Mike: re oil overflow. Are your rocker assembly overflow drain tubes block off? If so, you might want to re think that mod. It's somewhat controversial.. Likely to get different opinions on that here..

Paul

So finally got running today.  It's great to have it back.  Lopey idle from the Isky cam.  Pulled the valve covers to adjust the valves and there is now so much oil flowing it over flows the heads.  Now it's on to injection tuning and the laptop.  MIKE

Mike, still lovin his 57 t'bird after 53 years!

sorry to be so late in getting back.  I did check the cam for run out was ok.  Journals were clean as it wasn't run very long.  Cam bearings were in properly located but wiped out.  I forget the brand but didn't buy crap as bearings seem like a foolish place to save money.  Only symptoms were from noisey rockers and several bent early flimsy style push rods.  Have put the motor back together (red lube this time) and will hopefully get it back in this weekend.  Will let you know how it works out.  Couldn't find any other problems.  MIKE 

Mike, still lovin his 57 t'bird after 53 years!

For the really crooked cam tunnels, I get a local shop to rebore the cam tunnel holes to a larger diameter.  Lonnie Putnam then makes new bearings using bearing brass for those enlarged bores.  The issue is bad enough with the 312’s that Lonnie has built a straight shaft to use as a bore checker that slides in the cam bores to check straightness of the bores prior to doing any machine work.  This bore checker works on all the ’55 and later Y-Blocks and as a general rule, 292’s always pass with flying colors.  It’s just some of the 312’s that this issue comes to the forefront on and must be addressed appropriately.

Lorena, Texas (South of Waco)

Mike

When you lost the 2,3, and 4 cam bearings in your rebuild was the cam damaged too? The reason I ask is that on a lot of the English cars of the 50`s and 60`s the cam bearings were designed to be " scraped" to size after being installed. So was it just a total lack of engine oil for a short period of running that destroyed the bearing and did this show up as just a low oil pressure issue or were there other symptoms. Thanks Pete

I had an Isky cam for a new motor that had too much run out.  Didnt think it could be returned due to the time lapse since purchase.  The cam was hard to install and turn in the new bearings.

Taking it out the bearingings showed the points of interference.  Using 0000 steel wool on the interference marks I worked the areas down, gradually.  If I remember there were two bearings with the wear marks.  It was a long, worrisome process, with at least a dozen cam in-outs.  Then of course the washing of the block was done afterward.

This was probably all wrong, but it worked.  The engine is running very well 3 (or 4?) years later.  If something similar should ever happen again, a new cam would be ordered even if the "bad" new cam couldnt be returned.

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.

How do you straighten the bores. I understand line boring and/or honing, but where would you find bearings with an oversized OD to compensate?

Frank/Rebop

Bristol, In ( by Elkhart) 

I too have had nothing but good luck with Durabond and you do need the cam to turn freely when assembled.  As for the lube the only pre-lube that I've seen clog oil holes is white grease but I wouldn't call that a pre-lube anyway.  I use the Moly lube on the lobes and the lifters and oil on the journals, always prime the engine and see that oil is getting to the top before you light a fire to it.

   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

There are two basic types of cam break-in lube; one being the black moly lube and the other being the red high viscous lube.  My own preference is the red lube over the black as I’ve experienced just enough ‘grittiness’ in the black lube to be concerned with this being recirculated in the oil and back onto the main and rod bearings in particular.  For the camshafts though, I only use the cam break-in lube on the lobes and the bottom of the lifters.  I either use engine oil or Torco lube on the bearings and journals.

 

The soft cam bearings are a major problem though and if you’re buying a cam bearing set based only on the price, those soft bearings come to the forefront.  I’m having good results using the Durabond brand of cam bearings.  The other key to a good camshaft break-in is to have the camshaft rotating freely within the bearings once it’s fully installed.  If the cam does not turn freely or ‘drags’, this must be addressed before going any further.  Where cam tunnel hole alignment is typically not a problem with the 292 blocks, I’ve found  a number of crooked cam tunnels on the 312’s.  This has to be corrected for the camshafts to be expected to last for the long haul.

Lorena, Texas (South of Waco)

Moly lube is not designed to be used on the bearing journals, only the lobes. It's pretty much a thick grease, thick enough that it can block oil passages restrict or prevent oil flow. I believe it has a warning on the packaging about using it on bearings.


Lawrenceville, GA