[Woodz428]

I've read in other forums where someone gets an engine fired up and then it starts running funny and someone suggests that the dist. is in 180 degrees. If that was the case the engine would never start, so it can't be 180 out. The firing order possibly but not a 180 out dist. Actually I'd pay to see an engine run,at all, with a dist. installed 180 out. In my earlier post when I was talking about preload, I was referring to the amount a lifter will pump up and the clearance that is needed between the rocker and valve when the lifter is collapsed. If the heads have had the valves done and the valve stems weren't butted enough when the lifter pumps up it can hold the valves off the seat and cause some of the problems you refer to. I spent many an hour diagnosing a 351C that would drop cylinders and pop through the intake after it was wound to 4500 and dropped back to idle. The lifters would pump up and then the tight cylinders would hang open valves and it would miss. I replaced 4-5 pushrods with Ford service ones that were .060 shorter.If the preload wasn't checked it is pretty easy to do and could be the problem.