Spintron testing is a good value compared to a broken valve train. When you are running at + 4000 RPM you can't hear much and and the odds are you will do signicant damage if something in the valve train fails. If you use solid lifters, a good indicator is you have to adjust the valves. When the valve train is stable, nothing moves.

Were you able to determine what was wrong with the engine valve train configuration that caused this damage?

Raylar parts in the engine are the intake and stroker kit only. In my mind a fully engineered Raylar engine upgrade package would be one of the safest routes since it is just that...fully engineered and proven and you know what power you will get. Knowing what I know now if I had to do it over again that is the route I would take as a do it yourselfer. It would have saved me a lot of $$$ as well.

I have one of those and have used it over the years as you suggest. Thanks.

Thank You

How to detect valve train instability?----well, one way is when you start seeing little white surrender flags start popping out of your engine compartment. :party-smiley-004:

So the push rods should never touch the push rod guide plates?

Well I checked the valve stem tips after about 5 hours running. Most of it lower rpm. The witness mark on the valve stem tip is narrow and in the center. However there are lots of them not just one and all at different angular positions to each other. Like an asterisk "*". Only looked at even bank so far and each and every valve stem tip is marked like that. Five valves had previous use but I cleaned up their tips, maybe not well enough but three were brand new. Only been up to WOT 5800 rpm briefly twice with the rest 5000 rpm or mostly below that trying to tune the Holley EFI. From just a glance at the cam lobes from lifter galley they look nice with smooth even roller lifter witness mark track.

I am afraid to ask for comments.

sounds like the valves are rotating. don't know if a bad thing or not. they used to design them to rotate. heck, they still do, but not at real spring pressures and lifts.

No rotators under valve springs. Valve springs are PAC1255X Beehive springs with PAC retainers and keepers which seem to lock onto the valve stem and make assembly rigid. Previous setup was Comp Cam 929 springs with Comp Cam retainers and keepers which seemed to be a more free fitting assembly with valve stem. The Comp Cam spring and retainers produced a single rocker arm roller witness mark on the valve stem tip. Previous cam was less lift/aggressive.

Not concerned about rotation by itself assuming it is not the signature of something more insidious (damaging) going on. I guess a different question would be is valve rotation normal with the PAC beehive spring and retainer system?