When adjusting the the valves with a solid cam, are they adjusted looser or tighter when cold?

Larry

Looser. Metal expands when warmed up, narrowing the tolerance.

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From what I've read and experienced, no change takes place in clearance on a cast iron headed small block. The change takes place on engines with an aluminum head. The cyl head expands more than an iron head and gets taller. The rocker arm moves away from the pushrod making the clearance looser. The iron lifter and steel pushrod expand less than the head. SB chevys with aluminum heads should be set about .002" closer when cold.

David, Are you saying ignore the factory proceedures that give two settings for hot and cold? They must know something. It may be more important on a aluminum head motor but I wouldn't ignore what we have known for all these years. I don't run solid lifters so I am no expert for these settings but how can you say no change takes place on a iron head. Iron still expands and contract with temperature. So what do you go by, the hot or cold setting seeing how the motor is both at times

I saw this same topic on the chevelle site just a few days ago. Some say there is no change, some say the gap will get smaller with any block and heads, some say the gap gets smaller with iron and iron but bigger with an iron block and an aluminum head. I am not sure what will happen. IMHO I think that both aluminum and iron will expand when hot so that whatever happens it should be the same result for either combination, maybe just more so in one case.