Hey guys, so it's that time of the build and I had a question; I had the block decked (just enough to flatten it up, I can't remember how much it was), my heads got a skim coat taken off, I got a new cam and lifters, and I went with the MLS gaskets. I was expecting to have to get new pushrods, but just for fun I figured I'd test fit the stock ones. To my surprise, it seems like they were a perfect fit. Does this seem odd to anyone else? Any suggestions on what I might have done wrong or should double check?

 

How thick is the compressed head gasket? The missing link here....

 

Stock or stock-style lifters have quite a wide window for preload. So, .010" off the block or heads and probably a similar cam means the changes weren't outside of that .100"-.150" preload window.

 

I don't have a set of calipers, so I can't really measure the head gasket, but I had heard that the GM MLS gaskets are thinner than stock ones for an LQ4. These are comp reduced travel lifters, they reccomended a preload of about .030", which they said was about 1/2-3/4 of a turn from 0 lash to 18 ft/lbs (I thought that was odd, isn't it usually 22 ft/lbs for rockers?) I set up a dial indicator and it didn't appear to open the valves any when I torqued them down.