[alfa] grinding valve stems

["Hans@ ItalianMotorWorks" <hans@xxxxxxxxxxxx>]

The proper way to get clearance after a valve job is to measure it and install
the right valve shim.
If your clearance is so small that the thinnest shim (1.3 mm) is still too
thick, then you need new valves and/or new seats, because they have been
ground too much.
Using a reground cam will give some more clearance since the base circle has
been cut down, but that doesn't address the problem of the valves/seats having
been cut too much.
Grinding the valve stems is a last resort, which brings with it the chance of
the valve shims riding on the valve keepers, with nasty results.
And, of course, when grinding the valve stems you must also grind the chamfer
on the end, or the valve shim will ride on the edge, with nasty results.
No, grinding will not affect the hardness of the stem, and the sodium-filled
cavity starts below the keeper groove.
Is this more information than asked for?
Probably.

Hans
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