Good Afternoon All,
In the thread titled "Why does my 312 pop and backfire..." I hijacked the thread to tell you about my 292 with popping noises. I said I'd keep you updated in a new thread. Well, here it is.

My engine seemed to be backfiring through the carb under moderate load at mid-RPM. A friend suggested we pull the valve covers. And what we found wasn't good. The rear half of the right side rockers had no oil and a little rust beginning to form. The left side was well lubricated. A push rod and adjusted bolt in the 1st and 3rd cylinder rocker were chewed to pieces with metal shaving laying under the rockers.

I'm guessing the new detergent oils I put in after a major tune up freed up some crud that plugged the oil passages. I guessing that the shaving have gone down into the deepest parts of the engine and the engine needs a total inspection, machining and rebuild.

I want to keep a Y-block in my '58 F-100 and maybe even raise the performance a bit. But funds are tight and I'd like to get the truck on the road soon. So, I found a 292 long-block assembled by a fellow for use in a T-bird. His enthusiasm ran out and the motor is just sitting. I figure I'll look it over and put it in the truck for the short-term while the original motor gets the rebuild and John Mummert-like upgrade.

I would appreciate any stories or advice you have about this type of engine swap.

Thanks,
Dave

 

There isnt too much to say about exchanging one 292 for another. Make sure the T-bird destined motor is in good condition and that you are not trading one set of problems for another. Front timing chain cover will be correct for the front truck mount.

 

Im "guessing" that the oil had nothing to do with it and the passage was long plugged and an accident waiting to happen; typical Y Block scenario.
Unless you are absolutely certain of the cause Id suggest not spreading more fodder for the myth crowd.

 

Merc,

You make a very good point, I'll just say I have valve train lubrication problems and not suggest any type of oil. The other mechanicals on the truck were obviously not well cared for, so I would expect the oil was neglected as well.

 

you will find that your cam bearing has turn and that has blocked the oil to that side of the rocker common problem , how to fixs scotch lock them in

 

that is another myth.

 

That is a point 312. Has anyone had a spun center bearing, or worked on a motor with the same?

 

i never saw one.john mummert said a couple years ago he never did and he saw a lot of y blocks.remember all those old oiling kits for thr rockers.people would saw the cam bearing spun.but it was sludge and cam bearing wear that caused it.i put one of those kits on myself back in 69 and drove for months after.if the cam bearing had really spun the oil hole for the cam bearing itself would no longer line up resulting in failure of the cam bearing in a matter of hours and total engine failure.

 

The addition of external oiling to the rockers still comes up as a recommendation fairly often, even when there is no obstruction to the oil passage, usually seen in one of the other FTE forums or a hot rod forum.
I have a related question. The dogleg in the rocker oil passage at the top of the block
has come up quite a few times as being the point of blockage. If a block is decked a significant amount, .015-.020?, what treatment if any should be given to that dogleg?

 

Good ? 46. I put a homade overhead oiler on my 272 6 years ago after cristylizing the rockers. Its still running today. But plan to overhaul this winter. Looking for a used crank in good shape. Anybody got one they are tiered of tripping over?

 

i rebuilt a 272 for a friend last week and i cut the groove in the cam deeper.it was an old factory cam with the groove .017 deep.i cut to .030.and didnt make it any wider.if you cut it to deep you will lose oil pressure to the crank.i rebuilt a 292 a few years back using the same cam and stock groove.all are between.015 and .017 that i have measured.it put so little oil up that i had to pull it out.now i make sure i dont have to do that again.

 

Oh Ya! my original 272 is so bad that I do not think the crank could be turned. I think I'ts warped. And the block will need line bored. Closest shop to do that is about a 1000 miles away. The 272 I am running now is just starting to thump. Hope I can save the block if it dose'nt need board.

 

46,

The way I look at it- it's just like any other oil passage or part of the pressure side of the system, therefore it's our responsibility to make sure it is properly sized & unobstructed. If it's reduced in size from machine work, then it gets resized. Beyond that I look at efficiency, radiusing corners, smoothing passages, & aligning "joints" between parts.

Someone who I respect quite a bit says that we all tend to look at oil systems backwards. Rather than using huge pumps & weird tricks, we should try to make sure that the oil goes where it needs to be in sufficient quantity, nowhere else, and get it back to the sump as efficiently as possible. (I'd add temperature factors in that mix as well.) In his words, you look at it from that basic point of view & each engine type will show you EXACTLY what is needed, & not. It will determine the necessary clearances as well, to a large extent. Pretty good advice, it's worked for me for 20 years.

 

dave have you pulled that motor a part yet ? please tell me if your cam bearing spun ? because you only have problems one side ( i have fixed 4 292 y blocks in 10 years with spun cam bearings hear in australia ) always that same side i no of one on a farm that stop in the paddock and has stayed there because no one no,s y just waiting till they want it taken to the dump ill take it home and fixs it up

 

That says it all, be it passages for oil, gas or exhaust.