17 Dec 11 08:37, TOM WALKER wrote to MARK HOFMANN:   
      
      
    MH>> My dream car that I wanted to be my first car - and I still would   
    MH>> love to ha today, is the 1977 Pontiac Trans AM (Smokey and the   
    MH>> Bandit) car. One of my favorites of all time.   
      
    TW> I have other priorities now but my First Dream Car was the 1964   
    TW> Pontiac GTO with the Three Carbs.   
      
   We had a 67 GTO convertible w/3 deuces in the shop this last summer for an   
   engine reseal job. When the mechanic who pulled the engine got into   
   openinng it up, it needed more than a reseal.   
      
   The first thing I noticed as I walked by the engine, now on a stand,   
   was that the valve stems were mushroomed over. I called attention to those   
   to the owner of the shop, Harry.   
      
   When asked, the owner said that it had a valve job done at a shop in   
   Midland or Lubbuck (don't remember which). They put Chevy push-rods on it,   
   which don't work on a Pontiac manuf'd engine.   
      
   Pontiac push-rods are shorter and when adjusted properly, the rocker ball   
   runs down to a stop on the rocker stud and locks in place. Too short of a   
   push-rod, like Chevy's, will let the rocker bang on the valve stem. It was   
   still doing that when it was put back together, wrong push-rods again.   
      
   By this time, Harry had closed up the shop and was working at Bensen   
   Chevrolet in San Antonio, so one of his mechanics came in to fix it...it   
   finally was finished and I got to be the deliveyman...whooowhooo, what a   
   ride. 389 w/3deuces, a 4 speed and the top down all the way!   
      
                   R\%/itt   
      
      
     ,,,By the time you find greener pastures, you can't climb the fence!   
      
   --- Twit(t) Filter v2.1 (C) 2000-10   
    * Origin: SATX Alamo Area Net * South * Texas, USA * (1:387/1)