The most important tip is to watch lash and keep records. I track each lifters lash. If one starts to consistently gain lash it's time to look. In 630 passes I've had 2 that gained lash and were caught before any damage occurred. A few years ago at Norwalk I saw a BB Chevy torn apart. Asking what happened he replied "broke a lifter" I asked how many passes and were there any signs leading up to it. He had no idea how many passes. Said that the failed lifter had gained .010" lash 3 times at checks, so he tightened it up.
Doug