valve adjustments

[Michael Hooker <triumph1@idt.net>]

hello,
	i am wondering how you various digesters accomplish valve adjustments. do
you buy a whole set or  do you make the measurements and order the shims,
tying up the car for who knows how long? i have been holding off doing
mine, but feel i better get it done. i was wondering if we couldnt all kick
in the shims we have and built a nice master set for the use of the list.
we could pass it from one to another. i am sure we could get together more
than one decent set. am i out of my mind here? also, are 4 cyl and 6 cyl
shims different?  a guy told me you can rub a shim on a flat surface like
glass and real fine sandpaper, to reduce its thickness. are they surface
hardened? can this work? 

thanks,
Mike Hooker