i have to agree with mr. webb's dad...you should be able to hear some valvetrain noise. a completely quite valvetrain on anything but a car with hydraulic lifters is a warning sign that things may be too tight. however, there is a fine line between acceptable valve clatter vs. excessive to the point where actual mechanical damage may occur. i've seen many burnt valves due to being too tight. i have never seen a valve damaged due to excessive clearance, though it can happen.

it takes a while to develop a "feel" for how much resistance the feeler gauge should put up when adjusting valves. my comment about a loose valve being a happy valve refers to the fact that a valve is better off being on the loose side if one is unfamiliar with how tightly the feeler gauge should fit.

Well, valves are adjusted to spec. .003 intake cold / .007 exhaust cold. Wasn't too bad - none were off by much. I had a couple/three exhaust valves that were about .005 or .006 - not too bad for 40 years, I guess.

A couple intakes were a little tight too - and all had nice, shiny polished cam lobes with no pitting. Whew! now that's done - time to move on to a billion other little things that are bugging me.

Just went to Sears and bought a crowfoot Craftsman set. Had to grind down the 17mm one so it didn't hang up on anything nearby - but worked like a charm. No rounded off nuts or bad threards - but boy, those adjuster nuts are TIGHT.