355 with a new issue

[78longbed4x4]

Ok guys so I've got a 78 4x4 1/2 ton 355, edelbrock intake, Holley 670 carb. I noticed this morning on the way to work it had a little rattle to it. After work I pulled it up to the shop door to see if I could figure out what the rattle was and it was a lot louder than it was on the way in. I ended up pulling the drivers side valve cover off and I found 2 of my rocker arms were loose, but I can't get a socket on them to tighten them up, but on the rockers that aren't making noise, the socket fits just fine. I pulled the rocker arm off and looked at it and I didn't see anything out of the ordinary, the push tube isn't bent or anything. Could I have a couple lifters crushed? I put the rocker back on and it would only tighten down so far until the socket wouldn't fit anymore. Do I have a couple rockers that are just wore out? Or do I have a lifter problem?

[Mario]

Are you using a short socket?  It sounds like the stud is contacting the back of the socket.  Did you soak your lifts, pump them with oil, or otherwise fill them with oil during installation?  It sounds like some of your lifters just aren't filling with oil because they were loose.  I used to adjust valves with engine running and by sound, but that's a pain without the rocker deflectors.  Now I adjust pairs of cylinders at a time, based on crank rotation, intake or exhaust, push rod spin, and by nut rotation.  I don't' know what the procedure is called, but it's been outlined in Competition Cams Instructions.  It could be that some of the lifters have gone bad, but I myself have never experienced that.  Good luck Man!

[bd]

Are you running "stock" valve springs?

Lay a long straight edge across the tops of all the rocker studs.  Do the studs for the "loose" rockers stand higher than the rest?  If they do, then the studs are pulling out of the heads. 

When you had the rockers off, did the semi-spherical rocker pivot balls still have helical oil flutes in them (see image)?

[78longbed4x4]

I didn't build the motor myself, I bought it about a year ago when my 305 broke a wrist pin. But I used a deep well socket on them and it just seemed like the rocker arms itself wouldn't allow me to get the socket on the nut. I'll check to see if the studs are pulling out, but it just seems like it's the rocker itself that's screwed up, but maybe I'm wrong. If it is a lifter problem should I go ahead and pull the intake off and change the lifters or will it run for a while like that? I recently bought another truck without a motor but it came with a 454 so if this 355 will run for a while I'll put it in the new truck while I rebuild the 454

[bd]

• What's the oil pressure running?
  
  
• Unplug the distributor power lead, remove the valve cover, check the rocker stud heights, then crank the engine and check whether all the valves open about the same amount.
  
  
• Is the rocker just cocking sideways, so that the socket won't slip down over the nut?
  
  
• What about the wear on the pivot balls?
  

[78longbed4x4]

It runs about 45 psi at an idle when warm. And I had the valve cover off when it was running and it looks like the rockers that are "loose" aren't opening the valves as far as the others. And I checked the saddles and nothing looks out if the ordinary. It seems like the socket is too thick to fit on the nut but that's only the case on the "loose" ones, it fits just fine on the others. I tried a couple different sockets just to make sure that wasn't the problem. I'm just a little confused as to what's goin on.

[bd]

Decreased lift and loose rockers... sounds like a flat cam.  May have decreased oiling to those two rockers, as well.  Post a pic of the rockers that shows the 'socket' problem.

When you stated, "I checked the saddles and nothing looks out of the ordinary," to what are you referring?  The pivots?

[78longbed4x4]

Yeah that's what I meant. The pivots look fine