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Gents,

I’m looking a purchasing an oil priming tool. Which one is the best deal (cost wise). I need to prime my stock 261.

Chris

Easy to make. You can cut the handle off an old large screwdriver or buy a piece of 3/8” rod, cut it down to about 8” and flatten the end out like a screwdriver with a hammer and a vice, anvil, or whatever you can find to beat it on. Thin the end down to about 1/8”-1/16”. Chuck in it a drill, turn it clockwise and start priming.

Buy a piece of 3/8" round steel stock from the hardware store, and use a hacksaw, file, or a cutoff wheel to make a tang 3/16" wide and 1/2" long on the end. Spin the pump clockwise with a 1/2" variable speed drill motor and hang on- - - - -when the oil pressure comes up there will be quite a bit of torque on the drill motor.
Jerry

I just tore down an old distributor, fits in a drill nicely without any modifications. Could probably find one pretty quick and cheap at a junkyard. Pretty sure 216/236/261 distributors are roughly the same.

Did you remove the "drive" gear?

That "old (disabled) "distributor" is what I have always used.

Drive gear removed, so I guess I shouldn't really say "no" mods.

I use an old distributor with the gear removed. On my 261 I found out if you don't have the distributor housing in the engine it won't pump oil up to the rocker shaft. I would assume the 235's are the same also.

John L -- Hmmm, when we rebuilt my 261, we got oil up to the rocker shafts with just the "Old Distributor Shaft"/busted screw driver oil priming tool (no distributor housing).

Here's photographic evidence! -- Jerry oil priming my 261 with just the oil priming tool.
More evidence! -- Oil actually dripping from the rocker shaft

Chris -- Remember, it's not fully primed until you see oil dripping from the rocker arm shafts, so don't quit as soon as the drill rips out of your hands. Grab it again and keep going -- but not enough to wash the assembly lube off everything (Jerry told me that -- I'm not smart enough to know that on my own ))

Proofs in the pictures! The engine I expereinced this on was an early 261 bypass engine not a full flow. I have no idea if that matters but putting the dist. housing in was the only way I could get oil to the top.When i did it was a plenty. I'm currently building a full flow 261 so I will try it with just the shaft and se what happens.

I have had no problem priming my 1960 261 full-flow system with a "sawed-off" large screwdriver attached to a power drill.

I also have had no problem priming that same engine using a distributor with the drive gear removed - it was easily rotated with a power drill. (my preferred method - I'll post a photo if I have find that oil-priming-distributor))

Either way, you are spinning the sealed oil-pump internal-gear.
Either way, you should get oil flow/movement through all of the internal oiling system.

If you do get oil flow through the system, you might not have the distributor's "drive shaft" situated all the way down into the slot at the top of the oil pump gear?

John's 261 was an early design high water pump type- - - -bypass filtration and all. It turns out that one was a replacement block cast in 1959 for a 54/55 early casting design. The main bearings bores were machined for the 55-62 bearings, however, so there was a bit of drama making the early-style main bearings we had ordered fit!
Jerry

I won’t give up until she purring like a kitten! Just waiting for the machine shop to call! I wish you were all here to assist me!

Chris

Chris -- nothing like having a bunch of buddies around for that -- especially if one or more of them are ASE-certified master mechanics/shop teachers/race engine builders with decades of experience

One part that was especially nice to have help for was the cleaning stage (crucial before reassembly -- as explained in the 261 rebuilding tech tip ) I can't imagine how much fun that wouldn't have been if I didn't have the gang on hand to make a party out of it. And how quickly we got it done.

I ground the tip off spade style drill bit. I think it was a 3/8” maybe.

Didn’t have a long screwdriver I wanted to destroy and the this seemed easier anyway.

I made a pressure canister out of an old fire extinguesure about 50 years ago. I welded a metal valve stem into the side & hooked a hose in the outlet. I put oil in the cannister & air pressure in the tire valve. I use the gauge to know how much pressure is in it. I remove the oil pressure sensor from the engine & put the hose in it with pipe fittings. Pull the trigger &when the system is full the gauge will drop slowly.
This also works well to diagnose low oil pressure. Remove the pan & apply pressure & watch for heavy flow.
George

I did something similar with a 5 gallon metal transmission grease pail and a retired engine oil pump mounted to the lid. Spin it with a drill motor and run a flex line from the pump outlet to an oil pressure port on the engine.
Jerry