Motorcycle Repair: 1980 flt valve adjustment, stiff wire, valve adjustment

Question
i have a stock 1980 flt . rockerboxes leaked took apart now i need to know if i got the valves adjusted right.did like my clymer book says,but how do i know if my lifters were fully collapsed when i adjusted my valves.there doesn,t seem to be as many threads between locknut and end of pushrod showing when i got done as there was when i took them apart

Answer
The best way to collapse them it to first remove the hydrolic unit from the lifter. You will see a spring at the top of it. Turn the unit over and you will see a small hole in the bottom. Take a piece of stiff wire and push it into the hole. There is a ball in there you are trying to move. While you are pushing against the ball, pump the top against the spring. What you are doing is removing the oil in the unit. Pump it several times until all the oil is removed. Now it is collapsed.
Good luck and happy riding
Mike