Got my lifters back from getting reground and they are covered with what I am guessing is cosmoline (or something similar????) what is the best way to clean that stuff off? What do you guys recommend I coat the lifters, cam, bearings with when I install them??? thanks-

Any solvent such as Varsol will remove cosmoline. Make sure you get it off because it will starve the parts for lubrication. There are quite a few brands of engine assembly lubricants around. If you had machine work done, I would use what the machinist recommends. I like something with ZDDP for cam and lifters.

Kenneth

Fredricksburg, Texas

STP oil treatment, especially the red bottle for 4 cylinder engines, has ZDDP. GM EOS used to have very high amounts of ZDDP. I'm not sure about that any more. WalMart sells something called Tech Lube that has ZDDP but it's next to the STP, so get the STP.



I found this out by Googling ZDDP and I found a forum of motorcycle racers. One of them had the various sources of ZDDP analyzed and listed the concentrations for the various brands. Again, the red bottle of STP Oil Treatment is near the top.

Best regards,



Paul Menten

Meridian, Idaho

I use motor oil on the bearings and lifter bores and moly lube on the lobes and lifter faces.


Lawrenceville, GA

STP is good for cylinders, I like a graphite assembly lube on the bearings. Clevite makes an assembly lube and also a Cam lube.  Some guys use white grease, this is not a good assembly lube, if it sits long enough it gets hard and will clog oil passages.

   God Bless.   Tim                           http://yblockguy.com/

350ci Y-Block FED "Elwood", 301ci Y-Block Unibody LSR "Jake", 312ci Y-Block '58 F-100, 338ci Y-Block powered Model A Tudor

tim@yblockguy.com  Visalia, California    Just west of the Sequoias

...Which begs the question:
How long will this engine sit before it is started?  Know what engine plants use?  A very light oil, especially on cylinder walls.  It would remind you of WD-40.  They "cold test" the engine first (which gets all the parts going under normal oil pump pressure, but no spark).  If all the test results are "go", the engine goes to "hot test" where it gets a good run for ten minutes under its own power.  Good engines go right to the rack, and off to the assembly plant.  "Bad" engines get torn down.  They use regular multi-grade oil with dye in it.  If there is a leak, a black light makes the dye jump right out as a white color.

For many years I have mixed regular 10W-30 with STP.  STP alone is way too thick, but it does a good job of sticking to everything.  I like it to stick, but I also like it to flow (especially when running-engine oil mixes with it).  I coat everything with it except cylinder walls.  For cylinder walls... you guessed it, WD-40.  It is the best for new rings on new cross-hatch.

Royal Oak, Michigan (Four miles north of Detroit, and 12 miles NORTH of Windsor, Canada).  That's right, we're north of Canada.

Ford 292 Y-Block major overhaul by simplyconnected