Port Manipulation problem

Using Arduino Programming Questions
1

Hi there!
I'm expanding on my project from last year and changing pins etc etc
However, I've run into a problem with my port manipulations.

I have ADC 1 on pin6, ADC2 on 7, and ADC #3 on pin 8, with which I'm communicating over SPI. So what I need to do is flick the AD1 pin low to start the communication, then transfer 2 bytes, then bring it high again, then move onto the next chip.
My program works fine if I switch out the port manipulations for digitalWrite(AD#,LOW); digitalWrite(AD#,HIGH), and strangely also the pin 8 port manipulation works.
Can someone point out the error? Here's the code:

 //PORTD &= B10111111; //THIS isn't working...
  digitalWrite(ADSS1,LOW);
  MSB1 = SPI.transfer(0);
  LSB1 = SPI.transfer(0);
  PORTD |= B01000000; //Neither is this
  digitalWrite(ADSS1,HIGH);
  valAD1 = ((MSB1 & TMP) << 6) | (LSB1 >> 2);

//  PORTD &= B0111111; // pull SS of second ADC (pin 7) LOW (ADC sample)
  digitalWrite(ADSS2,LOW);
  MSB2 = SPI.transfer(0);
  LSB2 = SPI.transfer(0);
  digitalWrite(ADSS2,HIGH);
//  PORTD |= B10000000; // pull pin 7 of arduino to HIGH (ADC off) = PORT MANIPULATION
  valAD2 = ((MSB2 & TMP) << 6) | (LSB2 >> 2);

  PORTB &= B11111110; // pull SS (pin 8) LOW (ADC sample) <-------- this block of code works!
//  digitalWrite(ADSS3,LOW);
  MSB3 = SPI.transfer(0);
  LSB3 = SPI.transfer(0);
//  digitalWrite(ADSS3,HIGH);
  PORTB |= B00000001; // pull SS (pin 9) of arduino HIGH (ADC off)
  valAD3 = ((MSB3 & TMP) << 6) | (LSB3 >> 2);

I'd like to know what I'm doing wrong with my pin 6 and 7 port manipulations. I need the extra speed for my project.
Arduino Uno r3

2

Sorry, I don't see it.
I only noticed that this one "B0111111" is only 7 bits.

You could create a test sketch. Make the pin low, wait 2 seconds, make it high, wait, and so on.
Start with the led on pin 13 (PORTB5).

3

Humans find binary constants hard to read, hexadecimal notation is easier once you are used to it IMO,
since it groups in sets of 4 bits its harder to slip up by one bit (you can slip up by 4 bits though, but only
with long values in practice). Its also far far easier to memorize a hex number, even temporarily.