okay... u may be familiar with my setup: carbed 350, vortec heads, blah blah (look at my signature).
when going with a bigger cam, it is necessary to drill the pushrod holes out so that the pushrods don't get bent. i had the machine shop do it before i put the engine togther but they still weren't wide enough, so now I'm doing it again with a 31/64 drill bit. but after i start the engine, the pushrods will go back to touching/rubbing against the pushrod hole (which is what causes the bending). I looked down in there and i can see that the lifter is not always perfectly lined up (vertically) with the valve stud, and so the pushrod has to be slightly angled to sit into the rocker and the lifter at the same time (which causes it to rub the hole).
I'm wondering if this is normal. and apparently there is no harm in making the pushrod hole "too big." but now I'm second guessing myself and thinking that it may be possible that heads are on the wrong side of the engine. but with L31 vortec heads, there is not distinction between left and right head, right?? A stupid question, I know.... but I just want to cover all the bases.
My plan, at the momment is to drill them out wider, where they rub. Anybody got any other ideas or recommendations?
And before anybody mentions it.... i am keeping the metal shavings out of the engine. I got creative and I'm using a system of rags, a flexible handle, and 2 magnets to keep shavings out of the lifter valley, and then cleaning it up with another magnet. Plus I have two powerful magnets stuck to the bottom of the oil pan, just for insurance.
