May not be a lifter either. A sticky valve or weak spring will cause that to. Recessed valves will cause a misfire and drop in compression. On my old 292 I had to adjust each intake valve to .006 clearance and the exhaust valve at .008 clearance. Ran pretty smooth after that, but my compression was tops at 110 pounds. Sucker pulled like a dream though. lol Mine clattered like a cummins when cold and when warmed up it got somewhat quiet. But my lifters were shot.
