Quote: Depends on how serious the engine is and how much money/time you want to spend on it.
For a typical street/strip SB or BB you just have to live with what you get. If you buy a good set of rocker arms then you'll be okay for .550 to .600 type lift.
If you're going to run more than .700 lift then you'll need to spend some time sorting it out. Once you get past .800 lift you'll probably need to switch to Jesel or T&D to get anything that will work.
For really high spring pressure you'll want to use the 2/3 lift rule rather than mid-lift. The 2/3 lift rule minimizes the amount of travel under load but the total scrub pattern is wider than the mid-lift method.
No, you do not have to live with what you get!!! Total nonsense. Rocker geometry has to do with way more than just the rocker arm, and any roller rocker that will fit the head can have correct geometry.
I agree you can get the valve side geometry pretty close by shimming and moving the fulcrum stand, you cannot do anything about the pushrod side unless the rocker is made for the lift and head in use. The last valve train issue I had involved the pushrod side and had to get rockers remade
