'74 pontiac 400 NEED HELP PLEASE!

I just dropped a 400 pontiac into my 79 grand prix. it ran fine when i bought it out of a catalina. well the idiot broke bolts into the manifold... blah blah blah... i took it apart and replaced the head gasket set. when i went to start it (realized i need to reset the timing, cuz a couple of flames out of the carb not good) smoke came out of the valve covers. it was puffing out constantly and out of the oil dipstick. i thought it was the valve spring seats and hoping its not the piston rings. could the rings gotten stuck and take time to seat? or do i have to start taking it apart? i asked a couple of people at work and gotten different solutions: pour borax in the carb... pour powdered graphite down the carb... bottle of restore and drive it... do a re-ring job... (the latter i hope not) i ran a compression test readings from 110-140 psi tried again with a little oil down the chamber with the same readings

if anyone can lead me in the right direction i would greatly appreciate it
and does this happen when the top half of the engine is taken apart and put back together?
help!!

You have excessive pressure building in the crankcase. This can be caused by a few different things.
1. A clogged PCV valve
2. Bad valves
3. bad piston rings.
Since your compression didn't change when oil was put in the cylinders, I'd eliminate bad rings. Your compression readings are ok (110 is a little on the low side, but still within acceptable range). The PCV and breather filters are the most likely culprits. If you removed either or both (some hot rodders think they're not necessary....WRONG!!!!!), it will cause the symptoms you describe

yeah i have a new pcv valve too so hopefully the valve seals but i do not know. ill try that then see whats up from there thanks

The only way a valve can cause such crankcase pressure (agreed, that's the issue here), is when an exhaust guide is so badly worn, exhaust gasses pass through it, into the crankcase. Seals will not help this.

Try squirting a bit of Marvel Mystery Oil into each cylinder and allow it to sit over night. If the rings ARE "stuck", this should break them free. But, as previously stated, I doubt rings are the issue, as the readings didn't come up with oil.

Go for a "leakage" or "leak-down" test. Most good shops can do this for a reasonable amount. It will much more easily pin-point problems.

Jim

Thank you all for your help. i let my motor sit since my post and the oil that i let set inside the cylinders must of done something because last night i went to start it and no smoke came out of the engine bay just a hell of a lot of black soot near the exhaust pipe. i took it for a drive around the block and i felt 16 all over again, except for the fact of all the engines, years, and money i put into it. ha ha ha thank you