I agree with Phil about the mismatch!

I think you should consider two questions.

First, is that truly the problem? If you describe the symptoms in some detail someone here should be able to support or question the diagnosis.

The other question is more major--what caused the valves to be bad?

--valve recession is caused by burning unleaded fuel (usually over a long period of time) without putting in hardened seats

--the valves could have been adjusted too tight, either because someone just screwed up or because they were trying to compensate for cam shaft lobes going bad

--misc. other causes.

The point is, you won't know what you can and cannot do until you get the head off the engine and take a look inside. If you are, as you say, a novice, tearing into an engine might be intimidating. Really, though, it is not that hard. You might want to look at www.vclassics.com, where you will find some great articles on engine rebuild.


--
Tim--'72 ES, '90 240