Scott, yes, each carbon fiber push rod is 2 oz, originals 6.8 oz.

Second day on the Lister, and I have a few things to report.  I'm lumping them all here instead of hunting up all the original threads cause I'm bushed!

Carbon Fiber Push Rods:
I finished and tested the carbon fiber push rods today:

http://listerengine.com/coppermine/displayimage.php?pos=-110

The stock push rods weight 6.8 oz each, the carbon fiber ones 2.0 oz each.
This is where I should tell you how the engine is now so quiet I had to check to make sure it was running, and I had to turn back the governor as it was running faster, on so much less fuel, etc.  Right?

I'd love to say they were worth the 5 hours I spent (making the push rod ends), but I'm too much of a pragmatist to say that. They do change clackety clackety, to claukety claukety, but that's about it.  Noticeable, but not enough for the bother.

Oil Sight- Sensor
I Tested the oil sight/low oil sensor yesterday, with wierd results.  The new version with oil fill stand pipe didn't work right- when the engine was running, the oil level went up almost 3/4" inch! After some WTF'ing and head scratching, I realized that the trapped air in the (capped) oil fill pipe was expanding when the engine ran and pulled a vacuum on the crankcase.  Today I took it off  and it works properly again. That's progress, right?     You can just see the oil filter inside and below the breather door opening. The oil level sight/sensor works great.

http://listerengine.com/coppermine/displayimage.php?pos=-111

Oil filter/crank scraper (Hotater II). 

http://listerengine.com/coppermine/displayimage.php?pos=-112

After noting that the running engine had 1/2" of oil level drop on earlier tests of the oil sight, I decided to wrap the filter fairly close to the crank.  An email from George B inspired this, he mentioned the power loss from having a "taffy pull" of oil following the crank, and sent me a photo of another slow speed machine (3hp) with a crank scraper designed into the sump.

Well, I had to have SOME good luck today, and this is it.  The running oil level with the oil filter only goes down by about 1/8-3/16", slowly over the first 15 seconds of running.  This is the oil filter filling!
No more 1/2" oil level drop!  When the engine stops, instead of immediately going back up, it takes about half a minute for the oil to drain from the (quilted paper towel over 100tpi copper mesh) filter!
So the amount of oil "in the air" seems to have been reduced significantly.

I was slightly chagrined to find that the oil filter is about 1/2" too deep when the sump is full to the crank knuckle but for a prototype, I'm happy.

Cold starts with proper COMPRESSION:
 It wasn't cold today but for the first time I'm getting "cold" starts on the first compression stroke.  So it appears that my work in honing cylinder, milling cylinder from proper head clearance, and hand lapping the valves has helped a lot.      I cannot pull the engine through compression no matter how hard I try- I have to rock it backwards to get the exhaust valve lifter in. This is new for me.

Special thanks to Shipchief, Hotater, Daren, Gerry, Kevin and other good people here for your help and creative ideas.

Best Wishes,
Bruce

Hey Gerry,
Yes, valve clearances were measured with valve train connected and adjusted.  Wouldn't mean much otherwise 

Yes, my valve seats are recessed into the head a fair amount.  Different head design than Hotater's, it seams.

My machinist suggested clay for measuring valve clearance- and I had some plastic clay in the shop. A little clay ball on the piston under each valve, reassemble head and valve train, adjust valves, rotate twice, disassemble and measure the flattened clay balls. 

Squashing lead and clay in the Lister is really quite fun. 

Gerry, The calculation I gave you was a way to determine how much to cut the plug shoulder to an equivalent head clearance reduction.  That is easily calculated. The actual new compression ratio is a lot harder, as you say.

A  0.016 reduction  in head clearance from standard spec for your engine is what's needed for 8000 feet elevation, as removing one paper shim of that thickness was the usual fix for high altitude running. I got this info from George B.

My WAG is that 0.016 less than spec for head clearance would result in about the same compression ratio as the "compression valve in".  (Which has leaked out the the sieve whch is my memory.)  But give the "creativity" in casting and such by the different Listeroid manufacturers, this wouldn't likely be very accurate.  If this is totally bogus, let me know, please.

I did replace my milled cylinder and check the valve clearances. 

Here's what I have now:
Head Clearance: .037" head clearance (spec is .045-.050" for my built in 2002 Metro) measured by lead  Ten mils under the middle of spec was about where I thought I should be for operation at 5600 feet.

Exhaust valve face to piston clearance:  .060", measured with plastic clay putty  ball

Intake valve face to piston clearance:    .100",  measured with plastic clay putty  ball

The engine now likes hand starting much more, and has a bit more "bounce" in her step; a bit more vertical axis vibration. Starting exhaust is cleaner.

Sounds like the Lister music has charmed you as it has me, Willem.

I'm in the process of cutting back on my solar system plans because my Lister "needs regular exercise".
Given the price of solar panels and the life cycle costs of batteries, this also makes a lot of economic sence.  Solar will handle the little loads like lights, circ pump, boost pump.  But I'm not going to size the panels or batteries for the occasional long stretch of cloudy days (which is rare in AZ).

Best Wishes,
Bruce

Valves are set cold.  Hotater's data on hot valve lash was .005 on both intake and exhaust. 
 I'll just have to watch the hot valve lash closely.

I got the pultruded carbon fiber tube material from
http://www.goodwindskites.com/goodwindskites/merch/list.shtml?cat=framework.pultrudedcarbon

0.472" OD, 0.350 ID.  It seems VERY strong and rigid.  Should be no problem with bending or compressability.

Now to get the pushrod ends sorted out.

Bruce McCreary
Snowflake, AZ
Metro 6/1 (now "topless" waiting for cylinder milling)

How about I back off to the Metro minimum head clearance spec of 0.045 with a .027" gasket, and then valve clearance test it at 0.036 head clearance... (with a .016 gasket under the cylinder)?

Is it safe to do a lead squish test (very small bit) on the valves?

Which valve is the likely interference fit???