Valve adjustment on 1949

[woodie]

I've got a 49 Pan with what I believe to be solid lifters and adjustable push rods. Everything in my manual talks about hydraulic push rods or lifters, no mention of solids. How do I adjust the valves after everything is together in the frame? Do I just go by feel or ear? Must be a correct way to do them. Any help will be greatly appreciated

[Cotten]

Woodie!

First, collapse your pushrod covers and remove you sparkplugs so that the motor can be easily turned through with the kicker.
Do you have aluminum or steel replacement pushrods?
With a 'cold' motor, turn it through and observe the up-and-down movement of the rods. With your thumb and index finger, attempt to twist an intake rod (one of the inside two) as it approached the bottom of its travel. When it reaches the absolute bottom, you should be able to turn it. This is when it is at the "heel' of the cam.
At this point you adjust it by extending or retracting the adjustor screw, and re-locking the locknut.
Steel rods should have a very slight resistance, and no up-and-down play. Aluminum rods should have stiff resistance, but still turnable. (When you are done, they should all be the same.)
Repeat this for the other intake pushrod, and then alternately for the exhaust pushrods. (Alternating is more important than the actual order in which you do them, as this will minimize the effect of slop in the cam bushings.)
Re-check them all for certainty.
Close your covers, put in the plugs, and yer done.
The only place you can get into real trouble is if you attempt to break the adjustor loose with only one wrench. The tappet roller can break the guide inside the gearcase if too much force is used. Do NOT overtighten the locknuts!

[57stroker]

Thanks Cotton! Didn't know about the difference between steel and aluminum. I took a piece 'o' wire and rolled around something round to make a spring and put a hook on each end. I use it to hold up my pushrod tubes. When I bought my sporty (and when had my heads done) I could tell how sloppy things were getting in the top end by how far out of adjustment the valves were. When the heads are fresh, you usually don't need to adjust the valve, but when something is headed south, you have to change the valve adjustment every service.

[King]

Hi Woodie
Since you have a 49 you could still have the old "oil can" hydraulics installed. The 48-52 (late 51?) models had them. They have the hydraulics at the top of the push rods and you can check when you collapse your push rod covers by looking at the top of the rod, a bulge about an inch or so long means you have "oil cans". Of couse if your rods are aluminum or if they have adjuster screws in the rod they are soilds. But just looking at the bottom of your rods wont tell the tale as the "Oil cans" look like soilds.
You mentioned that you had adjustable rods. i was'nt aware that you could get them for Early Panheads. if they are adjustibles I would like to know where to get them as adjustible rods make life a lot easier.

Cotton

Thanks for the advice on the adjuster screws in the tappets. I have been carefull with them as they are sure tight and I assumed that the steel torquing against aluminium aint too cool.
I replaced my worn out "oilcans" this winter with Sifton aluminium solids and so far have been happy. The motor seems to be responding a bit better and it is actually quieter. But do you know of anybody that refurbishes the old "oil can" lifters? I'd like to have them as an option.

Thanks

King

[Cotten]

King!

I know of no sources for original-design hydraulics on the rod itself. They rarely worked with a sparse oil supply, and probably the reason why so many bikes were laying around to chop in the '70s. (That,... and brass manifold ferrules.)
And I assumed that Woodie had a conversion kit. Whether the tappets had been updated, or just the pushrods replaced would make little difference to the adjustment method.

[King]

Thanks Cotten

Your take on the ole oilcans pretty much parallells my experience with them so I'll just stick to the solids and keep them adjusted as per your "drill".

King