi Coronet 440. This is also the first hemi car I've ever had,driven or worked on. It is not the original engine. Having said that the engine sounds louder to me on the passenger side, not exhaust leak and not the usual extra loud tick from needing a valve adjustment . I pulled the valve cover today just to take a peek, look for anything suspicious or broken. Definitely not mopar valve train , but no broken spring, bent pushrod etc. I slid a feeler gauge under a few rockers and found the gap to be around .030 give or take. If I can't find documents to tell me the preferred setting what should I adjust them to? .030 seems large? The other question is how the spark plug tubes are sealed. They all had the o ring where they meet the valve cover. But if you look at the pictures I'm pointing with a screwdriver to the insert in the head. Looks like a groove that might/should hold another oil ring to keep oil from getting around the spark plug . Am I right or wrong? Can a knowledgeable member I'd the heads for my I took pictures of every number I could see. Is this a good valve train?, is anyone familiar with the parts pictured.
Thanks a lot for your inputs!
Dan

 

[Fran Blacker]

Yes there should be an o-ring there. They are after market spark plug tube seals. Heade look like 68 heads. Roll tip rockers I know little about but a roller maybe shot. Go to my mopar and download a service manual, its in reference .

 

[Fran Blacker]

You should download a 66 and a 67 manual. The 66 manual doesn't have Hemi engine in it, 67 does. Say .010 intake .020 exhaust hot. I'd wait on that until someone adds more. I set mine cold.

 

[lewtot184]

pretty sure factory mechanical lash is .028"/.032". may have some straight pin pistons in it; they're noisey when cold. looks like milodon plug tube seals. unfortunately unknown engines are like a box of cracker jacks; the surprise is inside.

 

[Fran Blacker]

If you want to check engine block numbers casting date on side of block, don't remember which side ,driver's? Front pad on top of engine has stampings BH I think is 66 but? It will have numbers to say what day engine was assembled. Fender tag bottom row on left will tell you when car was built, first 3 or 4 numbers.

 

[Darter6]

As in post #4 .028 I .032 E as stated in the service bulletin dated December 1965. It also said set cold.Sounds like yours is set close to spec.Without knowing who's cam is in there it's just a guess. Hemi's seem to be noisy cold. Hell mine is noisy all the time.

 

[Hemirunner]

As in post #4 .028 I .032 E as stated in the service bulletin dated December 1965. It also said set cold.Sounds like yours is set close to spec.Without knowing who's cam is in there it's just a guess. Hemi's seem to be noisy cold. Hell mine is noisy all the time.

.028-.032 with stock iron heads and stands would be fine cold, although I wouldn’t want to listen to that sloppy thing hammer. With those aluminum stands growing at temp, the lash will get really sloppy if not lashed hot. The lash requirement is gonna depend on head/block/rocker material and the lash ramps on the cam. I’d shoot for .024/.027 hot and leave it at that.

 

[Fran Blacker]

Chart for setting lash.

 

[Johnpat]

Do you know what cam you have??
Without a cam card you can set them a little
Closer than they are now & see how it reacts
28/32 is for a stock cam from factory.
When I purchased my 66 Satellite Hemi had no cam card.it had a comp cam with no specs.
Comp told me to check the settings& set them
The way I suggested above.

 

[TetanusShot]

I run an iron block, iron heads, and aluminum rocker stands same as you. I run .018 on both cold without issues. BUT, every engine is different and who's to say I'm on the ragged edge or not. I'd trust Hemirunner.

I thought the .022 and .024 I used to do was noisy! Can't imagine what .032 would sound like.

 

[6PKRTSE]

I would run thru the lash on all of them if I were you. Everyone runs different lash depending on their combo. Mine is an iron block, alum heads with the Barton rocker system with steel stands and aluminum rockers so mine are different yet. Mine are .024" cold per Barton. Seemed to be fine on the dyno.

 

[wyrmrider]

Depends on the Ramps on the Cam- which is unknown

 

[68 HEMI GTS]

I agree with hemi runner, run all the valves hot. Tighten them up a bit. You’ll also be able to get a gauge where the majority were already set (take note) when you do so. See how it runs. You can always adjust the lash from there. Bring the cam is an unknown you gotta start from somewhere. I had alum stands and rockers on mine, I always had to do mine hot because they didn’t consistently grow across the board. Not a big deal with iron heads, prob wouldn’t want to make a habit out of it on aluminum.

 

[68 HEMI GTS]

I would run thru the lash on all of them if I were you. Everyone runs different lash depending on their combo. Mine is an iron block, alum heads with the Barton rocker system with steel stands and aluminum rockers so mine are different yet. Mine are .024" cold per Barton. Seemed to be fine on the dyno.

View attachment 581982

Sure would like to find some room in the budget for a set of those. What ratio are you running?

 

[6PKRTSE]

I never realized the ID Pad on an R/B/Hemi block made such a nice coaster.

 

[6PKRTSE]

Sure would like to find some room in the budget for a set of those. What ratio are you running?

Mine are only 1.6 int / 1.6 exh since I still street drive everything I own a lot. I may increase the ratio later on down the road.

 

[Hemirunner]

I would run thru the lash on all of them if I were you. Everyone runs different lash depending on their combo. Mine is an iron block, alum heads with the Barton rocker system with steel stands and aluminum rockers so mine are different yet. Mine are .024" cold per Barton. Seemed to be fine on the dyno.

View attachment 581982

I have that same setup. Nicest hemi rocker system I’ve ever used.

 

[Hemirunner]

Mine are only 1.6 int / 1.6 exh since I still street drive everything I own a lot. I may increase the ratio later on down the road.

What’s he offer for ratios? Mine is 1.6/1.5 wouldn’t mind going 1.7 for this new combo.

 

[6PKRTSE]

What’s he offer for ratios? Mine is 1.6/1.5 wouldn’t mind going 1.7 for this new combo.

I believe he used to offer up to 1.9.

 

[68 HEMI GTS]

Seems like at some point you’ll start getting interference with the pushrods vs the heads. Although should be easily remedied.