Hi all, I know it's OT but I just wanted to share a freaky experience in case you ever help someone change the intake on a chevy stocker.
Buddy of a buddy bought a nice firebird day before yesterday. Seller said they bent a pushrod and told him to maybe change the whole bunch. He drove it, got a bad ticking and drove it to my buddy to have a look. I was over there by chance and boy that looked disturbing: rocker sitting sideways slanted.
The problem here was that the PO changed the intake manifold and used intake screws that were too long. Those touched the pushrods, scrubbed and bent them. Lucky he didn't destroy the valve stems or similar. Buddy had a few stock pushrods and bolts spare so he'll just order a new set. Something to watch out for ...

 

Change that oil and filter and hope for the best. Little bits of pushrods and screw tips aren't on the list of preferred lubricants.


It's one of the risks you take with "shade-tree engineered" solutions if care is not also taken to make sure that the "solution" is not going to screw something else up.


Norm

 

very very true. One pushrod was bent (as in lengthwise). The other pushrod had a dent from a screw that would block the oil passgae in middle of pushrod. Fortunately the pushrods still had all their material (nothing broken off or scraped or similar). Same (thankfully) with the screws. But you are very right. immediate oil change is in order
the man will order new pushrods straight away. He already sped off for a rally today (it's bank holiday here).