Oh! Well, that's dumb.
What is this idiocy? Shop around til they get an answer they like, regardless of reality? Hey, run tell your dad I say you can bolt a Corvette 6-speed manual transmission directly to a slant-6.
By what magical path do these nitwits believe there "should be enough oil pressure to push oil down into the lifters"? The hydraulic lifters can only be fed by the hollow pushrods, which are only found on the '81-up engine. Perhaps the oil pressure fairy will fly into this thrown-together engine of theirs and provide oil to the lifters despite the closed pre-'81 pushrods?
Perhaps. And the lifters will remain dry, because they won't be getting any oil, so they'll be clattering and the valves won't be opening anywhere near as much as they should. The engine, if it runs at all, will run poorly and give poor performance and fuel economy. Any of that sound like "it'll work" to you? To them?

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一期一会
Too many people who were born on third base actually believe they've hit a triple.

HA, I'll pass that along Dan!

I was over there today actually but they have got it set in thier mind that it should work. My Dad's attitude is why not try it...my thought is why not do it right the first time!?!?!

I'm going to print out this conversation and give it too them.

Your attitude is sensible and thoughtful. Donno where you got it from; evidently not from dad. Perhaps he'd like to try bolting some square wheels onto the vehicle, too? Hey...why not try it?

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一期一会
Too many people who were born on third base actually believe they've hit a triple.

Thanks! I do tend to part ways with my family on stuff like that (I'm the youngest at 30 and my father is 79!) Kinda gives me a fresher perspective I like to think.

AHA! Imagine this, I get a phone call today from my dad asking he'd left one of the pushrods from the original motor in my trunk..."I thought you werent using them" (silence) "I think we'd better use them just to keep everything the same"....

Insanity, not sure what made them see the light (perhaps they did try and run it the other way, dunno at this point)

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Casually looking for a Clifford hyperpak intake for cheap.

"I knew they wouldn't work…I was just, um, testing to see if you knew they wouldn't work!"

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一期一会
Too many people who were born on third base actually believe they've hit a triple.