I just saw this engine on Ebay and I have a question.  What's up with the tubing going from the lower block to the rear valve cover studs?  Some sort of additional valve lubrication?  It reminds me of something a farmer might do to keep an old piece of farm equipment in service just awhile longer.  I've heard stories of folks modifying their Y-Blocks for racing use by adding additional oil lines but I've never seen it. 

Not meaning to be cruel but Man that's one ugly mod! 

The seller says it's newly rebuilt, if so, why not fix the problem internally and eliminate those external lines?  

A.J.

South Jersey

SMSgt USAF Retired 
1955 Ford Ranch Wagon & a couple of old guitars...Life's Good!

It should not be needed on a freshly rebuilt motor and probably never needed again with modern oils. It's easy to check that the engines oil system is functioning correctly but I doubt that the seller will want to check before closing the deal. But it wouldn't hurt to ask if you are thinking about bidding on it.

Either they did not clean the oil passages while it was apart or they just didn't know and reinstalled it.


Lawrenceville, GA

This oiling problem existed on a few of the 56 engines and was corrected in engines built later.Even the engines with the problem don't need the outside oiler kit if they are cleaned real good and modern oils are used.

 

Paul,

Boonville,MO

I looked at a Truck near me that had a 272 with that oil feed modification on it.

I very nearly copied it for my 312. My top end was getting very rattly & noisy. However I fixed the internal problem on mine so didn't need to do it. I clearned out the bunged up oil ways which were staving the rockers.

  Picture taken in 1960. Funnily enough it still looks like this!

1959 Mercury Monterey 312 Y Block.   NORFOLK, ENGLAND, UK.

Paul,

While you've got it torn down did you clean out the rocker shafts? They have a plug in each end that can be removed. Often the shafts get really clogged up from old oil. Chuck in NH

Y's guys rule!
Looking for McCullouch VS57 brackets and parts. Also looking for 28 Chrysler series 72 parts. And early Hemi parts.

MoonShadow, 292 w/McCulloch, 28 Chrysler Roadster, 354 Hemi)
Manchester, New Hampshire

Apologies, but that does not look slick to me.  And how will oil/lubricant pulled into the combustion chambers help rocker arms?...It wont.

Mike, located in the Siskiyou mountains, Southern, OR 292 powered 1946 Ford 1/2 ton, '62 Mercury Meteor, '55 Country Squire (parting out), '64 Falcon, '54 Ford 600 tractor.

According to informed sources, another reason that long service engines can have top oiling problems, is that the center Cam bearings in some cases can be very worn, partly closing off the oil passage to the heads.

Paul

Overhead oilers needed a valve in the line to control the amount of oil going to the rockers.  Without some kind of valve or restriction, too much oil went topside and would have a tendency to starve the bottom end from needed oil pressure.  Like has already been mentioned, modern oils pretty much eliminated the need for the top oilers.  Any Y’s I put together now gets a groove in the block behind the center cam bearing which eliminates any restriction in the oil going to the rockers as a result of a worn cam bearing, the groove in the camshaft journal being too shallow, or the minimal oil flow that comes from using a cross drilled camshaft.

Lorena, Texas (South of Waco)

Comrade,

       What's behind the Merc in your avitar? Are you sitting on the mud flats after the tide has gone out?

Frank/Rebop

Bristol, In ( by Elkhart) 

John Mummert cuts the oil groove deeper in every cam he installs (rather than grooving the block). Claims he almost never comes across a turned bearing, and by the time the cam bearing has worn enough to restrict the flow with the deeper cam cut, the motor is way overdue for rebuild.

But, I can see where the installation of a NOS cross-drilled cam would make block-grooving preferable.

6 VOLTS/POS. GRD. NW INDIANA