[Chris "drooze" Wertman]

So just let me get this correct......this is your second engine..........It came from a proffessional engine shop or builder and now it has a bent exhaust valve after some test running? You are guessing it came from a tight guide or a valve stem that was warped? The heads are off and your getting it fixed.......

Sort of I see there being 3 possibly 4 distinct possibilities, and I will leave it to the "head guy" to make a call depending on what he sees on dissasembely.

But in general Correct, in these engines according to that SAME builder these valves are prone to warpage, dont forget he didnt spec em Mopar did.

Race engines generally have some type of bronze guides and they rarely seize. Steel or iron guides also work but the clearance needs to right and seals might not be used by some to allow some oil in there. Exhaust need to be looser from the heat........If one valve did it what makes you think it won't happen again on another one.....If a valve seized or started to drag even momentarily it will almost cetainly have some discoloration or metal transfer on the stem........Bottom line is if your valves hit your pistons your going to be hurting another engine

Its a "Possiblity" egt's were good so only an abnormal warpage would have caused it , and hence limited it to 1 valve.

There are 2 other blatant possiblities that could cause only 1 valve to tap (note all our runs were under 6800 at this point so.....) that not it .....

There are very tight clearance issues on the exhaust rockers and the retainers.....its possible there was a momentary "tip up" of a retainer causing a lock condition , the geomoetry on these engines if youre familiar with them would easily cause this hang. We have now a solution to that as well and some cut and scalloped reataniers that drop down another 20 thou, as well as offset locks to move the entire set down, and I can just hit my desired (and Stanton confirmed with MY Valve springs at his facility) a 1.750 installed height, Our springs have a higher rate and pressure than anything else available for this engine, over 460 on the rate... that too was a suprise to him I think, as well as smaller core diamater and Overall diamater which should lend nicley to high rpm stability.

The 3rd possibility is that , and its unlikley that there was a clearance issue, but your right, the bronze alloy thats used would be VERY unlikley to seize.

There is also a possiblity and it was a hair on the tight side .015 total gap on the shim on that rocker, I guess I can open those up to .010 each but....well that seems sloppy to me, then again this engine isnt going to be turning 15k rpm for an hour at a time either like the other engines I usually play with (yeah the bike crap)

The heads are in no way shape or form "race ready" Stanton SPECIFICALLY dosent do any valve or seat work to them, why ? Because everyone wants em their way. The valves look like "Diesel" valve profiles from a WWII generator especially the Intakes.....they are RedLine valves....but well nothing is done to them.

So our head guy reffrered to us by a very knowledgable SS/AH guy who frequests here, well, the guy knows his stuff, I wont second guess his ability. So that leaves a simple solutu

If you think or have any concept that these engines are "ready to race" feel free to call Gary Stanton himself and ask......far from it. That was a problem , communications, we were led to believe that apparently a miscommunication.

Well be good, it takes what it takes....

Do you have ANY other expanation of what could have caused a "FULL OPEN" hang that was non damaging on the valve return and obviously not recurrent ? Only left scuffing a light tip on the valve pocket of the piston , on an engine that never made it over 6800 rpm on these pulls

I see those 3 or 4 options and I subscribe to the Occams Razor principal "If you have two theories that both explain the observed facts, then you should use the simplest until more evidence comes along"

That being said, I am very open to any constructive insight of what could have caused this pnenomema to occur under said conditions.

Cheers

Chris