If it helps in your response, I am running a hydraulic roller with roller rockers. One of the Edelbrock techs warned me about the top four valve-cover bolt holes being drilled all the way through into the intake port, and that there had to be thread sealant on them. This was done from the beginning, and it also wouldn't explain the other four. Any input on this would be greatly appreciated. I will be in a cushioned room with a pillow duct-taped to my head eagerly awaiting your response.
Save Yourself Douglas Glad insists on badly crimping his plug wires with his ancient Taiwan wire stripper. Meanwhile, in the civilized world, this MSD Pro-Crimp tool is the salvation of plug-wire assemblers nationwide, and it'll do windows, too. It's MSD PN 3505, available from Summit Racing for $51.95. Someone have mercy and send one to Glad.
Jeff Smith: Several things could have happened here, John. The first is that the valveguide seals are just plain worn, which is somewhat unlikely given the limited number of miles. Another possibility is the engine has been over-revved, causing the valves to float and possibly bang the retainers into the intake-valve seals, thereby damaging them. From your age and the obvious care you've taken with the engine, it also seems unlikely. Next is the possibility that the valve-to-guide clearance is unusually wide, causing the valve to move around, which could hurt the seal and allow oil into the cylinders.
At first it seemed odd that you didn't say you had an oil-control problem, but if you are changing the oil every 800 to 1,000 miles, you probably wouldn't notice a low oil level after such a short amount of time. The next possibility is that the guide material is weak and in a short period of time has created excessive clearance. Edelbrock has a good reputation for using quality parts, so this is probably not the case. The best test for this would be to use air pressure to keep the valves in place while you remove an intake retainer and valvespring to carefully inspect the seal for wear or damage. To check for excessive valveguide clearance will involve removing air pressure from the cylinder (hold on to that valve!) and attempting to move the valve laterally in the guide. If you can feel the valve move excessively in any direction except up and down, you have a problem because intake valve-to-guide clearance is generally only about 0.0015 inch.
Precision Engine Parts (PEP) offers a ton of different positive valveguide seals, but in terms of temperature, the Viton seals are the best, with a peak temperature limit of 475 degrees F, which is far more oil temperature than your engine will ever see. We couldn't find a replacement part number in Edelbrock's catalog for the seals, so we have to assume the guide diameter is 0.530 inch, which is somewhat of an aftermarket standard. Given that the valves used in the Edelbrock heads are 111/432-inch-diameter stems (0.343 inch), PEP offers a Viton rubber positive seal as PN 343530, but you should verify the guide size before ordering any seals. You can contact PEP, but it does not sell retail. Contact your local machine shop to purchase these seals.
Ask AnythingAsk Anything is the portion of What's Your Problem where readers send questions for industry bigwigs, and we get the answers. So pick a hero, come up with good questions, and send them to CarCraft@primedia.com.