Then don't check them then.

 

What gtrracer is talking about (I think) is not the springs hitting the rocker box top, where the cross bracing is that you say you removed. The OEM beehive springs are tapered at the top but the springs in the MVA heads are not; they are a conventional valve springs. Sometimes, even if the lower rocker box has been centered (was it?) the larger diameter springs will tap the inside of the lower rocker box and they need to be clearanced in that area.

You can check rocker to support side play but forget about shimming to reduce noise unless the clearance is greater than say .020". It has been tried before many times with very little success. Additionally, any shims less than say about .010" will just get chewed up and end up migrating around in your oil.

If lifters are the problem, the Woods directional lifters do help reduce valve train noise. Mr. Woods needed to come up with something to quiet down his noisy cams.

 

I believe I have the quietest 96 Cu In out there, some things I have done seem to have had a cumulate effect on the rattle, ticking noises i was experiencing after I installed the 255 cams. First I am running stock push rods a HD tech told me they are lighter than the adjustable ones and often times the adjustable pushrods come into contact with the chrome covers making a rattle sound, and if your not careful the may come loose, I just did not want the trouble. Then while i had the top open I shimmed up the front rocker boxes. I had .022" on the exhaust side and .014" on the intake the rear was really low so I did not shim them. I used .020" shim and .015. on the intake after i shaved of another .003" off the rocker box. I am using Redline 20w50 which has always given me a quieter sounding engine over Amsoil since it was new. I have 22K miles and this engine, and it is quieter than my brand new GMC sierra with only 6K miles on it.

 

ill have to turn it over with the covers off to see if the springs are hitting anything. i have tapered push rods so the wouldnt hit the heads going up and down.
went the dealer today and the lifters are exactly the same in the cvo models and the regular models. no idea what the difference is with the se lifters. the description is pretty vague in the catalog.