stanks347

I was watching horsepower tv this weekend and they were working on a 347. They were adding an additional oil line in the intake valley. They put a tee fitting in the back of the valley where the oil comes in. They then routed a piece of copper tubing to the front side of the engine where they drilled and tapped to put in a connector. They said alot of racers were doing this to keep oil on the front cam and lifters. Has anyone done this or heard of this? It makes sense but I don't know that much about it. I am finally getting read to build my stroker and would like to know if this is worth the extra work.

vristang

band-aid...

67mustang302

Too bad that's backwards. A SBF oiling system delivers oil to the FRONT of the lifter galleries first, and sends it back. But that fix is useless anyway, since the cam gets full oiling all the way down because of the oiling system design. The problem with the SBF oiling system is that the last couple main bearings and last couple rod bearings(which arguably need the most oil) are last in line in the oiling system, so the number 4 and 8 rod bearings and the number 4 and 5 main bearings may operate under reduced oil volume/pressure.

stanks347

Thanks for clearing that up. So you think it is not worth it?

67mustang302

It's totally unnecessary. The cam gets oiled just fine, so why start drilling holes and putting fittings in that aren't needed? It just increases the risk of having problems with the oiling system. Most of the "fixes" that "racers" use on oiling systems in ANY engine are anecdotal at best, and often cause more harm than good. That's why if you look at aftermarket SBF race blocks, many are designed with a revised "priority main" oiling systems, it's designed to put the oil where it's needed most first, the main/rod bearings, and it's a revised internal in the block design.

A true modification to help a 302 oiling system would be tapping into the oiling path immediately post filter and running a line back through the length of the block to feed oil directly into each main bearing oil path. but that goes far beyond the skill, knowledge and ability of most people, including engine builders.

EDIT: My bad actually, the LIFTER galleries do get oil from the rear, I was thinking of the MAIN gallery. Regardless, SBF's don't have problems oiling the lifters, the last few rod bearings are the biggest oiling system concern.

stanks347

Thanks for all of your wisdom. After talking to a friend I decided not to do it. I have a new BOSS block I am going to be using so as you said the aftermarket race blocks have the revised oiling system.

Shimrra

a HV pump is usually plenty sufficient in a streetable ride

67mustang302

I'm not sure if Ford's BOSS block has revised oiling or not, but I know some of the DART blocks do(or perhaps all of them). And an HV pump is plenty sufficient with a standard oiling system on most builds, you may lose a bit of power from trying to pump more oil, but it will ensure it flows enough volume to keep the peripheries of the oil system supplied with oil. Not necessary, but cheap insurance.