rocker arm help??

i hate to sound deperate, but my buddy and I put together an LT1 for the first time not knowing too much about these cars. after getting the motor in and all together, my friend which is a cerified mechanic said he would try adjusting the rocker arms, he has messed with them about 3 times now and they feel like they are still coming loose, i will drive the car around and still hear a ticking noise, i just purchased high rise valve covers today to insure that they are not hitting those to reduce any noise from that, my problem may be i went the cheap way out and bought the proform 1.6 rockers or i may have a collapsed lifter, i am just not sure, i am just at the point with pretty much no money and a car that i am scared i will ruin more if i do anything else to it, if there is anybody who is really confident in adjusting these cheap proform 1.6 rocker arms and maybe being able to tell me there might just be something wrong with the car I would greatly appreciate it... If someone could possibly do this for me i am trying to get rid of alot of stock lt1 parts, i could possibly trade multiple parts for a rocker arm adjustment... if so please let me know, thank you. BTW it is a 1995 z28 m6 lt1

[Caveman]

i had just about the same problem with my engine...i didnt adjust them right and then i wound up collapsing a lifter and it just went to hell after that lol..what a mess. anyways..im not sure about how to lock the profom rockers down to keep them tight, i own some but havnt put them on yet, but you might want to try a thread locker compound or something of that sort..again im not entirely sure on that. also..them staying tight aside, are the set right? like on my old rockers once i got all free play up and down out of the pushrod i generaly went an extra turn and a half to pre load the lifters..thats what comp cams recomended so that was good enough to me..

[goosesz28]

yea this car is just giving me a headache, i put it together over a week ago and i want to get it running properly so bad so i can get a tune on it.

[1BADAIR]

do they have poly locks?

[goosesz28]

i dont beleive soo its a bolt with the allen wrench in the center for adjustment....

[1BADAIR]

like this?
this is a poly-lock. the allen isn't the adjuster its the lock. turn the nut then lock it with the allen

[goosesz28]

yea i am 99% sure thats it my buddy has been doing the adjusting but i am almost positive...

[ThreeHonks]

what kind of lifters are you using?

[goosesz28]

i honestly am not sure they came out of my previous motor and i did check if any of them were collapsed and they obviously weren't at the time

[98blackbeauty]

1 and a half turns sounds to much for preload. after we took up the slack so you feel just a little drag then you turn them 1/2 turn. We have comp cams roller rocker 1.6. there is a write up in shbox.com it works good.

[meissen]

Yikes - turn and a half? I think you meant half a turn, Dave. Stock manuals will tell you (on an LT1) to do it 1 turn for preload, most people do between 1/2 turn to 1 full turn... 1.5 turn seems too much.

[goosesz28]

ok thanks for the info, im just gettig worried i may just have another issue since they seem to keep coming loose.... or the studs are junk...

[goosesz28]

ok one of my issues is that one of the locking nuts on the rocker arm was cracked, would that be a sign of them being too tight?? (luckly i have many to spare from the previous set) and second should i be using a threadlock on them??? i thought about using that but could that be my entire problem for them coming loose??

[shawnc16]

I've never used thread locker on the locks.. on the studs of course. I dont think yur lashing yur valves correctly.. The valve has to be fully closed to preload the lifter.

[1BADAIR]

no locktite
adjust the outer nut and tighten the set screw