8BA valve springs&lifters?
 

the springs in my 'rebuilt' 8BA are striped with bright green paint can anyone ID them and tell me which end goes up? they are close coiled at one end only...also do i need heavier springs with adjustable lifters? i was going to buy the isky 185G springs but they are rated at 85 Lbs @2 in which is abuo the stock rating...

Re: 8BA valve springs&lifters?
 

Tighter coils go toward the guide.

Re: 8BA valve springs&lifters?
 

The close coils got toward the head of the valve. If you used the 185G springs you don't have to set them to 2in. I think 2-1/8 would bring them down to around 55-60#. Walt

Re: 8BA valve springs&lifters?
 

Actually i am just that close to chucking these adjustable lifters....12 the threads are real tight cant hardly get the tool to hold them in pace to be able to turn the adjuster...the other 4 are too loose would have to ding the threads or apply heavy duty loctite...and since the valves are new so never been clipped, the lifter needs the adjuster turned nearly way down... no room to get tool or wrench in there. i found a nice set of hollow original lifters time to learn how to shave valve stems for adjustment...
on the springs i was really wondering if it is necessary to have heavier than stock springs since the adjustable lifters are such heavy slugs...even though the cam is a stocker?
thanks in advance for any advice.

Re: 8BA valve springs&lifters?
 

With the hollow lifters you can drill a 1/8 inch hole in the lifter bore and insert a punch to hold the lifter while you adjust the it with a wrench. Heavier springs are used to help follow the cam at high rpm to avoid valve float. Stock springs with stock cam will be fine. Anything more wastes energy and creates unwanted heat. Just my opinion.

Re: 8BA valve springs&lifters?
 

Those lifter tools are a nuisance, so the last 3 blocks I drilled the lifter bores so I could insert a pin to hold the lifter from turning. But, too late for you to drill the bores without getting chips down the bore. So, when the lifter is down measure the adjustment needed and then turn the crank so the lifter is up to it's top position where the tools can get a bite. You will quickly learn how much to turn the lifter (say a quarter turn is .004). Make the adjustment then let the lifter back down and measure how close you are. I just picked up a valve grinder so for my next build I will use solid lifters and do it the old fashioned way.
John

Re: 8BA valve springs&lifters?
 

Drill the hole about an 1/8" above the oil maniflod tube, make a center punch from an old philups incert and put it into a rod about 8" long. I used an old distributor shaft. now you can center punch the guide bores. now get a 3/16 long drill from the hdw store and drill all the holes. I use an allen wrench to hold the lifter from turning, you'll have to grind an old 7/17 wrench to fit. If you using a cam with hi-lift like the L-100 or 400jr you;ll have to gring of an 1/8" off the lifter bore to get the wrench in. I made a tool that does that. Ain't this fun.
PS just use a .060" shim under the stock springs

Re: 8BA valve springs&lifters?
 

Ol' Ron thank you for the tip to use .060 shims...i went to the local NAPA machine shop here and got 16 .060 shims 3/4" ID and 1" OD for $9.60 total price. Dan the machinists advised me that the shim is best placed above the spring and also it is marked 'this side up' and that the close coils of the spring go down towards the lifter.
My adjustable lifters don't have the typical diagonal reliefs in the side, instead they have a 1/4" wide relief all the way around, so i don't think the drilled holes to aid adjustment would help in my case.... fingers crossed for a good outcome when i finally fire this up.

Re: 8BA valve springs&lifters?
 

Yes the drilled holes will work just fine. The close coils go against the guide, along with "This side up.

Re: 8BA valve springs&lifters?
 

The machinist is incorrect on the spring orientation the tight coils go towards the guide or the valve head as Walt stated,not the lifter.The vsi this side up goes towards the spring.You have to be able to read this side up before the spring goes on.I know all of this is confusing as the info is all about an overhead valve assembly.Therefor on an "ohv" the tight coils would go on first on top of the shim that you can read this side up all on the head side..The tight coils never go at the retainer end in any assembly.Only on bee hive springs which is another can of worms,Harley Davidson.

Re: 8BA valve springs&lifters?
 

The above is correct. Walt