Well, boys,

Are you building a high-rpm racing motor? The high-torque/long-stroke Y-Block, when utilized in ordinary/around-town driving situations (where it shines in spades....otherwise we probably would all be busy flailing smallblock scrubs, trying to stay up in the power curve), likely doesn’t require pressurized rockers. If your block & heads are clean, and oil supply is unrestricted, the impression I have from reading related tech articles over the years is: NO NEED TO REINVENT THE WHEEL.

6 VOLTS/POS. GRD. NW INDIANA

I too pinched off the rocker overflow tubes about 75% or so just to slightly pressurize the rocker shafts.  Assembling my engine about 4 years ago, with the intake, valley cover and timing chain cover not installed yet, I loosely installed the oil pan with pickup in place and had a friend spool up the oil pump with a drill motor just to see how much oil would flow down the trough. Amazingly it was still quite a lot. Is it possible to post video on this site?  If so, I would love to post a short clip showing this oil flow as described above.   That is, if I can figure out how to do it.     JEFF...........................


64F100 57FAIRLANE500

I did the same ages ago, I probably blocked mine more like 85% +





"Came too close to dying to stop living now!"

i block return tubes ,mod the stand so a bolt goes into the hole i the shaft. i have yet to dismantle a rocker shaft that does not have galled rockers and shafts. my opinion there is  plenty of oil runing down the return holes in head,and yes the engine is tilted back, but front of the block has channels to catch the drain holes from both heads instead of 1 .my opinion on cam failures is galling of rockers,and lack of lube contributes to
premature cam wear. withe no pressure in the rocker shaft rockers at the far end get little lube,aswell as have guide wear. both ys i have converted to full pressure have lots of oil up top,use no oil and are quiet  when adjusted to 19th. also look at fe series and 289s 
 the other bonus of pressure to rocker shafts no sludge buildup in the shaft
the 292 i am now working on will have the groved cam bearing for more oil up top. 

Where the valve spring pressure has been increased, I do prefer to pressurize the oil to the shafts.   Where the valve spring pressures are stock and the center camshaft journal and/or the center cam bearing has not been modified for additional flow to the top end, then I leave the overflow tubes as originally designed.  My ’55 Customline remains as it came from the factory with the exception of a grooved Isky camshaft installed at 113K miles.  At over a quarter of a million miles now, there have been no issues on the top end but the oil does get changed regularly with a good quality 10W-40 oil   For what it’s worth, this engine has been on 10W-40 oil since the car was purchased in late 1954.

Lorena, Texas (South of Waco)