Have been laid up for the last two weeks. Starting to feel better and expect to get over there on Monday.
fwiw I have a finned cast aluminum valve cover for the 23 olds head and I think it could be made to fit a chevy head. the head I had for chev 28 style had high n low spots around the perimeter and single bolt in center to hold it on. the olds cover has 2 hold down bolts one at each head. the steel pan cover had lotta cooling holes in it and used the felt on top of the valve train. I wa advised to mill slots in the aluminum cover to help cool the valve springs as they get hot from normal use, I did not do it tho. I have these covers for sale if any interest thanks
Absolutely kenagain- shoot me a pm if you wouldn't mind! Rich- sorry to hear you haven't been feeling well and hope you're better soon
A while back I went looking for Saturn rocker arms and found something else. The Saturn V6 has roller lifters. (I think this same lifter may also be used in other GM V6's.) I brought a set home to see if they could be made to work in a '28 4cyl. Picture one, shows lifters from the Saturn, the '28 4 cyl., and the earlier (>'27??) chev 4 cyl. the Saturn lifter measures 0.841 in. dia., the '28 0.795 in. The earlier version is 0.605. . The lifter bores have at least 0.25 walls so would easily handle being bored the 0.046 differance. The earlier blocks would require a quarter inch bore and would be left with only an eighth in wall. Too little I'm thinking. Picture two shows what I did rather than risking a block. It aint pretty. Note: The flats on the Saturn lifter are to keep the lifter rolling true on the cam. Picture three shows the stock guide plate. Picture four shows the Saturn lifter on the flat of the cam and a stock lifter on the lobe. Picture five - Saturn on lobe - stock on flat. The final picture is from inside the block shows the roller on the cam. The Saturn lifters are hydraulic and my inclination is to gut them. The stock Saturn lifter wieghs 3.95 oz. and gutted 2.75 oz. The '28 lifter - 2.50 oz. The Saturn lifter is taller than the '28 and this is a good thing. A flat guide plate can be easily bolted to the lifter galley surface.
Sorry, the pictures didn't work and if they aren't there this doesn't work. I'll try again. A while back I went looking for Saturn rocker arms and found something else. The Saturn V6 has roller lifters. (I think this same lifter may also be used in other GM V6's.) I brought a set home to see if they could be made to work in a '28 4cyl. Picture one, shows lifters from the Saturn, the '28 4 cyl., and the earlier (>'27??) chev 4 cyl. the Saturn lifter measures 0.841 in. dia., the '28 0.795 in. The earlier version is 0.605. . The lifter bores have at least 0.25 walls so would easily handle being bored the 0.046 differance. The earlier blocks would require a quarter inch bore and would be left with only an eighth in wall. Too little I'm thinking. Picture two shows what I did rather than risking a block. It aint pretty. Note: The flats on the Saturn lifter are to keep the lifter rolling true on the cam. Picture three shows the stock guide plate. Picture four shows the Saturn lifter on the flat of the cam and a stock lifter on the lobe. Picture five - Saturn on lobe - stock on flat. The final picture is from inside the block shows the roller on the cam. The Saturn lifters are hydraulic and my inclination is to gut them. The stock Saturn lifter wieghs 3.95 oz. and gutted 2.75 oz. The '28 lifter - 2.50 oz. The Saturn lifter is taller than the '28 and this is a good thing. A flat guide plate can be easily bolted to the lifter galley surface.
interesting info, and thanks for the pictures! Be aware, however that if you use those lifters with a cam that is designed for flat (or nearly flat) tappets you will get the stock cam lift, but the point where the valve opens and closed will be changed quite a bit. The net result that the amount of time and area of valve lift will be considerably less, resulting in less HP. Roller tappets require cams designed for roller tappets to give satisfactory results. Herb Kephart
Just for the record for you guys that either don't have a lathe that you can cut threads on or if you just don't want to fool with it ,here is a link to a company that sell 1/2- 12 Die. I am not sure the prices are current and I noticed that Grzzly Tools catalogs the 1/2 - 12 Tap but not the die which a guy would need to do the work Herb was doing. The use of a die would speed the modification of the bolts or studs greatly. http://www.tapsndies.com/dies116to12.html
I am still going with a Heli-coil. Not that I haven't single pointed plenty of threads in my life. I just want a rolled thread stud. Habit I guess.
