PushRods

[George1301]

This is not about my boat, but......
This about my wife's boat...
It has a Buick, V-6, Odd-Fire, 231cu/in
The problem...
Seems there were different heads when used with either a hydraulic or solid cam...
Here is what I have run into...
When we got the boat the original heads were absolute junk... rusted away.
I found a rebuilt set and put them on... everything seemed fine though there was a constant lifter clatter... I thought was normal with the odd-fire engine.Wrong... No oiling to the rocker shafts and valve stem area.
After pulling apart seems that with hyd. lifters one would install hollow pushrods to carry oil from the lifters up to the rocker shafts. If one was running solid lifters... they would use the solid pushrods with the heads that are drilled so that the oil then could get to the rockers via a small hole interface at the rocker shaft mouting towers at two locations. The heads I have are not drilled for this, and it has hyd. lifters.... ( I had solid pushrods is why I had the clicking noise as there was no oil getting topside )
I have located some pushrods ( 8.640" in lenth... the solids were 8.625" )
Am I going at this right..?

George1301

[RiverRacer]

Well, I don't know shit about them motors, but it sounds like incompatability problem here things need to be matched up!. Why the difference in pushrod lenght???, .015 is quite a bit and will mess up the geometry if parts are not matched up right!. What is the difference between the heads for solid or hydraulic lifters????, this is a first for me learn something new every day!...

[gfinishline]

OMC stringer drive HUH? Kenne - Bell or Ken Dutwiler. Don't oil up the lifters. (so you can push in the plungers) Put some break in lube on a pair and install them. Then install the valvetrain for that cylinder. You need to CHECK LIFTER PRELOAD! That is why they are longer. I would try for .030" to .060" of preload, plunger pushed down in the lifter by the pushrod. If you don't have enough preload, you need LONGER pushrods. If the heads were surfaced more than .010" you may need "rocker shaft base shims" to raise the shaft up. Check out a "Motor's Manual" at the library, it will guide you thru this correctly.

[RiverRacer]

I'd just put a small block in it FK it!.. Yes I am a smartazzzz!..:D:D:D

[George1301]

Update to this delima... :)
Seems this engine has quite a history of manufactures that "try something different" attitude...
Anywho...
This block starts its life as a 225cu/in ( odd-fire ) for Buick... then sold to Jeep later...
As a Jeep engine it was a solid lifter design... Then when GM boaught it back to use in the Buick line again they decided it needed to be bigger... 231cu/in ( odd-fire )
But with a twist... They changed the heads on the later year end models to use "wet" pushrods rather than flow up through the heads into the rocker shafts...
Now here is the funny part... In ALL engines produced prior to 1975 were considered "solid lifter" tappet design... yet they really were not "solid"... If you took the lifter apart... It has the same inerds as a hysdraulic... just the top cap that the pushrod sits into is NOT drilled. If I can figure out how to take a pic of this I will post... Anywho... The idea was to pump the lifter up to dimension much like a hydraulic jack would pump and hold it's position.
Soooo....
With some research into the GM stuff.... Who would have guessed... lifters from a 327/350 fit.... and work..! The pushrods are 8.690" long versus the originals at 8.625"... does not seem to make much difference....Sealed Power items ( engine application unknown )
I know my testing and measurements are a bit "Backyard"... But I have built so many smallblocks I felt confident of my research of crossed mixed parts of the mighty mouse..!
Does anyone remember Smoky..? I followed a lot of his building ideas....
The engine runs great... no lifter noise anymore... oil pressure @ 28 @ idle...
Now if I can find the noise ( bearing..? ) in the outdrive...: )

George

[poncho]

Got to love Smokey,a great read is a book about him called (The Best Damn Garage in Town) i especially like what he did with the Camaro Trans Am car i remember seeing someone on tv saying they got chewed on for leaning on the fender guess they acid dipped to a potato chip:D

Thats cool you figured out what was going on.

[RiverRacer]

The pushrods are 8.690" long versus the originals at 8.625"... does not seem to make much difference.

You are kidding right???????, that's .065 difference rocker arm ratio is all out to lunch, not to mention rocker arm position on the valve stem, I could go on!..:eek: