Agreed. Guide plates are necessary for high rpm's. If your going to keep what you have here, meaning the small block chevy, I'd invest in a set, and have a quality minded machine shop set the heads up for them. As Vince stated, lose the cups on the springs...they are heavy.
You stated that the rockers were loose on the opposite bank. You also stated that this is a solid camshaft, and not a hydraulic. That tells me that you have an issue, as the rockers should not seem loose, unless you are referring to side to side movement from the lack of guide plates. A solid cam will hold its end play, so you shouldn't see any noticeable movement at the rocker. .010 to .012 is an average number for rocker to valve clearance, which moves very little with your hands. The rockers that you have are self aligning, and aren't a bad piece, you simply need your valve train to operate as a complete package, and a set of guide plates will compliment the valve train.
If your happy with your camshaft, and it isn't hurt, have your machinist set up your heads correctly. They will set the spring heights up according to your camshaft specs, and help you make sure that when this all goes back together, it will be correct. If you end up with a new camshaft, have them set up your heads to the new cam's specs. Pushrod length, spring installed height, rocker to retainer clearance, coil bind at full lift, are all important issues with a performance oriented valve train, so pick your machinist wisely. Triple check your settings after your all back together, and pull your valve covers every now and then, to go back through them with a feeler gauge to find problems early, before this happens twice. Solid lifter camshafts are fun, but are high maintenance.
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