Help Needed Troubleshooting Valvetrane issue. Pictures

I have a 1996 Camaro Z28, I bought a 1998 LS1 / M6 setup from a guy on LS1tech and I went and picked it up and everything seemed fine, I was tired so didnt pull the covers but it didnt come with a pan and the bottom end looked good. Well engine was said to have 100k on the engine, came out of a wrecked car and it was from a performance shop so I assumed since the guy worked there it had a tune and was probably raced, no big deal. The guy wouldnt answer my calls or anything afterwards, but I already installed the setup on my car. It starts and runs alright, pops and backfires sometimes but there is alot of valvetrane noise on the passenger side and I may know why. Take note that all electrical and sensors are good, everything else has been tested, I even checked the timing chain but nothing else.

Well the other day I pulled the pushrods and got a piece of glass, rolled them all on there and they seemed fine, theres maybe alittle bit on the tips but I couldnt really tell at all, shouldve used a length checker but Im going to replace those with Comp Cams push rods either way it goes. So im checking everything out and I notice this.


On the passenger side, two springs have been replaced, they were new, the rest looked normal with the discoloring from oil and heat after 100k. When I pulled the pushrods I notcied what looked like heat marks and discoloring like what could be found on a rotor, some were even rough as if they were rubbing against medal. I look on the driverside and there was nothing wrong with the pushrod bores on that side, go to the passenger side and there were 3 of them, there were like double holes on cylinder 6 where they replaced a spring and on both pushrod bores on cylinder 8. They for sure were rubbing, they rubbed through the head and made another hole under that normal hole allowing alot of movement in my valvetrane because the holes are more like guides so when it rubbed through they can probably flex.

Here is an image, not of my head but of a head I found and I modified the bores for the pushrods to show you what I am seeing, the two springs with red circles are the ones replaced.



Another thing, one spring on the driverside has 1 new valve lock. Other than that, no problems on that side.

My question is, what has happened here from what you guys see? I seem to think it could be this;

He bent a pushrod, it broke the springs and grinded into the head and he probably drove it like that back home or something and just replaced the stuff before he sold it to me. He probably replaced the valves or may of have not, dont think he replaced the pushrods but Id think theyd be bent after something like that. I think also that the lifters could have went with this and may of not been replaced, and the cam could have flat lobes in that section, it is a stock motor and stock cam.

What do you guys think, I will take all opinions. I am in the process of tearing this baby down, as in heads and lifters and cam. I am going to replace it all so if anyone has an idea and would like to suggest anything, please let me know.

If there is a new piston then something could of went really wrong.

Thanks
Mike

 

anyone got an idea

 

Does anyone know if those are stock springs in that pictures? mine are beehive and I thougth they were stock but now im thinking they are 918's. If there is any way to tell could someone let me know. Thanks

 

Factory valve springs are beehive style.
Did you do a leak down test on the cylinders with the different springs?
Sounds like maybe he did the 3-2 shift error and did a half butted job of fixing it. Those pushrods may already be aftermarket hardened ones.

 

I can post a picture of the pushrods, they are probably stock, as most aftermarkets ive seen have the names printed on them. And my springs are stock.

 

The stockers have a colored stripe on them. I think yellow for ls1 and blue for ls6, but I may be completely wrong about the colors too.

-Geoff

 

Theres no colors on them, they are solid colored like a polished metal look with what looks like circular welded ends on them. Im betting stock, only strips going up the length of the pushrods are one the ones that were rubbing the head, and they are heat marks from the friction. If someone has a pic of a stock pushrod I can tell you.

 

My pushrods look like this, are they stock?





but someone had a pic of these claiming to be stock LS1 pushrods.