Don,
Yes it bent where the rod narrows for the guide plate. In speaking with a local speed shop owner, he noticed that the end of the rod that goes down to the lifter had worn or polished rather badly, and suggested that the lifter might be damaged and in need of replacement. I spoke with Lewis at Southern Automotive this morning and he is going to send me a new rod. He didn't think that there would be any damage to the lifter, but that the rocker has loosened, as you suggested, and the wear on the rod from the sloppy adjustment before it bent probably caused the uneven wear on the rod tip. I shined a flash light down the rod shaft opening and believe that the lifter may have some scarring where it contacts the rod tip. Do you think that I should be on the safe side and look into replacing the lifter, even though Lewis thought that it was probably not damaged? Having looked at the rod tip, the speed shop owner locally, felt that it would be a good idea. He said I could take a gamble and put the new rod in, and that if the lifter pumped
oil it might be OK. I want to do the right thing as long as I have to replace the rod anyway.
Fred