My mistake, the '96 block is in my S10 which is still using the factory roller cam. I can't get past the grime right now to see what year this one is, but it should be around the same year because it has the fuel pump boss plugged for fuel inj. This motor was installed by the PO and I remember thinking it was an Edelbrock crate at first because it was the newer style block, aluminum heads, intake, carb, elite valve covers, etc. But the cam was a small.350 lift Lunati fuel injection style hydraulic non roller cam. No rattle just underpowered.
I sunk the truck playing around in the mud one day and naturally, wiped all the bearings out of it. I had this block cleaned, bored, and the crank turned. Upon rebuild, I used newer heads with the factory rockers, pushrods that I had from other small blocks and a .454 lift hydraulic (non roller)cam.
For the longest time I thought the rattle was timing related because the rockers stay tight and flow oil freely from the pushrods when adjusting the valves w/the motor running. I have retarded the timing from the point of breaking the starter off the block all the way to pinging so bad that I thought the valves were gonna jump out of the heads with no change for the better. It is actually the valves floating. I know this is pretty longwinded but, maybe you can find where I went wrong.
At low rpms the valve train works like a charm, plenty of oil. I adjust them by loading each valve alittle, back off till chatter, then tighten 1/2 turn. If I make the valves chatter and shut it off, the lifters will have slack in them. If I tighten the rocker down to take up the slack and then restart the motor, it won't fire because then the valves are too tight. What would cause them to bleed down? :confused: Maybe I did use the wrong lenght pushrods? Would they still work at low rpms but float at high range. Thanks so much!
