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Does the carburetor have a spring inside the filter housing?
I hate parts like that. I had an Engine apart for my Motorcycle and I put it back together in the wee hours of the morning. There was a spare cir-clip laying on the bench when done. I had to get the engine back installed to get it on the trailer but not that day. I pulled the engine down again and learned it was from my left cylinder's Piston Pin and that would have been ugly had I not fixed it first. I keep a small container for the small hardware just to be sure that NOTHING is left behind.
Rebuilding an entire engine due to a $0.50 cent part is not that unusual. Follow the advise given you by the Experts and play it safe.
Ok, my head is swimming now...
Thanks all for your replies and suggestions. As far as cam lube, I put cam break in lube from the cam manufacturer (Schneider cams in San Diego) and used their zinc additive in the oil specifically for break-in. I made sure each lifter was on the base circle with the manifold off and turned down the nut until it first went zero lash, but rods would still spin, then half turn more. I used my Rebuild Big Block book from years ago and it says to use a squirt can to prime the lifters so I did this (also did this 30 years ago and it worked fine). There seems to be so many divisive options on to pre-prime or to not pre-prime the lifters upon installation so I just did what the book said since I am not a professional mechanic, but I know many of you are.
As soon as I get a chance, I will check timing location by the spark plug hole (battery died last night when my helper was there and I prefer to not take covers off to watch valve action).
This is a very easy fix if I am off by one rotation, but now I'm slightly freaked about the lifters. If the timing is off and I fix that, should I just try to start it and see what happens?
As far as the little spring goes, I will check the idle screws but I think the spring is too small for that. I did find it under the car and I did put in a new clutch on the Muncie 4 speed, but I'm not familiar with any springs in the fork, other than the large anti-rattle springs on the linkage.
Thanks again for everyone's responses!
"Zero lash but the pushrods still spin" is a possible fail.
The drag on a pushrod rotation is VERY SLIGHT at true zero lash. They are oiled and slippery at both ends. If you go too far past that true zero point you can hit bottom of the available adjustment range. THEN they can still spin, only they have just a little more drag. You will still be able to spin them when they are bottomed out. If you went all the way to the bottom of the lifter travel and added a half turn (or whatever), the valves are never fully closed. Might need to back them off and relash them to be 100% sure.
Put your finger over the #1 sparkplug hole to verify #1 top dead center FIRING POSITION. Your crank and damper can rotate 360 degrees and you will be at #6 top dead center FIRING POSITION ....same damper mark but no air forcing its way out the #1 sparkplug hole. Cover the hole back up and rotate 360 degrees and you are back at #1 top dead center FIRING POSITION and air will push your finger out.
Don't "spin" the pushrod....go "up and down". MUCH EASIER to feel that going to zero. Once it snugs up you tighten a half turn more (or whatever). The exact turn spec is NOT CRITICAL.
Thanks Stingr69: I adjusted the lifter clearance as outlined in the book you showed. Zero movement between pushrod and rocker so more turning would start compressing the lifter plunger. I just went half a turn more since this always seemed to work fine- I would rather be too loose than too tight to start out.
Who says that spring even goes to your car?
I have seen stuff like that on Briggs & Straton, Tecumseh and Kohler engines.
Have one of those in the garage?
I am only posting this because I have seen too many problems die out without resolution. Not that it's very important, but that little spring, I'm pretty sure now, came from the spark plug that I broke before starting the motor. It never occurred to me that they have springs inside for the resistor piece inside the insulator. Plus I had never broken a plug before to even notice a new tiny spring on the ground.
Spring looks like the one that goes into the sun visor hinges. Very small.
Car sounds like distributor is 180 degrees out as others have suggested.
Valve lashing is tricky until it isn't. I used to advise the "up and down" pushrod method but the feeler guage method is probably better until you have enough experience with it to not need help anymore. Put a .003" feeler gauge in and tighten the nut until the gauge just barely drags a bit then go a half turn more. That is probably a better way to do it the first time.
After going round and round on my 68 327 rebuild, this is exactly what I did. Put a feeler gauge in the gap until a little drag and then 1/2 turn down.
"The drag on a pushrod rotation is VERY SLIGHT at true zero lash. They are oiled and slippery at both ends. If you go too far past that true zero point you can hit bottom of the available adjustment range. THEN they can still spin, only they have just a little more drag. You will still be able to spin them when they are bottomed out."...stingr69
Thanks for explaining what was likely happening to me.
