<VV> Spike In Group Red

[Smitty Smith]

Smitty Says:  I hate to break up the thread on watches BUT.  Spike had low compression on two cylinders and a leak check showed air getting past the rings, and the valves were tight.  So I figured I'd ring those two cylinders.  Got to be ready to kick some A** at Indy on certain individuals.  So I pulled the head off and while tinkering around saw that the retaining clips had come off of two lifters.  OK I can handle that.  Pulled one out and stole a clip from an old lifter for it and put it back in.  Pulled the other one out and where it is supposed to be flat on the bottom, it is a perfect highly polished concave socket.  Hmmm.  This is looking less than fun.  So today the engine came apart and I am ready to split the block.  Got no new cams but I have a pile of used and preserved ones like cord wood.  Didn't want to waste too much time but I picked out a couple of 891s that I will measure tomorrow.  I know the one that lost a lobe was my last 304.  I am sick about that. 
 As long as an 891 will crank to 6,000 I can live with it.  Lots of work ahead but Spike will be at Indy, looking for action.
  Now I need to warn those evil doers that sneak in here in the dark of night and mess with my cams that I do have a gun and I'm not afraid to use it.
  I think the moral to this story is "Don't re ring cylinders unless you have a race cam in the garage".