I agree with you, I personally think using a rolled thread bolt/stud is stronger and helicoils installed properly are great. Just thought I would throw that out there for those who on the other side might fear drilling and taping nearly 100 year old cast Iron let alone the alignment issue.
I'm having a problem with running a thread die over a hardened head bolt, or are these bolts not hardened like newer ones?
OK my back is killing me But I made the trip to see Jim Correia (The builder of my Chevy) today.Down an unnamed ally in old Hayward in some sheds that must have been there since before the war. The first hint that I might be in the right place was the pallet load of flathead Ford blocks, about 16 of them, sitting out side. Then there was the Offy powered midget sitting on it's trailer under the tree. Three older guys who have been building race cars there since high school. Mostly V8-60s and some full size flatheads. Had a blown 60 getting finished when I was there, Also a T banger from a speedster they blew up at a hill climb. And a early OHV Cad 331 V8 with the stock two bbl mainfold running on the original two bbl at low rpm with four Holley 94s mounted side ways so each cylinder has its own throtle besides the OEM piece. Pretty cool stuff. No 28 Chevys laying around that I saw. But I walked out with a good mag, a hand full of pushrods and a set oif new SS valves. And lots of stories.
I think you would be using a stud in this case. I have re-threaded plenty of grade 8 Bolts but you if you where really peticular you could have the bolts or studs annealed then restore the heat treat after the re-thread operation.
Oh yeah. OT for this thead but we were talking about the French blocks being better than OEM Ford flatheads and I mentioned they were illegal to use at Bonneville. He told me that he had spent much time milling, grinding and brazzing some French blocks so that it wouls be very, very hard to tell they were not OEM. Wouldn't tell me for whom.
One other thing Jim told me about my engine is that before they started converting to insert bearings they would fill in the rod big ends with brass brazz. Then bore the rod slightly oversize before flash babbett plating them. That way they avoided the tendency of the soft babbet pounding out in use. My rods are like that. Cool.
Sounds like even you learned something today, Rich. And that's saying something! How's the OT head coming along?
Good. All the now unnecessary holes got pluged this weekend. Got to finish the gasket and clean it up, install the valves and do the last fitting of the rocker assembly. paint it yellow and set it aside waiting for the rest to get done.
Rich- Glad that you're back is getting better- been there, and don't want to return! I think that there a lot of us that wish we were along on the trip to Correia's!! As you recall other stories, please pass them on to we, the less fortunate. OT Not being a great fan of the underhead valve Ford V8's, I never heard the story about the French blocks--in fact I never even knew there was such (sheltered childhood, I guess). Knew that Simca used the V8-60 in the Vedette (sp?) but that's all. So what was better about about them? Thicker walls than the 59AB? Perspiring minds want to know1 Herb Kephart
The French blocks were made for military trucks under license during the 50s and ?60s? Later production and up graded in some ways that I am not sure of. But I know that some on the HAMB know all about it. A few years ago a bunch of brand new engines were imported from France and have been being sold since. They are considered a replica block and not acceped for running as a Vintage engine at SCTA/BNI events.
Mac I posted this on the banger meet last year, the post is still there use search n paste in 23 olds It came up for me
I can throw my two cents (might be fakes) about French blocks. The Ford Vedette/Simca Beaulieu V8 was based on Ford 60hp, but it gave out some 80hp, so there must be something done for it. I've understood that the French engines had alloy heads and the measures were converted to metrics. So they look the same but hardly anything fits across. I don't know if the military truck engines were the same. These latter ones were, however, available everywhere few years ago, when French army decided to sell the storage away.
I thought that was because they had baby Ardun heads. To keep this on-topic, I ran into a fellow last Friday with a beautifully restored, green '28 Chevy coupe. I suggested he think about fitting an Olds head and lowering it subtly, but he wasn't having any of it. In fact, he equated it to his son-in-law's suggestions about stripping the fenders and fitting a big block. Oh well. -Dave
Dave, There will always be the "black an white" it's a resto or a rod types- shame, as those would make for some very nice, subtle and "period" modifications.
What a lot of restorers don't realize is people were modifying these long before anyone started to restore them and they look down on us, must be envy.
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