I just removed the valve covers to investigate the chirping sound and dont like what I found. I had 1 broken rocker arm bolt and  the push rod was slightly bent. I also have 3 other pushrods that are blue at the rocker arm but fine the rest of the way and they spin in the holes. when we assembled the engine we had a hard time getting pushrods the right length for setting the valves  and ended up using sveral differant lengths of rods. Are they too long or too short the 4 blue ones dont seem to get oil to the top is this because they are too short too make a seal and oil does not come up the rods or something else I m lost help please

Blow through the pushrods to make sure they're clear, first. Then I'd fire up my drill and a priming stick with the rods out to make sure I'm getting oil out the lifters. Intake still on it?

Ray

intake still on Ray. machine shop says possible too much valve spring pressure but who knows. dont understand why its only 4 that are burnt could it be too long a push rod? I know we had a hard time getting the right lenghts to get the valves to open and close right I think we had to use 4 differant sizes thanks Ray

3 on 1 side 1 on the other all in the center. just spent 15 minutes on the phon with Paul Kane (thanks paul) got some things to measure going to reinstall stock pushrods and see where that starts us

from the first time we ran the motor it had a lifter noise. now I wonder if it was a bad lifter from the start. I am replacing the bad lifter and 4 rocker arm assemblies as they have been hot. the bottompart of the lifter came out easily and from the looks of the bottom of it the,cam is ok .Im going to put in the new lifter,new rocker arm assemblies ,tock pushrods,then prime it and if the oil flow is good run it . any advice am,I crazy to do it this way???

lets see a pic of the lifter, if it was me the cam would be coming out for inspection and a measure. Now, where is all the metal from the lifter?

lifter has just come apart  no scuff marks on it seems to be no metal loss just the spring clip miaaing

IT IS VERY IMPORTANT TO FIND THE SPRING CLIP! 

A friend of mine had a lifter fail in a '70 Chevelle SS396, the one missing piece was the lifter clip that later found its way into the oil pump and locked it up solid 

 

   

so i go to my local speed shop to order new lifters and from a sealed box comes lifters the same diameter but about 3-16ths inch longer. we opened 2 other sets ,same result so I went to another parts store ,they had a set ,opened the sealed box and same thing again.So now it looks like Ive had the wrong lifters all along which could expliain all the lifter noise we could not get rid of and the failed lifter and pushrod problems. Now Im faced with putting new lifters on a broke in cam  wtf.

I think now you need to pull ALL the lifters........could be all mix and match in there........

Glad you found that clip! I'd still cut open the oil filter just for a look see JIC though......

RAy

i gotr a tube of cam lube to change all the lifters but they all appear to be the same wrong size
 

Did you buy the cam kit from the same place? If so, I'd have em replace the whole cam kit and replace it all...........just me! 

Ray

no I mail ordered it from Atlantic speed shop in South Carolina and they claim that there are 3 manufacturers of lifters in the world and Comp cams use all 3 and from time to time 1 or the other will change spec so Im sol

Welp, look over the cam pretty good! I'd be a little nervous knowing that, lube and prime the hell outta the engine and follow the normal cam break in procedures. Prolly be OK. Flatten a cam that you're already SOL on anyway I guess is the next to worst that could happen. I'd personally change the oil a couple times and filters, make sure you add the comp break in additive, after a few days of running, again, cutting the filters open for shits and giggles.

Ray

installed the new proper  lifters  with lots of cam lube and assembly lube. replaced the bad rocker arms and put all stock length pushrods in. primed it with a drill good oil flow from the end of each push rod. reinstalled intake and everything else. then fired it up started right away ran nice and quiet but no oil pressure. pulled the dist an no pump driveshaft present. fished around in there with a magnet and pulled out the shaft I guess when i pulled the drill out the shaft stuck to the priming tool and pulled out of the pump and fell in. FML anyway we are going to get a new shaft and keeper and see if we can make up something to hold the keepr while we push the shaft in instead of pulling the motor yet again.  were getting closer I think just glad we found out theoriginal  lifters were too short as that answers so many questions 

fixed the oilpump drive fired it up and ran it for a couple of hours .runs great sounds great but cant get rid of a rough idle. Im thinking its my old 750 Holley that was on it. just went and bought an Edelbrock 750 mod 1407 and  i hope that solves the problem

You SHOULD have a rough idle with your cam!..............Just sayin'............

Ray

If it starts, runs and idle ok, go give it a good hard run and check yer plugs.......they will tell you a LOT Gord!

I find it hard to beleive you can't get a Holley to dial in.......Just me......

Ray