Reply to "Valve Stuck Open"

I have not checked vacuum.

I think I am just going to bite the bullet and pull the heads off to look at the valves and directly into the cylinders.

My dad (long time Mustang/Windsor guy) seems to think that's crossing some point of no return - we might as well pull the motor and rebuild, but it looks like a few easy to get to bolts to me (and buying some new gaskets).

Someone has been in this motor before - at least the top end. One of the push rods has been replaced and some of the rockers have a different stamping (some are smoother around the edges that others) and two of them have been ground on the outside of the pushrod end for some reason. The only reason I can think of doing that is for valve cover clearance - and the valve cover is not even close. Mass reduction also came to mind, but it's not enough material for that and why only two? (unless these just came out of someone's box of spare stock rockers and they did not notice or care about the grinding marks).