Actually pulled the head last night to see just what that valve looked like...
it does appear there was a problem
Fortunately though, it appears valves are cheap (set of 8 for ~$70 from Summit) so I'm thinking I'll go ahead and get the original 350 running while I take my time sourcing the gen III block, and at least that way I can sell it as a running engine.
Also, new Boyd's tank came in. Looks like it might be time to pull the bed and get to work on the rear end.
