[cwcarpenter98]

Originally Posted by Accelo

I have rebuilt my 283 and was amazed in the poor shape of the valve stems. They were .005 to .007 undersized.
The old engines relied on the lead for lubrication. Newer metallurgy has solved the issues.
I rebuild the old head. Because of the worn stems I replaced the valves. I was amazed as I could put a flat spot on the valves with a file. The new valves a file just skidded across. They have a coating of satellite on the OD. I knew the old girl wasn't going to get driven a lot so I didn't install hardened seats. Been over 15 years, since I completed the rebuild, without an issue. I would consider using a stock metal gasket as it will keep from lowering the compression by .1 point.
Not much of a difference but you need all you can get with the stock compression level being so low.
Cheers.

I wouldn't be surprised if that's part of the problem. I haven't been running a lead additive since I put the engine in the truck over 3 years ago. I don't know if the engine was fully rebuilt before the previous owner got it or not.

I've been busy with classes and work stuff, so I haven't had a chance to dig deeper into the problem yet. If not this weekend, probably some time next week