I was kinda hoping to just slink away in shame … but no, you guys just insist on helping.
My problem was/is in my brain. That is to say I was reading shims to the 4th digit right of the decimal on my micrometer.
Got that? 4th
Now, I knew I needed a gap of .0012-.0014, and shims came in three digit designation.
BUT
I kept seeing that 4th digit …
And trying to use that as my gap.
I was adjusting (or trying to) make adjustments out at that fourth digit.
Sigh …
That’s why I originally asked if I was missing something. Not because you guys would know what I was doing wrong, but because I needed a shake in my thinking.
I think/hope I’m going correctly now, and if that’s the case I need to chase down half a dozen .080 shims.
If not - well, I’ve been nagged before …
Mitch,
The spec clearance is 0.012 to 0.014 and NOT 0.0012 to 0.0014. Big
difference.
Paul
Mitch,
The smallest Jaguar made shim is .085 and if you need smaller then that you’ll have to have a larger shim surface ground to size. The danger is that if the valve stem has been ground in the past using the smaller shim could possibly allow the shim to come in contact with the retainer which could lead to a keeper coming out, BAD news. I’ve used slightly undersize shims in the past with no problems but it sounds like new valve seats are in the future.
Bob
889076
Plymouth, Mi.
Paul - Yeah, what you said. 
Robert - All of the stems look untouched.absolutely no sign of any kind of abrasion on the ends.
I checked with several suppliers, and they are available down to .080, but everyone I’ve talked to said they are currently out of stock.
Apparently there’s been a run on the thinner shims.
I may have to check with some of the British suppliers.
Meanwhile the wife is pointing out we are having sunny weather.
As if I needed telling!
I find it hard to believe you guys don’t have a local engineering shop that will turn out shims for you to size, I have a stack of tractor pins and am surrounded, literally, by retired engineers with sheds full of the tools of their trade, only too happy to have a little project for a bit of baccy money !!!
Bob
8898076
Plymouth, Mi.
Any small machine shop that’s not too busy should be able to grind valve shims. When I did my first Jag head I talked to the fellow that had basically a one man shop about grinding shims and he said sure as long I didn’t hold him up so I took the head over there so I could double check what we had done. Since then a buddy bought a surface grinder that I can use so now lunch with a friend goes with each valve job!
Bob
8898076
Plymouth, Mi.
I’ll check into this after the holidays.
There may be more owners running into needing the thinner shims.
Or you could find one of these, then you don’t need to buy any shims!
Holds the shim with a magnet and micrometer adjustment, gets them perfect😊
And I’ll only have to make a few to get my investment back! 
A few THOUSAND…
Its an old black and decker machine they sell over hear for about £150
Gee, that would only take two or three … hundred, to break even! 
Oh but the joy of being able to grind the valve heads to a mirror finish and reusing the original shims… its a joy I just cant put into words 
if you get the vibrocentric kit too(I have this also) you can do the seats to the same standard, people will flock from miles around to have you breath your magic on their engines. Or in my case I have a tool fetish!
…only a Jaguar enthusiast…love it!
I had a similar issue, turns out I misplaced the decimal point when calculating the new shim,