While I agree that it's good to advice to inform that duration and event timing have the biggest effect on PV clearance I don't think it's good advice to tell someone that lift 'doesn't matter'. It does matter - especially when 1.7 vs 1.6 ratio rockers come in to play. There WILL be a difference in PV clearance with increased lift - say, for instance, when you use 1.7 rockers instead of 1.6's with a given cam since duration does not change - only lobe ramp rate... The difference is about 6%. Is it a huge difference? No, but it is something to at least consider.
5spd GT,
It is not the valve overlap that 'causes' PV clearance issues but rather 'when' this event occurs that is the problem. Semantics I suppose.
The best advice is to check the PV clearance with modeling clay any time you build an engine - especially if you are not going with one of the more typical combos. This is even more important if you do not plan to degree your cam because if the grind is off even a few degrees, PV clearance could be compromised.