Question about my valve adjustment routine on a 1965 Mustang

I have a 1965 Ford Mustang with the 289 V8 that I bought back in 2009. Last week, I decided to check the valve lash for the first time in a while and realized I've been doing it slightly wrong for years. My old mechanic in Portland told me to always adjust them hot, but I found a forum post from 3 years ago saying cold is better for solid lifters. Has anyone else run into this confusion on older engines?

2 comments

2 Comments

hannahs7110d ago

Oh boy, this is an old debate that never seems to die. The thing nobody talks about is that if your engine has been rebuilt or had the heads milled at some point, the factory hot specs might be off anyway. I'd suggest checking the pushrod length first before worrying about hot versus cold.

evanpalmer9d ago

Hannahs71 is overthinking this, honestly. For a daily driver just set them cold to factory spec and send it. If your engine's that far apart you probably already know what it needs.