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Howdy,
I didn't think they had a cam shaft at all.
All production engines with poppet valves have a camshaft (or two or four). Perhaps one day we will have pneumatic or electromagnetically actuated valves in our road cars. But not likely. With the current popular opinion that internal combustion engines are evil incarnate I fully expect R&D efforts to move away from improving the Otto cycle engine.
Are there push rods at all?
Yes. It is a pushrod engine.
...and assume I need to consider switching to a single weber carb?
Don't believe everything you read. SU carburetors are not magical nor are they difficult to tune. But, you have to understand the principles used when the Skinner brothers designed them about 100 years ago. Once you know how they are supposed to function, you will be able to recognize what is wrong when they do not function properly. Don't worry; you can know everything there is know with very little study.
Go to this youtube.com page. There you will find some videos posted by University Motors that will explain how they work and how to tune them.
The number 1 reason people swear at rather than by SU carbs is because of vacuum leaks. The number 1 reason for vacuum leaks is worn throttle shaft bushings.
SU carbs do not win races. (I read once that Ferrari used SU carbs until he was beaten by a BRM sporting twin venturi Webers. He immediately ordered a change to the Webers. I don't know if that is true or not, but it makes a good story.) They have never won any awards for being quiet. They are not maintenance free. As fewer and fewer are in use, they are becoming increasingly expensive to refurbish. But, for smooth power delivery, very good MPG at highway speeds, and just plain sweet sounds from under the hood, SU carbs are an outstanding choice for the B18 engine.
Do I need to be worried about [valve seats]...
No.
...and how much of that rebuild work can I do on the head myself?
I would not recommend a novice tackle renewing a head. Remove it and take it to a machine shop. Let them do the rebuild. It will be less expensive if you remove the valve train and clean it thoroughly before you deliver it. But, they can take the fully assembled head and give it back to you that way if you want. If you need to renew the head, have hardened exhaust valve seats installed at that time.
My advice, worth every penny you paid for it: Find a car that has already been refurbished. Then tackle the repairs and maintenance items as they crop up.
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Mr. Shannon DeWolfe -- I've taken to using mister because my name misleads folks on the WWW. I am a 53 year old fat man. ;-)
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