276 stroker from 35 years of parts

[GB SISSON]

After the amazing dinner the 'kids' cooked for us on the barbeque, I snuck out there with the grandkids and we roasted hostess twinkies on sticks over the coals. Wait til they find out they're having lucky charms for breakfast.

[tubman]

They are "Magically Delicious", after all.

[Bored&Stroked]

Lucky Charms and Captain Crunch . . . my childhood favorites.

And if you got really greedy (on a new box of Lucky Charms) - you got up on the weekend before your brothers and cherry-picked a bunch of the marshmallows out and loaded up your bowl! LOL

[glennpm]

I love this thread!

[GB SISSON]

Thanks all. Been quite fun for me too. With adventures in head doming behind us I got a bit of time this afternoon to dig up a few more parts. I found a nice fitting fuel pump push rod. I had about six early types and only one 8ba style. I could mount the oil pump and pan but can't find a drilled 5/16" bolt anywhere. I don't do well drilling tiny holes so thought about making a steel lock plate with tabs to secure the bolt, and loctite too.. I need the vertical steel tube for the front of the valley. I have one in another block but it is not yielding to my wiggling with channelocks. Any hints? I am also challenged by the whole fan assembly for the 8ba. I have quite a few fans and hub assemblies, brackets etc. but some will be for 59ab style. I know I have 2 six blade fans, maybe an aluminum one and others. I will run a GM one wire and I have 2 slingshot brackets, both quite different so pretty sure one is 8ba type. No good looking fuel pumps or any stands that don't have the oil fill cap setup. Also went through a big pile of exhaust manifolds. Many choices there too. It's clear I will be needing some guidence again real soon, so please stay with me on this.

[38 coupe]

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Thank you for sharing all your trials and tribulations on this engine, this is a fun thread to follow.

Maybe put a tight fitting wood dowel in the front valley tube so you can get a good grip on it without worry of crushing it? Heat and penetrating oil also may help, seems to be generally applicable to taking apart old engines.

You want to find an 8BA fuel pump stand, they are different shape where the fuel pump mounts since the mounting flange got taller.

Pick good looking exhaust manifolds that match the outlet locations currently on your wagon. I no longer worry about exhaust manifold flow since reading the results in JWL's book where he found on a stock 8BA no power difference between three different conditions: all of the driver's side exhaust coming through the intake crossover passage, proper working factory manifold-to-manifold crossover pipe, and dual exhausts.

The truck fans for 42-52 are all the same. 4 blade fans seem to do the job for me, but there is something decidedly "truck" about having a 6 blade unit that can be appealing. The 6 blade fans really cool at idle and low speed, but block enough air at higher speeds that highway running temperature increases a few degrees. Compared to a 59A the 8BA the generator moved forward, but the fan belt stayed in the same place. If the fan blades are bolt on they can be swapped between assemblies. Pick your favorite fan and favorite bearing/mounting assembly and combine them. Remember to take the little screw out of the hub and oil the bearings before deciding on which fan to run.

[GB SISSON]

Lotsa good info there Fred, Thanks! I went down to the shop at 5:30 am to take a look-see on the shelves and found a nice fan hub, bolt on type with a steel 4 blade. Then up high on a nail i see that 6 blade with steel center and aluminum fan blades. Could be some nice under hood bling. Interesting that at speed a six blade works against itself though. Excellent idea about the dowel in the tube also.I got sidetracked when I came across 3 starters. One stood out, nice and clean and the case looks to have been painted with Por-15. What stands out is the black case is longer than the norm and it's front diecast end is far thinner to make up for the longer case. Is this maybe a Y block 12 v? I have read about that conversion and found it interesting. Grandkids starting to trickle in down the stairs..... I better get some lucky charms while there's still some marshmallows in 'em.

[Bored&Stroked]

There are starters with the thicker front cast part and ones with the thinner front cast part. Seems to me the ones with the thinner plates were later on . . . but I don't know for sure. I have converted some 6V starters over to 12V using the later starter guts. It is an easy job!

[51504bat]

Automatic starters are different from the ones for standards. Just a thought.

[Bored&Stroked]

Originally Posted by 51504bat

Automatic starters are different from the ones for standards. Just a thought.

Are they any different as far as the length of the shaft (from the mounting face) or in the type of bendix used?

[Als48]

Happy Birthday, GB! Wishing you many more.

Al Hook

[GB SISSON]

Thanks Al, A fun time was had by all. The troop went back to Seattle this afternoon as ferry reservations were all booked for tomorrow. Just went through the best starter, cleaned and light lube, good to go. Next I'll regasket that good short body oil pump and at that time replace the rather flat lock washers with new hardened ones. Am I correct in thinking it uses no gasket where it mates to the bottom of the block?

[Mart]

No gasket between oil pump and block. The only gasket is between the oil pickup and the pump.

On the French motors they use an O ring where the pump fits the block. The O ring is quite thick. I have a selection box of O rings and can fit 3 smaller section O rings in that location. It's probably not necessary but I thought it might help with my motors which all have old cranks and bearings to help with the low oil pressure problems I tend to have.

Mart.

[GB SISSON]

Thanks Mart, yes there was a gasket for the pickup tube I just installed. I was pretty sure I'd never seen a gasket at the pump's base, but no harm in asking. My gasket set had a gasket for the plate at bottom of pump so I used it. I decided to clean out the relief valve on the pump just in case it had hard sludge etc in there. It had a fiber washer under it's threaded cap. There was a couple similar washers in the Best gasket set but either one kinda squeezed out on one side when I snugged up the cap. I didn't like that. Maybe I went too tight, but on Tuesday I will look for a copper washer (like used on oil pan drain) at napa. Then of course the safety wire.

[Mart]

Unless there was a gasket there previously I wouldn't use a gasket at the base of the pump. By using the gasket you have introduced a gasket's worth of end play. That will lower the pressure the pump is able to generate.
If you lap the plate and the base of the pump they will fit nicely together.
This is just my opinion, others may have a different opinion.
Mart.

[cadillac512]

I agree with Mart. Minimal clearance between gears and end plate makes a big difference in oil pressure.

[GB SISSON]

Mart and Terry, I did recall reading that as I was installing the gasket, but thought I'd err on the safe side as I didn't remember if I had removed a gasket there a week or two ago. When I tested the five pumps with a gauge I had removed all the bottom plates to inspect for wear and put them back on for the test. Now I like the idea of removing the gasket. This plate had no wear, just a shine below the gears. I supposed I'd feel it if was too tight? I DO have some .001-.003 plastigage, maybe I run a test Thanks

[Bored&Stroked]

The original gasket (if there) was super-thin - like paper thickness. If you have a rebuild kit with a thicker gasket, don't use it. I saw some kits from Speedway with a big thick gasket (like .016 or thicker) - would have ruined the pressure.

[tubman]

There is a spec for end clearance. It's easy enough to check it with plasti-gage.

[cadillac512]

I believe the end play on the shaft/gear assembly in the pump body is controlled by the drive gear clearance to the pump housing. That play should not allow the pumping gear to bear against the end plate so while checking clearances that's a good one to look at.


Yes, proper gasket is around .004-.006 from what I've seen. May not require one if checked and clearance is good.