304 problem(?)

["Eddie Stakes" <eddiestakes@xxxx>]

I have a engine questions: My 74 Gremlin cranked up this morning and was
making a popping sound 'clok clok clok' and backfiring thru the carb. Years
ago I had a Javelin to this and it had a stuck valve if I recall? So I
pulled the valve cover off and the fourth rocker fromt he firewall on the
driver side bank, 7(?) is really loose. All the others seemed tight. I
pulled the rocker off and the push rod looks fine. Putting it back in
however it seems that it either sticks up too high, or drops low and then
the rocker won't reach it when tightened. The engine is a really beefed up
304V8, and the heads are casting number 3216086 if that helps. But the car
has ran fine for years, and this just happened this morning when I was going
to move it into the driveway. Some of ya'll can probably pinpoint this
problem instantly, but to me it is greek.

I'm not sure if I am going to sell this car either, but will probably make a
decision this month whether I'll finish it off or unload it. The fellow I
had bought it from had allegedly $4000+ into the engine and trans. Seems to
have a lot of nice parts on it, there were Indy things that guide the push
rods, has a new Torker, Edlebrock carb, radiator, and I was told it had a
Crane cam, it also sports some new looking Hooker headers. So it seems a lot
of money was under the hood.

I was going to paint it Big Bad Green but lost my job 2 weeks before my
paint man was to tackle it. I had added 77 AMX flairs, Cragars, a tach, and
new carpet, and also was fixing to add a AMC AM/FM radio, some new dash
parts, and had added new hood hinges, grill, corners, and odds and ends. So
it was not a high priority, but was still being worked on, time permitting,
as ya'll know I have as many kids as AMCs......

So any advise would be appreciated as to what is causing this, just answer
here as it probably will help someone else down the road who might be having
same problems but is AMC engine challenged like me! Thanks mucho to all who
may reply also. I hope to jump back on it this weekend, again, time
permitting, as I will need to be moving it so hopefully the person(s) who
was the high bidder on my 71 Matador 2door with 14,000 miles can get to that
one, which i had moved to the side of the house. Seems the Matador, if the
sale does indeed go thru, will be living in Marietta, Georgia. Kind of
fitting as it originally was sold new in Birmingham, AL. Eddie Stakes'
Planet Houston AMX