Joe, This sounds a little like the M.O. of my wagon before I got it. It did that a couple of times and then ended up with almost a know that was persistent. The end result was a very bent push rod (http://www.mattsoldcars.com/1967american/) and evidence that the valves and pistons gave each other a little kiss (no pictures of that but that's what the machine shop told me). The engine actually ran okay on basically five cylinders but was a little hard to start and down on power a touch. Matt At 06:04 AM 5/2/2006 -0700, you wrote: >This is a 64 Rambler Classic which I picked up from a >local junkyard rather than see it crushed. Clean body >which needs paint. An early 232 has been transplanted >into the car by a previous owner. At first I thought >it was one of the scarce 232 4-doors which were made >by AMC along with the Rambler Typhoons, but the >homemade engine mounts give the transplant away. > >The car started fine two days ago. It had a slight >lifter tick which went away as it warmed up. All I >did to get it running was replace the burned points >and condenser. The car was horribly out of time too. >The distributor wasn't loose, but it did sit in the >front yard of the junkyard several weeks so someone >could have tampered with it. > >Yesterday, when I started it after replacing the worn >shifter column with another used column, there was a >pronounced lifter tick which didn't go away as the >engine warmed and there was a brief loud metallic >sound like something loose in the oil pan. Maybe I >should have shut it down then, but the sound was only >brief. > >Tonight I'll pull the valve cover and inspect the >rocker shaft and push rods. I'll also do a cold >compression test before I start the engine, looking >for clues. I'll drain and strain the oil. Any other >suggestions? > >Regards, >Joe Fulton >Salinas, CA >_______________________________________________ >AMC-List mailing list >AMC-List@xxxxxxxxxxxx >http://www.wps.com/mailman/listinfo/amc-list > >or go to http://www.amc-list.com mhaas@xxxxxxx Cincinnati, OH http://www.mattsoldcars.com 1967 Rambler American wagon 1968 Rambler American sedan =============================================================== According to a February survey of Internet holdouts released by UCLA's Center for Communication Policy, people cite not having a computer as the No. 1 reason they won't go online. _______________________________________________ AMC-List mailing list AMC-List@xxxxxxxxxxxx http://www.wps.com/mailman/listinfo/amc-list or go to http://www.amc-list.com