Tappets

[Keith Orpin]

Richard,
Do them with a cold engine, don't mess about with it being warmed up. The reason I say this is that the clearences hot and cold are the same, the worst scenario is with a warm engine as the clearences are at their tightest, so short of keeping the engine running, in an enclosed area, there is no easy way of adjusting them hot, (co-effiecience of expansion on different metals etc). The other thing is how good are your feeler gauges? i.e. are they new or an old set, as the old set will probably give you a smaller clearence, because they will have been flatten though use,and, lastly, it all depends on what sort of feel you have when pulling the gauge through.
Rule of 13 works well, i.e. (valve No 1 being the valve nearest the water pump, and 12 being at the back of the head)

when valve No 1 is fully open, adjust valve No12
when valve No 2 is fully open, adjust valve No 11
when valve No 3 is fully open, adjust valve No 10
when valve No 4 is fully open, adjust valve No 9
No 5 No 8
No 6 No 7
No 7 No 6
No 8 No 5
No 9 No 4
No 10 No 11
No 11 No 2
No 12 No 1

There is another way, which relies on two valves rocking and you adjust the opposing ones, i.e. valves 1 & 2 rocking , adjust 11 & 12
valves 3 & 4 rocking, adjust 9 & 10
valves 5 & 6 rocking, adjust 7 & 8 , reverse the above for the last 6 adjustments.
Hope the above makes sense !
Have fun, and don't rush it
Keith