Triumph Repair: Spitfire cam timing, inlet valve, cam timing

Question
I am going crazy! How can I set the cam/crank timing on a Spitfire 1300 motor? I have checked and rechecked the marks and it seem correct. My repair book state: Put the motor at TDC and set the cam so that the #4 inlet valve is just opening.  However, the book does not state how far open the inlet valve needs to be. Would the motor still run being one tooth off? Thank you for your help!

Answer
Benjamin,

You need to put #1 at TDC and with .050 clearance on both the intake and exhaust valves (#4 cylinder) the intake should just be STARTING to open at the correct timing.  That means that you're at the .050" clearance and just starting to close that gap.

The car might run a tooth off but it'll run very poorly.


Cheers,

Jim