Not checking the timing yourself, eh? And what about the rest of the steps between "check the timing" and "pull the head"? Tuning, valve adjustment, etc? Looks to me as if you're out to cost yourself money!
Since I am not a mechanic my asking questions of mechanics here in Staten Island goes unheeded.
As quickly as you possibly can, go buy the three books described in this thread. Put them in the bathroom and read them all cover-to-cover. It'll bring you up to speed on how your car is built, how it's supposed to work, and how to find and fix what's wrong. You really need this knowledge to drive an obsolete car today; the knowledge and experience to fix such a car correctly can no longer be generally found at whatever service shop you might patronise.
