i adjusted the valves by bringing each cylinder up to TDC, moving the pushrods up and down until there was no play, then half a turn more. going thru the firing order. car has been running fine without any problems. but i hear a slight tick coming from the passenger side. my q is, if the valves were misadjusted how lould would the noise be?? on mine it's not loud at all (sounds like injector tick) but it does sound like one could be ouy. i took it to the guy who did the heads and he said it's nothing to worry about. if the valves were off they'd be noticeably louder.

also when i started it the first time i filled it up with water thru the lower radiator hose. i thought once it started running the water would fill the block. i started the car but the water didnt go down. so it ran for about 30 seconds with an empty block. is this any cause for concern?

 

might want to recheck the rocker nuts and look for an exhaust leak. i wouldn't worry about the lack of water

 

took care of the noise. i adjusted the valves with the engine running. wasn't as messy as i thought it would be.