The Stovebolt Site Forums The Shop Area Engine Shop 1954 chevy 235 rocker shaft question

I have a 1954 235 chevy in a 47 coe the motor came out of a 1954 150 or 210 car with auto trans . someone else totaly rebuilt this engine it ran for 1 hour and bent 3 push rods. I bought the truck knowing the engine had an issue.I replaced all push rods and lifters. ran for a 1/2 hour in the garage. sounds good . removed valve cover and noticed little to no oil on the 1st 2nd and third rocker arms.These where the ones that where originaly bent. I took the shaft out and cleaned it and rocker arms still little to no oil. I noticed that a fair amount of oil is leaking next to the oil connector on the rocker arm shaft I removed it but do not see any thing wrong. I looked on ebay an noticed theres one on there like mine and its for 59 to 62 235 but it fits fine should I try to find the correct oil connector or dose someone have any other ideas. if you what to check ebay for the oil connector the item number is 221283143105 also I want to say that my oil pressure is about 40 psi cold and 30 hot thanks for any help

You need an oil connector that matches your head/engine.

Also, I think the year/size of push rods (and rocker arms) match the year/size/application of the engine.

Pre '68 Dave (or others) will hopefully clarify/correct?

29tons, the rocker arms and the feed tube changed in 1959. If you look inside one of the rocker arms, the oil groove for your engine should be in the center of the hole that the shaft goes through. Starting in 1959, the oil groove moved off center. The difference will be obvious when you look inside one of the rocker arms.

If you have a '59-'62 feed tube, you might have the entire rocker arm assembly from a '59 to '62. It will bolt right up, so you can't tell without inspecting one of the rocker arms.

If you have a '59-'62 assembly, you can use it but need to use drilled head bolt to replace a specific one of the solid ones. Do a search on this site for more detail.

The '59 to '62 feed tube has a pinched end to feed more oil to the arms. Earlier versions had a return loop to let excess oil flow back to the head. Many owners/mechanics pinched off the return lines of the earlier versions to force more oil to the rocker arms, so I don't think the feed tube is your issue.

Also check to see that the oil holes on the rocker arm shaft are facing down, not up. They sometimes get assembled upside down. Unfortunately, the fit together either direction. Since the shaft is in two sections, there is a chance that your front section only was assembled with the oil holes facing up since 1,2 and 3 aren't getting oil, but the rear section was assembled correctly.

Good luck,

Matt

Forgot to mention...if you have the later version rocker assembly and would prefer to use an earlier version instead of dealing with the drilled head bolt, send me a PM. I have a couple extra early version rocker arm assemblies, so we can swap.

Matt

I dont know about the drilled head bolt where would it be located thanks for the replys

The drilled head bolt was not designed for your problem.

Hear is my blog post on 235 rocker oiling.

Did you clean the crud out of the inside of the rocker shaft?
While the engine is running, is there oil running out along the bottom of the rocker arms on the non-flowing rocker arms? You may have excess wear on the shaft or the rocker arms, allowing the oil to escape out the bottom rather than through the little holes on the top.
I don't suspect that you have the rocker shaft on upside down. That would give you a large gusher of oil out of the little rocker arm holes on the top.
Carl

I thought I had it clean I know the oil holes are down. I am going to take it off again to double check. How much oil should be coming out of the holes on the rocker arms . The rocker arms on my engine are just weeping out oil except for the front 3 which has nothing coming out of the weep holes. I know the holes are clean. the shaft has scoring maybe that should be replaced. dose anyone sell new ones.I also think its a later shaft and rocker arms because I read that the newer rocker arms had a grove inside that was off center

Jim Carter sells the shafts (two are needed).
A little oil dribbling out all holes would be OK.

Make sure you clean out each shaft all the way to the end.

Make sure the "weep" hole on each rocker arm is open/clear.

29tons, I got my facts reversed in my earlier post. The drilled head bolt is for an early rocker assembly on a '59 or later engine. Sorry for any confusion.

It sure sounds like you have blockage somewhere. As Tim recommends, the weep holes on the rockers can get clogged. If your shafts are clean all the way to the ends, might be as simple as running a thin piece of wire through the weep holes to clean them out.

Matt

Thanks for all the help

If the shafts are scored, most of your oil won't make it up to the little holes on the top. It leaks out through the bottom, around the gaps. If the shafts are scored, the rockers my be worn also. They are much harder metal than the shafts, so it is still possible that they may be OK.
Carl

I got new rocker arm shafts and when I put the old ones next to the new ones I noticed that the groove on the bottom of the shaft was wore away on the shaft where the rocker arms where not getting oil.all the rocker arms are getting oil out the weep holes now .I readjusted all the valves and drove it for an hour.That problem is solved. on to the next one