FE Power Forums
FE Power Forums => FE Technical Forum => Topic started by: happystang on September 22, 2026, 08:06:08 PM
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Hi all,
This was a running '68 427 side oiler (factory hydraulic lifter motor); I bought it to go into my '68 mustang. The motor was already down to the shortblock, so we decided to take it apart and freshen it up with new bearings. The ones we took out looked fine, but while cleaning the block, I noticed that one of holes for the main bolts actually protrudes into the oil gallery. I confirmed with compressed air that the hole actually leaks via the bolt hole.
There was no evidence of oil starvation, granted I don't know how many miles (my guess is very little based on the crosshatch) were on the motor or how it was driven.
Is this common? Should I be concerned about oil pressure issues? I would imagine that the main bolt and cap would keep things sealed up.
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Well, I've never seen that one before. I can't imagine it will cause you any trouble. I would probably put some sealer on the bolt or stud threads and run it.
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Well, I've never seen that one before. I can't imagine it will cause you any trouble. I would probably put some sealer on the bolt or stud threads and run it.
Yeah, definitely a first for me as well. I measured the depth of the main bolt holes and it looks like it was drilled/tapped correctly.
If anything, the oil gallery appears to be drilled a little off from the factory!
What would you recommend for a thread sealant? I am using the factory hardware.
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I've ran into this once in 20 years of building FE's.
If I remember correctly, I just used a little bit of thread sealant as well. I can't imagine it passing hardly any oil at all though, even if you left it alone.