Projects 1957 Hillman Husky 392 hemi build thread

Found something close to a build sheet for my car. Pretty cool.

 

Took a couple of steps backward......or forward depending on which way you look at it. Removed the intake manifold and valley cover so I can devise a way to add a pcv system. Going to switch from a rear oil cap to a front cap. There was just no way to easily add oil at the back. You could with a funnel but even with that it was difficult.

Also removed the oil pan to take a look around. Was nice and clean inside. No chunks of metal in the oil pan just a little coating of moly assembly lube. Got it all cleaned up. I think I'm going to swap the 340 converted pump for a Melling M50 392 pump.

Am also going to swap out the valve cover bolts to studs. Finally found a set that I think will work and match the other bolts on the motor.

 

Both sound like wise moves!

 

Nothing wrong with the 340 pump. Turned it and the oil that was left pumped right out so I know it was working. Took it apart and it was nice and clean.

I think either is a good choice. Don Garlits prefers the converted Hot Heads 340 pump although he may have said that when you couldn't get a new one. My friend Gary says the stock 392 pumps have the same pressure as a HV 340 pump and maybe just a tiny bit less volume (3%). Depending on who you talk to that might be a good thing as it slows the oil down a little which may increase the cooling effect.

 

Here's another oil analysis report. This one from Wix. These are pretty neat and cost less than $20 to do. You can order online from Summit etc. Part number is 24077.

The last sample came from the oil filter and this one came from my oil drain/recovery pan. This second one isn't what I would call a clean sample as my oil drain pan probably still had oil remnants from other car's oil changes. Still, was nice to see nothing triggered an alert.

Zinc levels were 2,178! Was good seeing that. This was Kendall GT-1 oil. I think these zinc levels are as high as Joe Gibbs break in oil.

 

Here's what the kit looks like. The black bottle has an address of where to send it and also a place for postage but the instructions say to use a box or padded mailer to send it in. Otherwise there will be huge delays because the post office will think it's hazardous materials....it's not hazardous, flammable, or toxic. Also instead of labeling it Oil Analysis Laboratories I label it OAL Laboratories. The container has labels for different labs so you can get it to a lab close to home. Mine went to Portland and took them about a week to get the analysis back to me.

 

I'm going to add an oil fill tube and cap. This one is a good match to the finned valley cover. I'll change the connector to a 3/8" barb and will pull in air from the air cleaner for the fresh air intake for the PCV system.

 

Here's the oil fill tube pressed in to place. Hopefully it won't come loose. Used red Loctite when pressing it in. The back of the tube will have a 3/8 barb so I can attach a fresh air inlet from the air filter. Not sure if I'll use a hose or some leftover 3/8" stainless fuel line.



I think the fill tube and cap are a great match. Hard to believe they came from an off topic foreign car.


Can you guess what this oil fill tube was intended for? If I were really nuts I would blast the valleys of the cap and polish the fins and then it would perfectly match the valley cover. Maybe another time.


The PCV will go in the oil fill cap at the back. Need to figure out a baffle so it doesn't pull oil up through the PCV.

 

Who makes the valley cover ?

 

The valley cover is a Hot Heads polished piece. They make a front fill and a rear fill. The rear fill is really tough to get to so I added the filler on the front. Will convert the cap at the rear to take the PCV valve.

 

Looks very good. So tell us what from is that oil fill tube

 

It's from a VW Beetle. It's EMPI 7902 and was under $25 and that includes shipping. Sometimes it's nice to not have to re-invent the wheel. Almost everything else on this car has required that so in this case it was welcome to not have to.

 

So I put in a Melling M50 pump for the 392 in instead of the converted 340 pump. I pulled the distributor and then primed with a dummy shaft and a drill. I'm getting 50 psi and I don't think my drill spins very fast. This time I used a new gauge mounted directly to the oil sender port by the distributor. Just for comparison I removed it (after getting the 50 psi) and hooked up the gauge in the car and that showed only 40 psi. So my gauge is reading low. So maybe when I thought I only had 10 psi before I had more. Ran out of time so I didn't get to fire it up. Hope to do that this weekend.

Can anyone tell me if the lower valve cover bolts on a 392 go in to a water or oil passage? I know the top ones do but wasn't sure about the bottom holes. Poked a screwdriver in one and it doesn't seem like it goes in to anything but want to make sure.

 

No oil/water, they come with bolts in them.

 

Oh ok, so studs in the top and bolts on the bottom? If that's the case I'll leave the lowers alone.

