ok, so far, the damage is less severe than it COULD be - turns out the engine still spins - at least the bottom end!
tis a pain not seeing much engine thru the hood while stepping on the starter..... so i taught the wife what thing ya step on - 24 years old, and she's learning to toy with my old truck, gotta love that.
now for details. the bottom end spins, even the fanbelt, but popped the valve cover and no motion there. massive loose clearances on the pushrods for that matter, but such is life.
so, the crank must be in one piece, and i guess i'm looking at timing gears or a broken cam maybe? not sure what would explain throwing oil, but it's very far forward, looks like along the seam of the pushrod cover possibly. definitely an 'event' tho, not a long-term leak.
suggestions how to proceed anyone? if i chewed up timing gears, did i slam valves and trash things, or can those just go out and get replaced?
i'll hunt more later, but it'll be dark here soon, and the beast won't fit in the garage. such is life, huh?
