bench shimming?? APE

I just recieved my head back from APE that had a note to bench shim it prior to installation. I'll call them on Monday but thought I could probably get a few tips from the crew here. Is this to be performed any diff than if it was installed??

New valves, guides, seals, std. valve job should def. help bump comp. back up. Waiting on jugs back from them bored for 1075, going to run stock cams and carbs for now with their 10.25:1 pistons.

Yes, Just like if it was on the engine. The reason we put that note in there is in the off chance we would have a valve length out of the shim range, you would like to find out before the head was on the motor.

How did you like the way it came out?

Jay

This might seem like a completely idiotic comment but when you bench shim you do it without the valve springs installed!

Being a complete moron I couldnt understand how you could rotate the cam against the spring tension until someone told me: DOOOH!

Hold the valve into the seat with your fingers rotate cam until appropriate lobe is away 180deg. away from shim and measure. Once shim size sorted refit valve gear as normal hopefully not mixing up shims.

Highly recommended if valve seats have been reground. Nothing worse that putting head on to find no shim is small enough

Bench shimming? My Clymer says that's a big no-no because of the possibility of bending valves, but it seemed to me to make sense to do this 'cause you could do it on the bench, for Pete's sake, not struggling around the frame. So, do I put the block on the bench, set the head on that, then install the cams? Should I do it one cam at a time, so I don't get interference between intake and exhaust valves? What is the suggested way to turn the cams?

If you do it the way I suggest you only have one valve in the head at a time.

Based on my experience this works pretty well. When I refiited my J head 6 months agon I checked once it was fitted to the bike after having undertaken this procees. Only one shim needed to be swapped further

I just lapped valves on my 1100 head and managed to get the shims all mixed up so I went through measuring all with a thin one, figured out what went where, and measured again to be safe.

Process follows...

Make sure everything is clean!

Stick a bucket and shim in a hole.
Stick the valve in the other end.
Drop the camshaft in.
Makse sure valve and camshaft are seated.
Measure the clearance.
WRITE IT DOWN.
Move on to the next bucket-valve

Post edited by: Duck, at: 2007/06/16 20:47

Bumped to the head of the line for the benefit of atp.

atp,

Did you search first?

KZCSI

torque the cams to at least half the spec before measuring for shims. You want to be right on not pissed off.

I bench shimmed the head today and need to call Jeff to obtain more 2.80 and 2.90 shims, otherwise it looks to be in spec once the proper shims are in. only slight gripe is they(APE) electric stencil what looks to be a job# on the head on a highly visable fin by the plug location, I wished they would have found a less obvious place to stencil this # on or use some other method. little gripe otherwise looks fine.

yeah, i have to run 2.20 shims on two of my ehaust valves

i want to get new/bigger seats, valves, and guides next winter :B

MkII wrote:

I bench shimmed the head today and need to call Jeff to obtain more 2.80 and 2.90 shims, otherwise it looks to be in spec once the proper shims are in. only slight gripe is they(APE) electric stencil what looks to be a job# on the head on a highly visable fin by the plug location, I wished they would have found a less obvious place to stencil this # on or use some other method. little gripe otherwise looks fine.

Training Mike to writye the numbers on the bottom where they won't be seen when the engine is assembled.

You are right about it being a work order number. Every part we get in the shop gets a number as soon as we unpack it. We never have to pick up a block, head, or crank, etc. and try and guess who it belongs to. This way we never mix up customers parts.

Your block and pistons are on the way. ( I hope the number is on the bottom:whistle:

Jay

Post edited by: APE Jay, at: 2007/06/21 23:56

APE Jay wrote:

MkII wrote:

I bench shimmed the head today and need to call Jeff to obtain more 2.80 and 2.90 shims, otherwise it looks to be in spec once the proper shims are in. only slight gripe is they(APE) electric stencil what looks to be a job# on the head on a highly visable fin by the plug location, I wished they would have found a less obvious place to stencil this # on or use some other method. little gripe otherwise looks fine.

Training Mike to writye the numbers on the bottom where they won't be seen when the engine is assembled.

You are right about it being a work order number. Every part we get in the shop gets a number as soon as we unpack it. We never have to pick up a block, head, or crank, etc. and try and guess who it belongs to. This way we never mix up customers parts.

Your block and pistons are on the way. ( I hope the number is on the bottom:whistle:

Jay<br><br>Post edited by: APE Jay, at: 2007/06/21 23:56

so, does APE Jay have any ol kz's in his stable at home?