 

Got it all buttoned up this weekend and fired it up again. Same results as before. Runs at 55 psi oil pressure unless you bring the RPM's down to 1,100 and then it's around 10 psi. Go below 1,000 RPM's and it dips below 10 psi but immediate back to 55 if you hit the throttle.

That night I went looking for answers (online) and figured I had a piece of crud in a rocker shaft or a missing galley plug. First light of day I was out there yanking the distributor to check that galley plug. It's got to be that right? Bingo! No galley plug. Now I've got to figure out how to install it through the distributor hole. The firewall overhangs the distributor so I'll need a mirror to see down in there and some specialized creative tools.

Has anyone ever done this and if so how did you do it? Really interested in what kind of tools were used.


Not my engine but this is what I'll need to do. Course I can't get a screwdriver in like that.

 

Husky
Don't you just hate this kind of s#/t!
If it's any consolation, someone else on the HAMB was faced with this very issue on his Hemi, wish I could remember the sitch, maybe a Google/HAMB search will hook you up.
Sounds like once you get this rectified, you will be terrorizing the streets of Morgan Hill.
Test drive video please.

 

I am glad you found the problem!
Now you don't want to hear this part, take the Engine out and do it properly.
That Hemi deserves all the love you can give it, you will either drop it in the engine (pan has to come off) or worse yet cross thread the plug after hours of Fu%&in around with it. After all the work you have done on this Car it is not that big of deal.
Best of luck with it!

 

Yeah, totally sucks.

I remember those threads when I first started looking for answers a couple months ago. There were a few that ran in to this and solved without tearing apart.

I'll keep looking.

 

I'm up for a challenge so will avoid pulling the motor for now. I have a right angle screw driver with a 1/4" socket that fits the plug. Also have a small ratcheting wrench I might try. I'll have some kind of dam in there so it cant drop down.

Can also pull the valley pan to get a little closer. I think I could do it through there.

Keep your fingers crossed. The cross threading aspect is the worst of it for me (knock on wood).

 

Hey I am cheering you on! And I have my fingers crossed for ya!
I like your attitude, you will probably be able to do it, and make me look like an old conservative fuddy duddy.
Husky, with my luck if I tried this on my Engine it would be a cluster F&*k.
Giver hell Man!

 

Thanks Fedman. Don't get me wrong.....cluster F&*k is my middle name. If it can happen to me it usually does happen to me. Will get it done somehow. I think worst case is with the intake and valley pan off. Sucks cause I had them off a few weeks ago to add the PCV set-up. Oh well. Now I know! Wouldn't have figured this out without the HAMB. Thanks guys.

 

Good luck / you can do it!

My uncle did it on an Olds engine.

 

Here's a couple of threads I found on that missing plug ...

http://www.jalopyjournal.com/forum/threads/close-call-on-my-hemi-rebuild.399915/

http://www.jalopyjournal.com/forum/threads/392-hemi-oil-galley-plug-need-help.785244/

Post 4 of the second thread has the money quote ...

"Tried every tool in the book, plus bubble-gum to put the plug in through the distributor hole. After a day I surrendered and popped the intake and valley cover off, and was done in 3 minutes. Just had to buy another set of intake gaskets."

Good luck!

 

Thanks SimonSez. I was just out looking at it. I cut down a water bottle so that will be the dam/container in case something falls off. Seems like it will work well. I don't have a 3/8" NPT plug handy....otherwise I might try it.

 

Simon is two for two, he helped locate a magazine for me, in my own house.
Husky
If you do try the up-top plug installation approach; it probably will be difficult to get it tight, not really a leakage issue, but a dab of Loctite "small screw" threadlocker should retain it in the absence of wrenching space, won't take much.

 

Good advice Denny. I'll put some Loctite on there.

 

If you do try the up-top plug installation approach; it probably will be difficult to get it tight, not really a leakage issue, but a dab of Loctite "small screw" threadlocker should retain it in the absence of wrenching space, won't take much.
[/QUOTE]
Great advice, I can't see how this can hurt at all.
Any way to try to get the oil off the area before trying to get the plug in?
A little shot of Brake Klene?

 

[/QUOTE]
Great advice, I can't see how this can hurt at all.
Any way to try to get the oil off the area before trying to get the plug in?
A little shot of Brake Klene?[/QUOTE]

I took a pipe cleaner to it last night. Bent it in to an "L" shape and soaked it in lacquer thinner. I think I got it pretty clean.

 

The usual trick is to drill a .050 hole in that plug to help oil the cam/dizzy gears.