early last spring, i took my 86 305 TPI to a spring test and tune. the best run i had gotten was my first, which was 15.204 @ 92.25 mph (2.73 rear, t-tops were off as well). i went again later in the spring after installing a high voltage coil, throttle body air foil, and a few other small things, which actually slowed it to 15.4's. well, later in the year, it developed a rod knock a week after doing 160 on the turnpike. i parked it, and drove another vehicle. well, i got it fired up again in january and romped it til it blew up (i dont think it cracked the block, but it fractured the crank). with the warmer weather this past week, i started taking it apart and found the following problems:

number 5 injector had no tip (this was the cylinder that blew up)
numbers 2, 3, 4, and 7 exhaust valves were badly out of adjustment, and number 4 could be turned off the push rod with no problem
numbers 1, 5, and 8 intake valves were also badly adjusted
egr tubes on runners were clogged with carbon
vacuum line to a little box thing by dist. was pinched in throttle body (my fault)

and through that, i was getting 18 mpg driving in south east pa, which is kind of like country roads with traffic lights every mile and i was getting 21 mpg doing 90 on the highways.

 

The valve lifters probably bled downdue toinactivity,resulting in all the slack in the valve train.

 

i know the lifters pump up, but they can only handle about .200" from what i remember, the one had about half an inch of play, and the rest were more than a quarter.