The Stovebolt Site Forums The Shop Area Engine Shop 261 oiling,,,

Hello. I got my '59 261 out of a car, it had no filter and the holes on the drivers side were plugged, and the dowel is, if not perfectly flush it's no more than 1/16 in. I left it this way after rebuild, I don't want an oil filter. however, whoa is me, rear main is puking oil big time. Should a line be routed between them?

Original 261 out of a Canadian Pontiac car, or a 1959 USA truck 261?

What are the sizes of the holes in the block for the oi filter lines?

Did this engine run with no filter?

USA truck, it had been put in a car way back, car was junk now. Big holes, 1/2" (3/4 ?)pipe. Ran with no filter.

It gets more (less?) complicated. It's in my 1950 wagon, which also has a truckstell tip-toe-matic overdrive. rear main isn't the culprit. it's clean as a whistle. Oil seals in OD are bad, OD unit is actually filling my gearbox with it's oil.

The oiling still concerns me though

Thanks Tim.

If it ran with no filter, there should be no requirement to run a filter (or to take out the plugs and run a line).

Did you drive the truckstell? What was it like? Was it quiet?

OK cool. Thats what i was thinking reading about them on here and other places too. thanks Tim

Now, Quiet? Hmm, I don't know. Now i'm really opening a can of worms, and maybe should start a new post. (Hmm, keep it short and to the point Jim)

My Truckstell Tip-Toe-Matic came out of a friends carryall, he said it was quiet, i never rode in it. It sat for a few years after he sold the carryall, buyer removed it didn't want it.

I found the 261, had it rebuilt to replace my piston slappin 216.

I didn't go through the 3-speed because it was fine. I also didn't go through the TTM, assuming it was good, as per my buddy.

I finally found a gear guy/machine shop to modify a torque tube and driveshaft to fit the TTM, according to it's installation manual. He also went through the ring and pinion bearings etc.

Lots of new stuff going on

Got it all running and instantly was noisy, growling horribly in all gears, 3rd gear was worse, OD unit engaged or not. While accelerating and decelerating, only if i pushed in the clutch would the noise go away completely

I take it to the rear end guy, although he'd cover it, he does not think it's the rear-end, points to tranny and 'unknown' OD unit.

Transmission guy, has no idea, he thinks combo, trans and OD unit, he took forever listening to it and driving it, he was puzzled.

Engine builder says rear-end, but, I have learned the hard way he is an engine builder, not a mechanic.

NONE of these guys have ever seen a TTM, btw, and they are all retired, Chevy guys, except the gear guy

Truckstell guy in Wash, name escapes me, great guy, says it can't be the OD unit because nothing is spinning in it unless it's engaged, HOWEVER! in the manual, i finally found, in the 'troubles and remedies' section; "noisy in all gears OD unit engaged or disengaged"

A HA!!! apparently there's a bearing in there that can cause this. This is how i found out about the double oil seals, just like a stock torque tubes seal, but that butt up to each other, back to back. Today before I drained the tranny i removed the fill plug, I was not prepared for all that oil to come out, from the fill plug! I did notice the puddles of oil didn't look the same as the motor oil, but i just never imagined this could happen. i never even seen a truckstell TTM until this one, let alone met any one else who had one.

SO, I have removed the TTM/torque tube with fresh diff, I want to slap in an extra i have to see if the noise still exists, but i doubt it will. And I have the oil seals for the TTM, stock Chevy ones, and will now go through the OD unit.

Now IF it's still noisy I give up, it'll have to be the tranny, BUT, it worked sweet with the 216, but at this point I aint ruling anything out

Told ya, can of worms

One more thing, since i tow a 1951 Silver Streak Clipper camper trailer, I wanted to keep the 4:11's in it, I took several dif's to the gear guy to chose the best, not even knowing i had a powerglide one. he put in the powerglide gears. So on the freeway i engaged the TTM, and whoa, it lowered the RPM's so much i thought the engine died, but I was accelerating! The growl was there too, so, to answer your question. I don't know! haha

wow. and thats short and to the point?

Thanks, Jim,

That is good and clear information. I have a Truckstell unit and I am arguing with myself about using it (and cutting up a torque-tube). I might be asking questions about this in the future.

I've only met 3 others nation wide. we're missing one part or another. me? I'm missing the plunger that goes into the brake bar, so i fabricated something that does the job, instead of all that stuff around the pedals and, i ran a cable to pull it manually. The others hadn't ever thought of that. I like being the odd man out, so i think one of these would be cool. Wash. State guy drives his '38 cross country and loves his, my buddy loved this one. Is yours complete? Go for it.

I may not have been too clear on the twin oil seals, back-to-back. One keeps the gear oil up in the gearbox, and the other keeps the oil in the OD unit. My OD oil is going UP into my tranny! oh dear.

Jim,

If I install it in my Suburban, it will not be a Tip-Toe-Matic, it will be a cable-pulled switch under the dash. Some people say this is a car overdrive and is not strong enough for a truck. The only time I drive with a load is when driving 7 passengers to a bar when attending a truck show.

Cutting the torque-tube and drive-shaft is a "no return" deal. Decisions, Decisions, . .

No I hear ya, i just love the name tip-toe-matic. I ran a 2nd cable and knob, in addition to the large one. uh, i think i still have the suburban driveshaft and torque tube, I'll have a look, you pay shipping, it's yours.