Hi All & thx in advance. 1953 150 car , great running Babbitt 235 that has about 2000 miles on a re ring and bearing job all shimmed properly. Just started it for the first time in about 10 years , how long does it take What little oil pressure these old dipper motors make to register through new oil lines to gauge? I’ve only ran it in about 4 ten second intervals . While I adjusted the timing slightly in between & the last time it ran really good, but I am probably going to pull the distributor out tomorrow and make sure the oil pump rod depth is engaging the shaft as these distributors have that adjustable advance affect oil rod depth , just for my mind sake, wondering from experience with you guys that have messed with these old motors How much oil pressure to expect I’m not getting my hopes up but it runs really good I figure I’ve got to bleed the air out of the lines, lastly I put a remote oil filter on the opposite side as I have a triple Corvette set up on the intake in way of original spot , oil filter canister is higher than drain return line cept one area , its a 3/16 braided line so to not kill mains oil pressure from the bottom end will it push through the container if one section that return line is lower than the block? Thanks Flux
after you pull the distributor, you can run the oil pump with a big screwdriver blade in a drill...keep turning it till it builds pressure on the gauge, then you'll know
I had a 53 235 babbit motor. I logged 14000 miles before the timing gear went. Oil pressure was always 15 lbs. I got to where I stopped looking at gauge. 4.10 gears. Drove it 70 plus mph down the interstate. Screamed a little but I got used to it. That what they were built to do.
They are a low pressure system. The pump is designed to deliver volume not pressure, in other words a lot of oil not much pressure. As you know, the rods are lubricated by 6 nozzles that spray oil into the rods and the mains and valve gear thru p***ages. Complete illustration here.
I just watched it & now I feel better , especially when that scientific chap sprayed the chalk board with oil , when you said volume that I can relate to , thanks !
People always talk about "splash oiling" Chevy sixes as if they're a Briggs&Stratton lawn mower engine, but it's more complicated than that with the oil manifold spraying six constant fountains of oil. I don't know why they didn't just drill the crank, but whatever. If the system is in good condition, it works well, and replacing the stock cast iron pistons with aluminum ones really gives the babbit bearings a break.
I've driven my older cousin to yours 216 all over with 12 to 14 lbs of oil...as stated, it's volume not necessarily pressure and I foolishly thought differently and many years ago tried to up the pressure by adding STP and heavier weight oil.... Knocked out rod bearings....there is no free education... You've got a beautiful looking engine there!
I just pulled distributor & the oil pump rod was not engaging , when I pulled redid distributor I was thinking like a v8 gm , now I know, glad I stopped & ***essed the situation. I drill primed it to 10 lbs & whew ! Corrected depth by caliper depth & all is well , Thank you guys ! Flux
If ever a major failure , I made mounts to drop in a 58 full pressure 235 I got & a 63 “292” . I collected too many engines, lol
Thank you sir , as an early 80s teen I remember the old felleas using ammoco LDO straight 20 & non detergent 30 , personally I like .002 & 30 wt on stuff
Funny...that's exactly what happened with my first '53 Chevrolet. One morning I was slowing down for a red light, and it quit. Turns out that the fiber cam gear decided to shuck five or six teeth, so I used that as an excuse to replace it with a 235 out of a '58 Biscayne. That's when I learned about making mount adapters and shortening the water pump.
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