Setup the head today and took lash measurements. The key to this process is to
document everything. Excuse my messy notepad, but it works for me. Got all the parts cleaned up, and removed the shims from the buckets. Because I'm installing new cams, the position they were in previously with my old cams is irrelevant. I started by taking a baseline measurement of the actual clearance, with the cams installed, measured on the backside of the lobes with the lobes straight up, as per the FSM. Stock Mazda lash spec is 0.225mm-0.295mm. The specs provided with my Integral cams lists a cold lash spec of 0.011"-0.012". (0.28mm-0.30mm) I'm choosing to shim to the looser side of spec, of
0.30mm final valve clearance.
Parts all layed out, and shim thickness recorded based on where I installed it.
On some of the shims, the etched measurement on the backside had worn away, so I had to measure their thickness manually:
Check the hotness! Integral Stage 3 turbo cams, all lubed up and torqued down:
After all measurements were taken and documented, I can take it back apart, order my shims, and then re-install and measure it all over again. Here's my chicken scratch:
For the cams themselves, I'm very excited. The specs on these things are insane. Combined with the oversized valves, and ported head, there will be no shortage of air entering or exiting these combustion chambers. The idle will have a noticeable "lope" to it. I'm hoping the car will start with my Haltech map from when the JDM cams were installed, so I can at least get it running to re-tune.
Here's what 0.371" of intake lift looks like! If I remember correctly these cams will now make my FS an "interference" engine.
This is nearly 3/8" of lift!
A pencil is used for scale:
Now a look at the exhaust side. 0.371" as well: