Observations on first valve adjustment

[r-mm]

Just started her up and she purred. Great feeling.

I picked a week when i didnt need to use the car and decided id take it slow, glad i did.
Certainly feel that it will be easier next time by a factor of 4 or so.

Access
I removed all the standard accessories (no ac installed) and the heat shield but not the cat. Removing the heat shield was tricky but not terrible. Ended up cutting two of the bolt heads and getting the rest off by holding the rusted nut with chanel locks while removing the bolt. With these removed access was pretty decent all around. Drained the oil. Removed three spark plugs which hugely aided in turning the motor over. The plugs are almost new so i wasnt worried about the carbon drop issue, plus i didnt get any outlier results so no need to worry.

Sequence
Wish i had started with the p/s exhaust valves. These are a walk in the park and its easy to get some muscle memory about how to slip the feeler gauge in. What i learned os that the best way to get it in is sideways, not straight on like a pancake flipper. Besides this advice on sequence, anything goes. I checked and rechecked so many times, this being my first time

Tools
Besides the basics i bought:
Pelican feeler holder and extra shims, but didnt break any
Stubby screwdriver with tacky grip handle, stubbier and tackier the better
Should also mention i have a full factory tool kit which was used extensively.

Adjusting
Much has been written on this so ill only give my observations. Ive adjusted valves on many shim under bucket cars, motorcycles etc but what makes the 911 unique is that its not practical to corraborate the feel of the .04in feeler by stepping up and down with the feelers. This makes me wonder if its possible to buy inserts for the pelican tool that are a step up and down so you can more easily learn what the .04 is supposed to feel like. This would only be practical if you bought extra holders obviously. Im all for corraborating the normal method with the backside but was not able to do this with my std feeler gauges. I ordered starett 12in feelers in .0025 and .003 but didnt get them in time. My std feelers were just too short and floppy to get between the cam and rocker. The next hardest thing is keeping the adjustment you have set while tightening the locknut, especially on the d/s exhaust because my stubby screwdriver wouldnt even fit between the cat and rocker, i had to use a bit held in vice grips.

Results
I found no tight valves. All were close to spec or a bit loose.

[aleminx]

Nice. Mine were all over the place. some tight, some loose. Started right up as well. My valvetrain is louder now... but i have WAY more power and low end. big difference. But now i wonder if they're too loose ?

[r-mm]

While I was in there I noticed that like many on this forum, I was about 3/4" shy of full throttle with the pedal to the plywood. I snugged up the adjustment where it exits the transmission, tested the WOT switch (working) and the car feels truly excellent. Responsive, angry, low valve noise. I'm happy.