to start off Ive been building this engine for like 7 years acquired parts through the years and done different things at different times.

sooo here is what I got...

when I was a tech I pulled an LS1 out of a 2000 firebird WS6 that had went through some water and bent a rod. they got a crate motor and didn't need the core back so lucky me I get a free LS1.
I got a rod and piston from here back in 2014 I believe. and I also got a texas speed torquer v4 cam from here also. now back then I was reading a lot on how easy it was to port and polish heads. so the 241 heads that were on the engine I spent like 24 or more hours doing that. then since I worked at a chevy dealership my parts department was throwing away old parts and cores that gm didn't want back so lucky me again I noriced some heads in on the throwaway pile and asked if I could have them. and guess what they said yeah. so I get a free pair of 243 heads. I had no idea what was wrong with them. I asked around and they said they where warped. ok no problem ill mill em. I was kind of broke back then so I get a set of used PSI 1515ml valve springs on ebay for like $100 I cant remember how much. when I get them they are in a PSI 1511ml box. so whatever maybe thats was what they got replaced with. so I spend anouther 24 or more hours port and polishing the 243s and I send em to the machine shop and he finds 2 bent valves and he was supposed to mill them .010. I've had these heads sitting around since 2015. so I get my **** together and like last month I start assembling it. all new bearings, bolts, ls7 lifters, guides, trunion upgrade you know like new. so I installed the heads and I was going to measure for pushrod length because they're milled right. so I got the comp cams length checker 7702-1. I meased 10 turns to get to 0 lash. so that means 10 x .050 is .50 added to 6.8 is 7.3 then add preload of .070 means I should get 7.37 push rods. wich is basicly stock length..... now hold on I had these heads milled .010 I thought I should need shorter ones. so I did the eo ie way I believe that's it and with the stock pushrod in the hole from 0 lash to 22ftlb I get 1 1/4 turns on exaust and 1 1/2 turns on intake. so that way stock pushrods are perfect.

sooooooo did he mill these heads or not??? I'm at a loss maybe he didn't do what I wanted and paid for years ago or what?
also i'm a little worried about the valve springs being OK also.
hit me up tell me what you think.

 

I don't think you would be able to identify a .010 mill job via pushrod length. One, the way you're using the checker, you're counting rotations. How many rotations is 0.010"? a fifth. At best you're counting half-turns?

Seconds, the base circle on the torquer is not guaranteed to be the same as a stock cam, which would mean you'd need a longer pushrods.

So, really, if you want to know if the heads were milled, have them cc'd if they are unmilled, chambers will be 64cc. If they were milled .010, chambers will be about 62.5cc

 

yeah I was thinking that the cam could take an effect on the pushrod length. when I was doing the mill every one was like be carefull of ptv clearance and don't go to much bla bla bla. I hope im happy with the build... if I keep it...

 

You'd just use the same length push rod on heads milled .010

Like said above good to check with an aftermarket cam but if I didn't know any measurements I would say that you'd most likely need a 7.4 pushrod, and it looks like you do.

But that's just an internet guess by the info.

Does anyone know how much preload can be put on the stock lifters before running into problems (bottoming out)?

 

LS7 ones are near .150" total travel.travel.

In this build, 7.375" PRs will give about .075" preload; 7.400" would give about .100". Either would work fine.

As said, .010" of milling would have so little effect on preload, as to be lost in the "noise", of all the other variables. I'd go with what the measurements say and not worry about "thought".