All Pushrods Bent and Wrong

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xactorocker

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Hey I’ve got a 74 gold duster with the 318 and I just pulled the intake off to deal with a dead lifter clacketing but I found some weird stuff. Here’s some pictures it looks like it has all the wrong pushrods excerpt one and they all are bent too then the lifters all looked wrong too not the same as the ones it’s supposed to have from what I have seen on the internet. How should I go about this I’m thinking just get all stick original parts?

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What makes you think you have all wrong parts there? Don't look like it from here.
 
You need to find out what else is damaged to determine if the engine will run. Bent valves etc. comes to mind. 65'
 
There are two different kinds of push rods, solid and hollow...

Most of them you have are the stock solid type and the 'oddball' one is the hollow style...

I don't see anything wrong with that lifter, it looks like the standard hydraulic lifter...
 
Hard to say anything definitively by looking at a pic on my phone, but the tops of some of those pushrods looks pretty worn out.
It wouldn’t be real surprising if the oil flow to the top end wasn’t 100%.

The lifter looks correct to me.
I’d pull all the pushrods and stand them up together on a flat surface and see how even the lengths are.
 
All of the pushrods seem the same except that one that’s different. The lifters are all the same tested with calipers and then checked all pushrods seem to be 7.500 like stock and they are all solid it seems really can’t tell that well since they are all bent looks like oil feeds from rocker bolts. The engine ran amazing didn’t make a single noise other than a tick from the drivers side head from a lifter I’m guessing. I’m wondering if they could be the wrong lifters with less hydraulic like room to move or something just seems soo weird. I tested with a pushrod measure tool and says 7.53 so I mean close to stock so I really am stumped.
 
Did you check timing chain? Sometimes valves hit the piston and bend pushrods. It happened to me with a bad timing chain.
 
tonysrt said:
Did you check timing chain? Sometimes valves hit the piston and bend pushrods. It happened to me with a bad timing chain.
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No I didn’t but I feel like it wouldn’t run this good if it skipped a tooth? I’ve got a video I’ll link from when it was open headers after I put headers you can hear see if it sounds like it’s skipped
 
tonysrt said:
Did you check timing chain? Sometimes valves hit the piston and bend pushrods. It happened to me with a bad timing chain.
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xactorocker said:
No I didn’t but I feel like it wouldn’t run this good if it skipped a tooth? I’ve got a video I’ll link from when it was open headers after I put headers you can hear see if it sounds like it’s skipped
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Check the timing chain anyway!

I had a somewhat similar issue with the 318 in my ‘71 Dart. At some point the timing chain went south, and the pistons smacked a couple valves. The timing chain was replaced, but the bent valves were left in place.

So it’s possible the timing chain was bad, there was damage, and a previous owner just threw a new chain on it and called it a day. Heck that may be why you have some non matching push rods, they may have replaced the obviously bent ones and moved on.

Even after I figured it out and replaced the bent valves I had weird timing issues, turned out the brain surgeons that replaced the timing chain also forgot the woodruff key from the cam to the sprocket.
 
Oh damn ok I’ll have to look into that but seems weird I mean I bet it was the issue they repaired it maybe just didn’t replace all the pushrods cause I checked the timing and was set correct at idle and RPM seems weird for it to be in spec with a skipped tooth a tooth should be like 10deg or some?
 
xactorocker said:
Oh damn ok I’ll have to look into that but seems weird I mean I bet it was the issue they repaired it maybe just didn’t replace all the pushrods cause I checked the timing and was set correct at idle and RPM seems weird for it to be in spec with a skipped tooth a tooth should be like 10deg or some?
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It wouldn’t run right if it skipped a tooth. But yeah, that doesn’t mean that the timing chain didn’t skip at some point. Or that it was replaced properly. Given what you’re seeing still if that’s what happened the repair was half assed, so it would be best to check that too
 
Did that car come from Calvin Kirkwood? If so, it used to be mine. Welcome aboard. The way it's running, it's not got a skipped tooth. It's hittin on all eight.
 
Looking at the oil stain on the lifter base, the engines looks to have done some mileage. And might have tired valve springs.

My guess is the engine was over-revved, the lifters pumped up, valve train went solid. Next step is bent prods....
 
The previous owner replaced the timing chain on mine and it ran ok with the bent pushrods, never thought they were a problem. I put a 4 bbl manifold on and it ran terrible, that's when I decided to take a look under the valve cover and found every pushrod bent. I replaced them all and runs great now. I guess with the increased amount of fuel engine couldn't handle it and backfired to let me know I had a problem. Initially I thought I had an air leak so removed the manifold and that's when I saw the bent pushrods with the valve covers off.
 
RustyRatRod said:
Did that car come from Calvin Kirkwood? If so, it used to be mine. Welcome aboard. The way it's running, it's not got a skipped tooth. It's hittin on all eight.
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Oh yeah that’s sick it’s actually my buddy’s car I’m just helping him out with some stuff. Did your car have the decals razor bladed off when you sold it?
 
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Thank y’all so much for the advice I think I’m going to check all the timing chain but I guess if that’s tight and still lined up I’m going to go for new pushrods and lifters and just reset and see what happens cause we decided to go 4 barrel while we have the intake off. I’m thinking from what I’m hearing someone just decided to do a half *** timing chain job or reved the piss out of it and either didn’t replace the rods or didn’t check.
 
xactorocker said:
Oh yeah that’s sick it’s actually my buddy’s car I’m just helping him out with some stuff he doesn’t really understand it all. Did your car have the decals razor bladed off when you sold it?
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No. It still had all of the original decals. Same color, white interior with buckets and console.
 
RustyRatRod said:
No. It still had all of the original decals. Same color, white interior with buckets and console.
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Hmm could still be Lemme ask my buddy see where he bought it from exactly he will remember could have been taken off after you sold it! Is a pretty rare combo for that.
 
xactorocker said:
No I didn’t but I feel like it wouldn’t run this good if it skipped a tooth? I’ve got a video I’ll link from when it was open headers after I put headers you can hear see if it sounds like it’s skipped
Click to expand...



Here's what happens when the stock cam gear nylon coating gets old and brittle.. It chips away and will cause the timing chain to get loose where the timing will vary and can get to where it will skip a tooth...

If the timing chain is still the original factory one, you should change it before it gets to that point... I've seen them this bad at 80,000 miles...

Replace it with a good double roller timing chain... It will pay for itself in performance and economy improvement... I replaced the chain on a 68 318 at 84,000 miles and gained 2 MPG city driving...

Here's the replacement true roller double roller that I've been running for decades... It will go 150,000 miles + on a daily driver...

Edelbrock Performer-Link True Roller Timing Chain Set



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wow that's a stock nylon timing gear I woulda thunk they've all been replaced by now last time I had one in my hand was in the 80s LOL!
 
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