Valve to piston clearance

How do I measure valve to piston clearance? Putting in new head gasket but want to check the valve to piston clearance.

do you know your old and new gasket thicknesses?

i assembled my motor with an old gasket that was 0.041" thick, with clay on the pistons.

turned it over, let the clay dry (air dry clay). and the dissected the clay finding the minimum thickness and measuring it best i could.

for me it was a double check as it was stock valves and cams. my new gaskets was 0.054" thick so i knew i had 0.013" extra clearance vs what i measured regardless.

the more precise way is to get dummy valve springs assemble the motor and place a dial gauge on a valve lifter and measure how much further you can open the valve vs it sitting on the cam this is your clearance then.

how ever you should still clay the motor to verify the radial clearance around the valve as that's the only way to measure this i believe.

So if I put the clay on one of the pistons with old head gasket first Re torque head and refit timing belt crank 4-5 times then take off head inspect clay for clearances. Do the same with new head gasket. Is this the way to do it? Do I just use playdo as a clay?

i tried to avoid using the head gasket i plan to run as they are a single use item ideally. that my opinion.

look for air dry clay from bunnings, just gives a better result as it dries firmer

Thanks for the tips josh appreciate it.