i have a 65 mustang i built a 302 roller motor with the f 303 ford cam and i put 65 289 heads on it. the compression is about 9.5 to 1 it has comp cams 550 lift single springs. the problems is 2 weeks ago i started it up and it started to back fire through the carb . took it apart and found a bent pushrod, looked closer the pushrod was worn almost through on one side. check the rest 5 more had alot of wear. none on the driver side. so i put now rockers and new pushrod in . i checked it today all the pushrods were fine but valve stem tips were smash down to the retainers and 8 of my rocker studs had grooves wore in the side. what is going on here dose anyone know what is wrong. thanks for any help.

 

What is your piston to valve clearance?

 

62 thou

 

Did you replace the timing set at the same time?

 

all brand new double roller crank rods pistons cam lifter oil pump stud rockers pusshrod ect i have never had this happen

 

What rockers are you using? 65 heads a little funny when it comes to finding and installing rockers...are they all stock?
When my friend John put 65 heads on his 78 302 he used magmum roller tip rockers but they were incompatible with the 65 heads unless you milled the pedastols. First they kept tossing the rockers and it would start to pop out the carb then when he cranked them down thinking he was torquing them incorrectly, it would bend the push rods.

 

Well, you're getting piston/valve interference from somewhere. If you truly don't have any static clearance issues, either your cam timing is off or you're floating valves.

 

stock rockers i ajusted them at 0 lash and then 1/8 turn anything more then that they would lock up the pushrod and the pushrods wouldnt spin

 

I'm running low....

Wearing through on a push rod...aren't you using chrome moly?
What is the spring pressure? What RPMs are you turning during your test driving?
Could you be getting detonation causing some rocking?

Since it sounds like all your wear is on one side...did you install the pistons on that side backwards but actually clay measured the other side? (i had to ask )

 

after wearing through stock pushrods i put in hardend ones at the same time i put in new stock rockers. the pushrods are fine no wear what has happend is the valve stem tips are smashed down to the retainers not on all of them but 8 of them number 8 cylinder dosnt have any problem when the valve stems smashed the rockers run untrue and wear the rocker studs about 1/8 inch in one week (35 miles)the car has an aod rear gear is 2.80 i aint turning no rpms crusin but i do put my foot in it often and take it to 7 grand ae far as det i am running 93 oct and i only have about 9.5 to one comp i dont know what the hell to do. dont make sense it isnt on all 16 just both inake and exh let me know if you have any ideas.