PARASAIL941

I usually dont post on motor issues ( enough sharp guys have it covered , seriously ) , but PLEASE heed the advice given . That retainer / keeper combo pictured is not gaining you .050 , its losing about .250 installed height because of the mismatch in angles . In the top pic, you can see the contact pattern on a keeper laying next to valve cover stud .
Not to be a downer , but what you see is not a speed secret from the past , but a mismatch in parts that will come apart in the near future . I'm sure the rebuilder corrected these issues on your other motor . GOOD LUCK !!!!

f_inscreenname

Again the picture of the head is from the original motor when it was being taken apart for the first time in 45 years to find out how it was built. Yes it was ugly. Not anymore. Also locks that give you .050 do stick up above the retainer due to the placement of the rib in the lock. Also I am the original rebuilder of the said original motor and it runs fine and did not "come apart" all summer blasting around in my drag boat.
Not saying I know much but I can follow something that works and if it works or not was not the question because it dose. The genius of taking a 427 truck motor and turning it into a true champion making 482 (beating all the greats of its time)offshore race motor can never be called a mismatch in parts that will come apart in the near future.

Again I appreciate everyone's advice and really don't mind if anyone wants to debate the build all they want but please stop with the "follow these smart guys advice" stuff. I know they are smart. So wasn't Carl Kiekhaefer and being I have a running version of his motor and need a second one that is exactly the same it's getting built to the letter. I just had stock locks and needed the .050 locks like the original motor has.

I still would like the questions answered for future valve spring installs though. Always a shim or not?

PARASAIL941

I understand . I was only referring to the keeper / retainer combo shown in picture . I've seen much uglier , not a big deal . Also , it is a good idea to run a hardened shim or have head machined for a spring cups. I wasnt being sarcastic when I said GOOD LUCK !!!!

billy boats

Those pics in no way depict a .050 up keeper. They are more likely compressing the spring down .150
I understand you original question so here is a clear answer, if you want a correct job yo must use a hardened steel spring seat between the head and spring.
If you are showing those pics as you current spring height of approx 2.00 with no shim of any kind under the spring and are concerned that adding a .060 spring seat will give you an installed height of 1.940. WE are trying to explain that The mismatched parts of the retainers and keepers are lowering your installed height drastically. It is a mistake that is yielding an inaccurate installed height .

sutphen 30

again,if the lock is made for the retainer,it will sit inside the retainer w/ very little sitting up.the boss inside the lock is what they move.If I was at the shop I'd take pics showing the correct set up for locks/keepers and retainers.just remember theres 7°,super 7° and 10° locks and their retainers.Just because you ran they first pics set up,doesn't make it right.I just want you to have it set up right and a bonus may be you now have plenty of room w/ the retainer seated properly w/ the locks.

as for shims,anything more than stock pressures(merc original,they have no seat pressure) should get some type of shim.

Knot 4 Me

Question? Once the valve covers are on who's to say it is not a clone of the original 482? Meaning, setup the valvetrain correctly using today's parts and knowledge and don't worry about copying what they did back in the day down to a "T".

mike tkach

iTrader: (3)

the op was given some good advice but it appears he is not going to follow it.another case of not wanting to hear it i guess.the mis match is pretty much a failure waiting to happen!the head probibally was not that way from mercury.who knows what has been done since it was new?

tad117

we all understand if it aint broke dont fix it mentallity. We are all just noticing that the springs that are not disassembled in photo one that the keeper and retainer are not matched up properly and it is just a matter of time before it drives the keeper thru the retainer and that should be addressed. the fact that it held together thru the whole summer is pretty amazing and you are pretty lucky.

f_inscreenname

Alright, you guys are out of hand.
1, Forget the f_in head in the pictures. It was a head that was being disassembled after 45 years. How you all can re-engineer a head from a picture taken of it sitting on the floor in a dark garage while being taken apart is amazing. You all really think you can tell what lock (7 or 10 degree) is in the keeper from a picture? You can barely see the lock for f_ sake.
2, I understand you all are trying to help but what you are saying is to throw away what a legend built, had won races and championships with and I have used in my flat bottom drag boat all summer (and I have/had a few boats over the years). Drop it all and take some advice of folks that have never run, seen, touched or looked at the motor. Really?
3, Yes there is some smart people here. Very smart but who will step up and say they are smarter than a two time Nascar champion and the guy who started Mercury Marine, won offshore championships and did more in a week then most will do in a life time?
I get it. It’s not what you would do. But that’s what they did and that was not the question in the first place.
So please stop. I don’t need a new cam or springs or retainers. I just need the new .050 locks so there will be enough room to get a shim under the spring (because I personally prefer something between the head and spring). Also the spring fits in the cup/seat right and will not bounce around.
Again I’m not trying to be an ass here but you need to stop acting like I’m some sort of yokel that has no clue and don’t take advice. I asked a simple question that has been still simi answered. I don’t need to take the head to a machine shop to have valves put in it and folks to even suggest that from that reference picture have no clue who I am.

On a side note, this is why people think folks on this (OSO) board are stuck up. I asked a simple question and at this point you all are questioning the knowledge of Carl Kiekhaefer and myself over a reference picture. Real cool and friendly. Unless you are running the latest and greatest someone always has to come out and say it’s not good enough. Being these motors are going in a 1967 race boat I don’t think it would be proper to dump the latest and greatest in it and what would be the point of fake dressing a motor up to look like its old? Maybe some of you all missed the original question from the start of the thread and decided to pile on. I don’t know but it’s not a good way to make friends.
PS, I’ve been here for a decade and not going anywhere so if I rubbed you the wrong way you may want to find the ignore button.

Mark

Here is another picture of it together, have at it.

PARASAIL941

No offense taken . I have 3 kids and they usually react the same to my advice .