The Stovebolt Site Forums The Shop Area Engine Shop 235 redo

OK...... I pulled the 235 2 months ago. I am doing the Cliffords 6=8 mods. Bore out .060, different valves, mill the head .100, redo the valve train, the whole shebang as they advertise on their web site.
The machinist doing the work told me I have no oil pressure galleries in the block to feed the hydraulic lifters (this was previously a solid lifter engine). He and I, am concerned, since I have purchased the hydraulic lifter/camshaft option. I have spoken with Cliffords, and they have assured me this setup will work fine, since the oil flowing down (via gravity and excess rocker arm flow) from the head/rocker arm area is sufficient to feed the hydraulic lifters. Anyone out there who has done this mod please let me know. I am concerned as to the actual functionality of this setup. If this is not going to work, I will have to return the camshaft, lifters, pushrods, and other parts. Thanks for any help. Tom

I have a test engine (1941 235) that I did just what you are talking about for an experiment.
There is no way for oil to enter the lifters from the top from 1953 on, so I vented the lifters on the top so oil could enter.
I have only run this engine on a test stand, but it works fine there.
In my blog post on hydraulic lifters I show venting lifters to allow air to escape, but the same thing can be done to allow oil to enter from the top.
They make sealed, oil filled lifters for airplanes, that is what got me experimenting with 235 lifters.
This idea would allow you to put hydraulic lifters in any Chev six back to 1929. That is when Chev started using this diameter lifter.
I have never heard of any one else ever doing this, so if you do, I would love to hear the results.

Why not just drill the block for an oil gallery to feed the lifters? Firearms makers do deep-hole drilling all the time- - - -it isn't that difficult.
Jerry

A gentleman somewhere around LA made external oil lines to feed juice lifters on a GMC 6.

Ed

I guess I am not real sure if the cliffords mod is viable. If anyone is out there that has done it this way, please let me know. Thanks. T O

If a pressurized oil gallery really wasn't necessary to fill the lifters, why did Chevy go to the effort and expense to drill their blocks? Sometimes we should get back to basics and ask ourselves some hard questions, even if the answers aren't what we want to hear.
Jerry

Clifford is completely wrong. The lifters are inflated by oil pressure constantly, which must enter through the feed hole in the "waisted" area. Pouring oil on top does nothing. The lifter will collapse (and shorten) if the pressure is interrupted even momentarily.
When that happens, the pushrod is dropped to the new (lower) height, which adds a huge amount of lash to the rocker arm adjuster. If run like this, the parts will be ruined very quickly.

Don't even think about it.

Gotta love the delete key! Hats off Dave!

it can be done, Gene Beck told be about it. But I don't know what exactly he did.

This is interesting to say the least. I'd be interested in this also.

What can be done?

On my test engine I sealed the original hole on the side to assure no oil escapes. I then vented the push-rod seat to be sure oil can enter from the top.
On the test stand it works great.
If you study the way a lifter works, they do not care how the oil gets to the reservoir.

I just have to ask why would someone want to do this?? Scott

For me, I have a lot of customers who do not, or are not setup to adjust there own valves. With hydraulic lifters you set them once and forget about them. That is one reason.
Another is how quiet a hydraulic lifter engine is.

I have a hydraulic lifter 235 and you need to just about stick your hand in the fan to make sure that it is still running.

Which hand - how many fingers do you have?

Everyone comments how incredibly quiet my hydraulic 235 and 261 sound.