Keep em comin Grump! It might be over some heads, but it is knowledge that is needed. With the LS motors we usually see the shop, or do-it-yourselfer just use the recomended push-rod length, and as this affects both the wipe patteren & the lifter pre-load (on hydraulic cams) it is rarely the best set-up. The most common result is not enough pre-load and the valve train noise "sewing machine" that the majority of the vette owners seem to accept as normal. This is NOT normal, even with the aggressive grinds on todays LS cams you should have a very quiet upper-end if setup properly. And in addition to the noise (which will cause premature wear & valvetrain instability), you are using the entire profile and are leaving power behind. This and the correct wipe pattern are what we see as the biggest build errors, with not degreeing the cam a close second. Most are fine going by the timing marks, but without degreeing it there is no way to be sure.
Our builds may cost a bit, but a customer is welcome to observe and see just what goes into their motor to see why more time is involved. Each of the steps described by Grumpy in his post, and my addittion, takes a ton more time and therefore cost. So the "lowest price" is not always the "best deal" in the long run.
