I know the rule of thumb is .080" for intake on a steel rod engine. Here is my problem/question. I took the 452 heads off of my 383 and put on a set of eddy 84cc heads. Did a valve/piston check with checking springs and dial indicator. Exhaust is fine. Intake is terrible at 5* ATDC to 10* ATDC. Now the way I see it the intake valve is chasing the piston, and shouldn't be a problem. Should I change my way of thinking or button her up? What do you guys think?

How did you check it? Did you install the cam and time it correctly, then do the clay on the top of the piston and rotate the crank? Because cam timing greatly affects p/v clearance.

When the engine was first built the cam was installed straight up. I would prefer not to retard cam to make this work. All measurements are being done with checking springs and a dial indicator. The worst of the measurements is .010" @ 6* ATDC

I you're running a roller cam you should check with the springs you'll run. Heavy roller cam springs can cause a lot of deflection in the valve train and your current numbers could go out the window.

Your not using clay?
I would check the degree on the cam. Is there no valve notches on your pistons??

Thanks guys for replying. As for the pistons, they are 2315's, which do not have reliefs in them. And this is a zero deck engine. I have decided to not use the eddy's right now. The 452's are going back on.