The Ford Barn

Hivolt5.0 · 01-09-2014, 07:31 PM

I'm posting the following information for Ole Don.

"One of the downfalls of the Y block design was the oiling of the rocker arms with the oil then available. When facing either side of the engine, the oil comes up through the second rocker stand from your right and exits through the tube on your right. In service, the rockers on your left will run dry and possibly fail. I read years ago this will help, and I have no idea why this has not been written about more often. One well known race engine builder uses no tubes at all, relying on splash to oil the timing chain and distributor gear. For street use, I like to squirt a small amount of oil to those places.

I remove and clean the tubes, then cut off the end just to make it square. I debur the inside, then tap to 12-24. I use a 12 - 24 x 1/2 screw drilled to 1/16 as a restricter installed with a drop of locktight. I bend the tube to point the oil flow down the pushrod hole, and idle a warm engine until oil flows out the far left rockers to ensure the shaft is clear inside.

After I wrote about this the first time, I was reminded that not everyone has a shop with a drill press with a vice. Also, even though most Sears tap and die sets have that tap, not everyone has one of those either. Clean and mail me your overflow tubes, and I will tap them and install the drilled screw."

01-09-2014, 07:31 PM	#1
Hivolt5.0 Senior Member Join Date: Jun 2010 Location: Ft. Walton Beach, FL Posts: 136	Y Block rocker shaft changes for better oiling I'm posting the following information for Ole Don. "One of the downfalls of the Y block design was the oiling of the rocker arms with the oil then available. When facing either side of the engine, the oil comes up through the second rocker stand from your right and exits through the tube on your right. In service, the rockers on your left will run dry and possibly fail. I read years ago this will help, and I have no idea why this has not been written about more often. One well known race engine builder uses no tubes at all, relying on splash to oil the timing chain and distributor gear. For street use, I like to squirt a small amount of oil to those places. I remove and clean the tubes, then cut off the end just to make it square. I debur the inside, then tap to 12-24. I use a 12 - 24 x 1/2 screw drilled to 1/16 as a restricter installed with a drop of locktight. I bend the tube to point the oil flow down the pushrod hole, and idle a warm engine until oil flows out the far left rockers to ensure the shaft is clear inside. After I wrote about this the first time, I was reminded that not everyone has a shop with a drill press with a vice. Also, even though most Sears tap and die sets have that tap, not everyone has one of those either. Clean and mail me your overflow tubes, and I will tap them and install the drilled screw."