Question For Those Born In 1947 Or Before

[68 Ford Stepside]

My short term memory today is just about shot, but my memory of the past is still pretty good. Back during the days of the 239,272,292 & 312 Ford engine, many of them had a problem getting oil up to the rocker arms. Probably because of sludge accumulation or whatever. Just wanted to see how many older guys remember that cheesey kit you could buy from J.C. Whitney with copper tubing & fittings. You hooked it up to a tee at the oil pressure sending unit & piped it to a special bolt that replaced one of the valve cover retaining studs. It looked like hell, but it did get oil to the rocker arms. LOL

[Mancar1]

Since I get the Social Sec each month guess I get to chime in. I remember keeping my 49 Ford together with bailing wire and the proverbial bubble gum

[MaxKlinger]

I was born way after 1947, but I don't see how that's entirely relevant.

My understanding was that the Y-block engines had a tendency to foul up some of the oil passages to the top end if they weren't well taken care of. Just like how the average appliance driver today does not take care of his/her car, the same was true in the '50s, and Y-blocks that were run too long between oil changes built up enough gunk to clog the oil galleries. Kits were available to bypass the clogs by drilling and tapping into the block and running tubes along the outside. It probably bought you some time, but if neglect is the root cause, no retrofit will solve the problem.

Since all the Y-blocks had solid lifters, I'd imagine that a neglected engine would have been noisy as heck, too.

[fmartin_gila1]

I was born in 1939 and I do remember installing one of these "top oiling kits" on a friends mid-50s ford V8 sometime in the early 60s, sometime about the Cuban Missile Crisis. It was 2nd, 3rd, or 4th hand to him as we were in the Marine Corps at the time and didn't know any of the history of the vehicle other than it wasn't getting oil to the top end. As I remember, it tee'd off where the oil sender was and fed oil to the rocker stands hollow bolts through external copper tubing. The hollow bolts were replaced with special longer ones to reach through the covers and to where the added oil line connected. At that point in time, the "kit" could be bought at any parts store as it was a fairly common thing that happened if the oil of that day was not changed at the recommended 1000 mile interval.

Fred

[68 Ford Stepside]

I was born in 1939 and I do remember installing one of these "top oiling kits" on a friends mid-50s ford V8 sometime in the early 60s, sometime about the Cuban Missile Crisis. It was 2nd, 3rd, or 4th hand to him as we were in the Marine Corps at the time and didn't know any of the history of the vehicle other than it wasn't getting oil to the top end. As I remember, it tee'd off where the oil sender was and fed oil to the rocker stands hollow bolts through external copper tubing. The hollow bolts were replaced with special longer ones to reach through the covers and to where the added oil line connected. At that point in time, the "kit" could be bought at any parts store as it was a fairly common thing that happened if the oil of that day was not changed at the recommended 1000 mile interval.

Fred

Thanks for posting Fred. Back then I worked on all the brands of cars & trucks & the ford y-block is the only engine I've ever seen with those kits installed. Never did I ever see a 265-283 Chevy or a 273-318 Dodge or any other brand with that crap on it.

[ezernut9mm]

i have actually seen a y in a f100 not too long ago with that kit installed. didn't think to take a pic though.

[Donnie]

The reason those kits were installed was that the oel passage coming up thru the block has to make a 90 degree turn at the head to block area & travel about 5/8 of an inch thru a passage in the headgasket to the head where it could get up to the rocker shaft....This is the area where the sludge build up would occur if proper maintenance was not performed...Actually the kit that you mentioned robbed some oel from the crank to supply the top end...

Somewhere in the bowels of one of my tool boxes lies dormant a "Leonardo Oel Punch".......This tool was available in the aftermarket..
How it worked : It was a long hollow bolt that was drilled & fitted with a rod that fit the bore of the bolt snug..
You would install the bolt in the proper hole, fill it with engine oel, start the "ROD" in the bolt and smack it firmly with a hammer & it would break up the compacted sludge and allow the oel to pass... usually after breaking up the sludge you would run the engine on four cyls until clear oel started flowing from the correct hole.........I think that I got this correct..........running from memory.........Donnie

[68 Ford Stepside]

Thanks for the post Donnie.

[fastEdsel]

I'm running a 272 in my '35 rat rod that the cops are still looking for, 40 years after the fact. I liked the song "Hot Rod Lincoln" so well I built one but never got caught, knock on wood! But there is some very good discussion about Y blocks on a google site. Some of us old guys though would run a couple quarts of Type F automatic transmission fluid through these engines and that would kinda clean up that 90 degree passage on the cylinder heads. Just get the engine warm, maybe drive it around and not load it up then drain the oil and for sure change the filter. Some owners have even gone as far as pinching off, but not closing off, the return oil tubes on the end of the rocker shafts to get more pressure to the other side of the engine. Check your valve clearances, I always do mine hot and enjoy your engine, they have their own distinct sound and a well tuned Y block will still give a small block Chevy a run for it's money. I know, because I could still outrun a brand new 454 police intercept on a dark night!

[68 Ford Stepside]

I remember those days well, but times have changed. My heavy right foot has slowed down considerbly.