My 427 SOHC Build..... Finally the time has come!

[jayb]

The #4 bearing (if it was the correct one) is the same as any #4 sideoiler cam bearing if you are using the plug.  The plug is actually a two piece affair, one side inserted from the front and the other from the back, and then bolted together; there is a gap in the middle between the two plug halves.  The oil will come up through the center hole in the block, through the bottom hole in the cam bearing, fill up the space between the plug halves, and then go out through the other hole in the cam bearing, up through the block passage to the head.

Unfortunately Jason's cam bearings were for a standard top oiler FE, so there is only the one hole, to line up with the bottom hole in the block.  I'm sure the area between the plug halves had plenty of oil, but it had nowhere to go 

The factory SOHCs used a different approach, where the outside of the cam bearing was grooved around about 90 degrees of the outside circumference.  The groove was about 0.100" wide and about 0.030" deep.  You lined up the groove so that it intersected both holes in the block, and oil would transfer from the center hole in the block around to the hole leading to the heads.  The holes in that cam bearing would be misaligned with the holes in the block in this case.

I don't like the factory oiling setup with that grooved cam bearing because I have spent some time monitoring the oil pressure in the heads, with a couple of gauges on the dyno.  The head that is oiled with the grooved cam bearing is always about half the oil pressure of the other head.  So the plug arrangement solves this problem, eliminating the groove in the back of the cam bearing as a restriction.

The other head oils just like a standard 427 side oiler; the stub cam has a groove in it to transfer oil to the head.  Of course, that won't work either if the wrong cam bearings are used.

And yes, #3 and #5 just get plugged by putting in the cam bearings and misaligning the holes in the bearings to the block.

[KMcCullah]

Thank you for explaining Jay. I get it now.

[Barry_R]

You are working too hard. 

Use a die grinder and a small diameter cut off wheel to make a connector (partial annular) groove between the cam feed and the cylinder head feed - just like a 390 or CJ but not all the way around.  Now you can rotate the cam bearing as a block off like the other ones and still get plenty of oil to that head.

[cobracammer]

You have a good picture of that in your book Barry.   

[cjshaker]

Jason, if I were you I'd take those old cams and hang them on the wall and tell people you trashed them when you had them in your nitro burning supercharged SOHC dragster that you sold a few years back

[cobracammer]

Good idea Doug.  A couple more and I can make windchimes   

[Stangman]

God forbid

[cobracammer]

Hey Guys.  Short update.  Rockers are already on their way to T & D Machine Products for inspection and rebuild.  We are sending them all in just to be sure....

Ordered a new set of cam bearings from Robert Pond (By way of Keith Craft).  They were shipped out to Jays yesterday.  We are well on our way gentlemen :0)

[R-WEST]

Jay, since you're fixing things, and your shop is already a mess, I got this Chinese go-kart for my niece a couple years ago that has a Chinese/Honda clone engine in it that ran for a while then made a loud 'clank' and shut off - can I ship it up there for you to work on in your spare time?   

[jayb]

Well, I don't know.  Does it have a cammer in it? 

[cobracammer]

Small update.  I spoke with Jay today (who had just heard back from T & D Machine Products).  They inspected my rocker arms today and its the worst case possible.  All 16 rockers are beyond repair.  The adjusters are seized, needle bearings screwed up some other parts, etc.  Long story short, instead of $15 dollars a piece to rebuild, its a complete replace.  I called up Steve at T & D and had to purchase another whole set of Rockers, spacer clips, and the rocker shafts.  Jay and Steve both agreed that replacing the clips and rocker shafts was the safer bet and at only $100.00 more, it just makes sense.

Sadly, another set of Rockers and such was $2,600.00 OUCH!

In other news, the Heads and block are going our for inspection and cleanup soon, and the crank is going out to be turned down a little.  In talking to Jay, he thinks we can do a little better on the Cam Shafts that will need to be purchased.  Since the Factory spec ones I originally had are goners, and a new set will need to be purchased, Jay is going to try and put maybe a little more aggressive cam profile to it?  I trust in Obi won-JAYnobi.

Definitely an unexpected expense having to replace all of the rockers for sure, but whenever the cost gets me down, I go to youtube and starting playing Cammer engine videos.  Works every time.

[turbohunter]

Wow
Sorry Jason
Was wondering what was going on with  it.
Well, at least you know you have big brass balls for trying a cammer as your first build.

[jayb]

What I think is remarkable is that the professional engine building shop screwed this up.  They are the ones who put in the cam bearings in the block.  If it wasn't for that, I think Jason's engine would have been fine for the most part, even though it was his first build. 

[cobracammer]

Thanks guys.  Yea,  i think the cam tunnel bearings screwed me.  At least I know more about building FE engines now than when I began.  I love learning about this stuff.

[cobracammer]

OK update.  I will try and be as thorough as Jay has been with me.

To start, The block will not need to visit the Machine Shop.  The block was Line honed when I originally got it machined.  I also had the bores honed out to 4.250 as well (just to refresh memories).  The line hone of the block was holding it up at the time because the block is aluminum but the beefy Robert Pond main caps are steel.  The machine shop at the time had to send away for a special hone that could handle the material.  In the end, the block just probably needs a good cleaning and fixing and chasing of all of the threads in each bolt hole.

2nd  piece of news was the heads.  They obviously were not getting any oil.  Due to this, the springs (all of them) and the spring locks had discoloration associated with excessive heat.  Jay disassembled the heads, and in testing the spring tension, they came up between 400 - 600 lbs of opening pressure.  Since it would seem that all of the springs would need to be close to the same pressure, we will be getting a brand new set of springs and locks.
Also, after removing the springs, a few of the valves were slightly difficult to remove.  Jay thinks that it may either be that with the lack of oil, they galled up the valve guides (may need replacing or honing), or they may just have burnt up the assembly lube that was on them after the build and the carbon buildup has "stuck" them in the guides.  This will be for the machine shop to decide, but we may have the ability to get some spare valve guides from Keith Craft's shop if they need replacing (Since he replaced all of the guides on my heads when he did the 3 angle valve job).  We will know more after the machine shop has a look.

The crankshaft is getting turned down a bit as well so it will be off the machine shop at the same time.

For now, "Dr. Brown" is thinking about a good combination for this engine as we will be ordering new cams and Springs.  Something slightly more aggressive than a factory grind may be in order