Is there any way to do this? Can I just put the piston at TDC and turn the cam by hand until it stops? Or will that damage anything? I'd like to check it prior to adjusting the cams, but would prefer not to pull the head if I don't have to.

 

piston to valve clearance you ahve to clay the vale reliefs if you havent decked it you shouldnt have to worry about it.

 

The head has been shaved quite a bit. It was clayed, but there's some confusion as the cams both came out 3 degrees off when I assembled it and the short-block builder who clayed it said the cams were not off when he put the head on it to clay it. It's a Dart block and it's 14mm taller than a B18 block, which I figure is why the cams are off.