Most people freak out at the idea of adjusting the lash on the valves, but if you have a hot rod Pontiac with a more aggressive cam, more compression than stock, and make more than double the stock output, you should expect that regular adjustments are part of ownership. Adjusting the valves is really not all that difficult if you understand what you are doing- you're putting a preload on the spring inside the lifter, and combined with the oil pressure that preload puts the right amount of pressure on the cam, pushrod and the rocker. Too little and the valvetrain rattles, too much and the lifter eats the cam.
Geno