Proper valve settings.

When I purchased my F-100 pickup with the 233 cu. in engine the valve train was incredibly noisy so I adjusted them to the factory spec. of .019". However afterwards the the rocker arm noise is just as noisy as before. My question is , is it harmful to the engine if I continue to use thinner and thinner feeler gauges until the noise is eliminated? I know it is possible to set the lifters too tight but I believe that I have quite a ways to go before reaching that point. Looking for some direction or advise. Many thanks.

The proper valve lash setting on a 1955 223 six is .015 for the intakes and .019 on the exhausts these are both a hot setting i.e. Engine needs to be warmed up good first. The valve lash setting is quite important to a good tune and the engines performance and economy. You aren't really able to tighten up the valve lash setting enough to make any real difference in the noise level such as you would have with the newer Hydrolic lifter engines, that is without also hurting engine performance and or taking a chance on causing damage to your valve train parts. Depending on the engines overall condistion, if it actually has more valve train noise than would be normal for a stock engine in good condistion. If so one area you should check out is the condistion of the rocker shaft (the bottom side can show wear) and then also the rocker arm bushings for excessive ware these parts can be replaced if needed or you can also get rebuilt rocker assemblies. In these cases with the engine running (Valve cover off) you will see the rocker arm bouncing some on the shaft from the extra worn clearance. Good luck in the hunt.

Thanks so much for your quick response and directions. Hope to get back on adjusting the valves tomorrow.
Will post my results.

Hi, if you set the lash too tight the valve may not sit on the seat long enough to shed heat and can burn. You will also have low vacuum.
I generally aim for a "slightly loose" factory spec.
For instance if I want .015 on the intake I want the feeler gauge to feel slippery on .015, but the .016 blade will be very tight.
Make sure the engine is fully warmed up.
Go over each valve at least twice.
Good luck

Thanks B RON CO, great and helpful information as I hopefully only have to work through this once.