400s are good engines, and there is a lot to be said for staying with the original type of engine. I have never seen an engine swap that both total satisfactory and inexpensive: even some expensive ones don't work that well -- there are just some things you never can get quite right.

 

well the motor came out of an early 70's chevelle i believe the guy might have said 72 but i havent run the numbers. havent had any trouble with it except the oil problem. i'll run a compression check and see how that looks. if the compression is good and the problem is in the heads like you said it might be would it be easier just to replace those? i've seen a few sets in local papers for a good price.

 

Well, since they really need to come off, you might want to replace them, but I'd be careful with buying used heads unless you plan to first have them re-done: you could be buying a whole new set of problems. Aftermarket, ported heads aren't too much $$$ and would open it up a bit. Either way, an advantage of getting another set of heads is that you woul only have the car apart for about a day - no wait on the machine shop pressing in new guides, etc.