Re: Engineering Diffs Between 1955 and 1956 V8s.

Posted by Joe Hall On 2007/6/3 15:33:09

Another diference between early and late V8s (don't know exactly when they started) is the addition of oil shrouds on the valve springs. I once had a set of heads come back from the machinist with them installed upside down, and I did not notice it. Of course wee know that upside down they do absolutely nothing, but if installed correctly, they deflect the oil from dripping directly on the valve spring and seal.
With that set of heads, the engine fouled a plug on the left front cylinder in about 5,000 miles. I used a rope snaked thru the spark plug holes to hold the valves in place to remove and re-install the shrouds, one cylinder at a time. What a pain it was, but it taught me to check the shrouds after that.

The early V8s must have had major problems with plugs fouling until they came up with that simple fix.

Joe H