ive noticed a bit of oil consumption in my baby lately...i didnt really think it to be anything serious since i get smoke at startup cause of the valve stem seals. but i was bored today so i hunted around for a while...unplugged the pcv, checked for vacuum...got plenty there. left the pcv out for a min and watched very closely...what did i see but a few whisps of smoke i lost the original LG4 to bad rings (due to bad detonation that went uncorrected...hey, i didnt know back then) since i dropped this 350 in latel july, ive been hearing detonation on and off, while trying to get the best out of my timing/advance curve etc. of course i dont beat on it when i hear it ping, i go and fix it. but now im just afraid i did it again...it would break my heart to see i had bad rings. the short block supposedly had 15-20k on it and seems great. the smoke on start is because the machine shop screwed up the valve seals in the heads, i dont want the hassle of taking them off to have the shop do it again. anyway, i want to know if there may be any other possibilities aside from bad rings to cause that slight blowby.

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350, Comp 262, Edelbrock Performer intake 600 cfm carb and exhaust, headers

 

I'm thinking leaking/worn valve guides can be a possibility, especially if you're seeing smoke out the PCV grommet. Using your vacuum gauge, check for a rapid vibration of the gauge needle about 4in.Hg back and forth. Get back to us and we'll try to help.

 

i'm having a similar problem with my fresh rebuild on my 305.. 4000 miles and i'm smoking on startup.. gotta love idiots that don't know how to do valve guides.. i've been having a pinging problem too, i hope it's just gas..

 

ive been running 92 octane the whole time, changed to colder plugs...put in a 160 stat cause its hard to keep the motor cool. none of that really helped