Hi guys, I am installing a retrofit roller cam into my EFI'd 327 this week. I have the cam installed, and my aluminum thrust button installed. The shop that did my heads told me to adjust thrust clearance by bending the timing cover (I used two different sized large sockets, and a shop press, to "draw" the cover further from the button, because it was hitting at first, it actually did a very clean and neat job, it looks stock). The shop instructed me to set the cover such that it was barely hitting the thrust button, with NO gasket, and then with the gasket installed the thrust clearance would be okay. The problem is, this to me seems like the clearance will be too large. The gasket is most likely 0.020-0.030" compressed thickness.

Comp says the thrust clearance on the button must be 0.005" to 0.010".

Are there any tricks you guys have used to set the button clearance with a stamped steel cover??

I was thinking of installing the cover, prying gently on one of the lobes, through a lifter hole, till the cam and button touch the cover, then carefully take the cover off, set my dial indicator on the button, zero it, and push the cam/gear assembly back into the block, and see what the total travel is. I don't think the spring in my dial indicator is stiff enough to push the cam back in when I am zero'ing it.

Any other ideas? I wish I had saved the stupid old timing cover gasket, to measure what the compressed thickness is. Crap crap crap!!!!