Dear forum. I have the engine out of my series 3 Etype, and have just measured my valve clearances and have 2 out of spec, a 9 thou on an inlet valve on one bank, and a 17 thou on an exhaust valve on the other bank. Is it worth taking the cams out to reshim these valves ? I am slightly down on compression on the 9 thou cylinder, but that’s cold and hot.
The 17 would bother me. I suspect your valve seat has dropped ever so slightly, resulting in this large clearance. Regardless of the causes, these two clearances shouldn’t have varied so much from the norm. I’m afraid ignoring it is just inviting things to get worse.