SMF - Just Installed!
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Try Al Hubbard Machine on Meekland Ave. Hayward. Talk to Wade but hurry as he is looking to close up shop and retire. I've dealt with that shop for well over 50 years when Al Hubbard owned the shop.
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I had to go to Chicago for work, so I haven't been able to work on this in a while. Today I started it back up and got it warm enough to start making the noise again.Try Al Hubbard Machine on Meekland Ave. Hayward. Talk to Wade but hurry as he is looking to close up shop and retire. I've dealt with that shop for well over 50 years when Al Hubbard owned the shop.
Then I took both valve covers off and started it back up. The back three rockers on the driver's side had less oil flow than the front five and the passenger side all rockers looked the same with about the same amount of oil as the front rockers on the driver's side. So changing the lash didn't help oil flow to the back. I thought I took a good video of this, but when I went back to watch it, I forgot to hit record. I did get a good video of the engine warming up when the noise starts to happen.
When I figured out I didn't get a recording with the covers off I restarted the engine, but it must have cooled off a bit because it was now throwing oil everywhere. The back three on the driver's side still had less flow, but they were flowing as much as the front five were when it was hot.
Should these things be throwing oil all of the time? When it's hot and making the noise I'm getting a dribble of oil coming out of the roller tip of the rocker arm and a small puddle of oil on the spring retainer. A small paper dam about an inch higher than the springs mostly contains it. When the engine was colder there was more oil pooling and it was splashing off the tops of the springs and over the paper dam.
Unless someone has other things for me to try, it seems like I'm going to pull this engine. Things to check:
1) lifter bores worn / too big
2) Lifters coming out of the bore and unshrouding the oil band
3) Trash or maybe a restrictor in the lifter oil gallery
4) Cracks around the cam tunnel or oil gallery
I don't really have space to pull this engine where I'm at, and we might be moving soon where I would have more space to work so this isn't a project I can start right away.
Also, if anyone has a recommendation for a good FE machine shop in the Oakland - Stockton California area, I'm probably going to need one.
Is it worth doing more than one day? I have been to SEMA and we were pretty beat up trying to see it in a day.Ross, I've never been to the PRI show in Indy but I have been to a few when they were on the West coast. Santa Clara, Sacramento, etc. I saw just about everything I wanted to see in one day and that included breakfasts with keynote speakers that took about an hour or little more. I'm sure the Indy show is a lot bigger now than when it was on the west coast. FWIW I much preferred the PRI show over SEMA by leaps and bounds. PRI is geared more to the hard core gear heads, engine, transmission, rearend, chassis builders and associated machine equipment/tooling whereas SEMA has a lot of accessories, headlights and tail lights, stereo systems, wheels and what ever is the latest fad that is sweeping the car world at the moment. But I'm sure a lot has changed over the years since I last went.
If anyone else is going let me know, maybe we can grab dinner.
The reason a 390GT can't run with a 396/375 is obvious when you look at the flow comparisons. The 390FE heads of the era only flowed in the 235-240cfm with the 406-427 heads flowing 250-260cfm. The best FE MR heads only flowed ~280cfm in 1966/67. Any 396 head would flow 290-310cfm and the hp heads flowed 320-330cfm. A 396 aluminum intake manifold would flow 390-410cfm, where the C6/7-F/H intakes would only flow ~285-290cfm, with the sidewinder J averaging 305cfm. I just within the last 3 months flowed 4 sets of 396 Stock Eliminator heads and 3 unported intake manifolds for a local racer who went to INDY this year. His heads flowed 320-330cfm and the intakes flowed 409-420 cfm average. The best SS FE heads I have had on my flow bench only flowed 305-320 cfm. The 428CJ heads only flow 260ish cfm and they would keep up with the 396SS in pure stock trim. The 427HR heads as cast flowed 285-290cfm, and the 8V intake manifold would flow 365cfm as cast and they were used in lightweight cars to make them competitive. All these FE heads could be improved by 10-15% but that is still not on par with the BBC if we are honest about them. Joe-JDCNot to question your findings regarding head flow and to a slightly lesser degree manifold flow but it needs to be taken into consideration overall average flow not just the peak numbers. What about the flow under the curve at various valve lifts? What about the manifold flow between the 375hp/396 aluminum high-rise piece to the 390's iron "S" manifold? The comparison is laughable. I agree that the 396/427 BBC heads will or at least should out flow almost any FE Ford head. But when actual cars are matched up the Chevelle and others against the Fairlane/Comet, the Fairlane [or for the sake of this argument] it was the Comet Cyclone 325hp/390 beats the Chevelle 325hp/396 This was gleaned from a vehicle comparison tests done many years ago by an Oldsmobile club testing 7 of the base engine muscle cars offered in 1967 that anyone could walk into the dealer and drive out with a typical muscle car of that time. IIRC the only car quicker and faster was the Dodge GTX 440. The Comet was #2 in 1/4 mile speed and ET. The Chevelle was almost full second slower than the Comet. My comments were more directed to the 325hp/390 that was not a high performance built engine and the comparison of that to the 375hp/396...Apples and Oranges perhaps?
i always wondered why the other guys called the 390 boat anchors when they weigh less than the other guys.I also found it odd and somewhat frustrating that the "other guys" ripped the Fairlane GT/GTA 390 4V as a pooch when compared to their SS 396... The Fairlane was quicker/faster than their 325hp/396. Now considering that the Fairlane's 335hp/390 was the only big block option whereas the Chevy also had a 350 hp 396 and a 375 hp 396 option [same engine that was in the Corvette and rated at 425 hp] that was quicker and faster than the Fairlane. Ford's 390 was not a high performance engine. The only true high performance 390 Ford built was the 1961 375/401 hp 390. I would bet things would have been a whole lot different if a true high performance 390 was offered in the Fairlane. All that would have been needed is a slightly hotter cam, an aluminum performance manifold [police interceptor] with a 735 Holley and a better exhaust. A little tweaking of the ignition curve and you would have a Fairlane [or Mustang] that would have run with and beat the best of anything GM had to offer....Just my 2 cents and worth every penny.
Looks functional to me, although I would also epoxy or solder a standpipe in it though, like a stocker.That stand pipe is essential to protect the heater core. Extend the standpipe 1/2" to 3/4" from the bottom of the water jacket floor. I used a nice pretty chrome marine fitting [no stand pipe] in my 66 Galaxie 428, Everything was fine untill I matted the throttle and the heater core let go puking coolant all over the carpet. Not knowing, I just replaced the heater core with a new one that did the exact same thing under the same circumstance. 3rd new heater core later I started looking elsewhere for the problem. From a piece of aluminum hex stock I machined a new fitting with said standpipe included. End of heater core problems. I did however become quite good at changing heater cores on 66 Galaxies with A/C [Those heater cores are behind the passenger side fender, a PITA to change] BTW, I drilled and tapped the new fitting for a 1/8" N/P gauge sending unit on top so I had another source for a electrical gauge sender. Seems to work fine.
Not an absolute requirement, but that standpipe ensures that the heater doesn't get spiked with a steam or air bubble in operation. Easy to do, small pipe crammed in the hole, either epoxy or solder to hold it
Thanks, for that. I'll keep my eye open for a SW.Don't overlook the Jones/Motorola mechanical tachs. Can be found at swap meets usually taken from hot boats. Very accurate and durable.
What is the gear ratio on yours, 2/1 or 4/1?
I don't use a shift light, I set the tach, in the line of site, so that the needle is straight up to shift.
