Thanks O_D! I'll try that first thing tomorrow. Do you know what regulator I would need to replace mine if I want to keep the negative (-) ground? I have a couple accessories, like my tach, that require negative ground.

So my charging system was working ok for a while after the generator fix... But the other night it stopped working! I noticed when I went to hit my horn and it sounded very disgruntled.

Anyways, so far I tested the gen (motors good) and cleaned all terminals on the gen and regulator, as well as cleaned the points in the regulator. I noticed that when I press the double contact in the reg. that is motors the gen. Is this indicative of anything? After a thorough cleaning there is still no charging. The engine idles smoother now, though, which I thought was interesting. What is the next step in solving this thing? Thanks for the help!!

Here's the pics of my oil filter I didn't post before. Anyways, you can see there's three fittings on it, one on the bottom off the the side, one of the bottom that goes up into the center post, and one on the side. The center post has a hole, less than 1/16" drilled through it (effectively two holes, I suppose. One on each side). I'm thinking oil goes IN the bottom/post fitting, and OUT either of the other fittings... Would it matter which is the out, or just whichever one is convenient? Because of the very small inlet holes, do I still need a restriction in the fitting?

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I guess it must be temp related... I fired it up, no noise. Drove it to the store, no noise. Today is only 85 out, maybe it just can't keep the oil cool when its over 100? I should invest in an oil temp gauge perhaps... Has anybody ever played with installing an oil cooler on one of these motors?

Forgot to add, oil pressure was higher this time, 30 or so at idle almost 50 at speed.

Thanks for the replies! The more I think about it, the more I think it must be a viscosity or supply issue since its all of them at once.... But I'm not ruling anything out. I'm not running a filter currently, just the line to the lifters. It's in good condition, no kinks, smooth bends... I'm about to go fire it up and see if it makes noise when the oil is cold. I am also running a can of "Restore" in my oil to see if it actually helps with smoke, added the last oil change.

Maybe its just time for an overhaul.... This motor I don't think has ever been opened up aside from me dripping the pan to check bearing clearance and clean out the sludge on the bottom. I have no idea how many miles it has.

Hey all, I just took my '53 Clipper out to the weekly cruise night, and when I got home I noticed all my lifters were making noise. If anybody remembers about a year ago I had a problem with plumbing, well it sounds just like it did with no oil to the lifters... Oil pressure is good, 25lbs at idle, around 40 at speed. Oil level is good, not full but about 1/4 way below full mark (she burns oil so this is normal after a long drive). Temp is good, between 190 and 200 which is decent for a 100+ degree day. I revved it up to see if the noise went away at higher rpm, but no go.

I am 99% sure I have hydraulic lifters. Engine number is L403316, out of a Cavalier I believe... I also just did an oil change yesterday, did fine on my commute to school (40 miles round trip, plus a little cruising around downtown). I notice a bit more smoke than usual as well. Is this a catastrophic problem, or is it just from being a hot day? Could the oil temp be too hot, making the oil too thin? Switch to 40w? Valve job time?? This is my only car at the moment, so I'm hoping It's not serious. I'll fire it up in the morning to see if it still makes noise.

Looks killer!!!!!!

Good to know! Do you happen to know the part no. or application to look it up?

I ran mine with regular clip on trim rings from like you get from Night Prowlers or Moon. They look real nice with the stock caps. I ran mine on black rims and loved the look, and also on red rims for a while. In my opinion, cream wheels look good with black walls or thin whites, but with wide whites they make the whole thing look like a big white blob. Just my 2? though. I know a lot of cars, including my Clipper, came from the factory with cream wheels and white walls however. I just prefer a white wall with a contrasting color rim.

This is where I get my stuff. I love doing business with Ron & Jill, they're good people! The stock caps also look really clean with a little center bullet.
http://shop.kustomcarparts.com/15-Stainless-Steel-Trim-Beauty-Rings_c162.htm

Here's my '53 with the stock caps and rings on black wheels. I'm thinking of going back to red now that I'm running my '57 Buick caps..
<a href="http://s1100.photobucket.com/user/ShortyLaVen/media/464037_396434997042088_1406765628_o.jpg.html" target="_blank"><img src="http://i1100.photobucket.com/albums/g404/ShortyLaVen/464037_396434997042088_1406765628_o.jpg" border="0" alt=" photo 464037_396434997042088_1406765628_o.jpg"/></a>

I ended up using the Copper RTV instead... For what its worth, I found that Sanderson Headers recommend using ONLY red hi-temp RTV for their header gaskets, and it doesn't get much hotter than right at the exhaust port... I used the Copper because it says its good for an extra 50 degrees over the Red. I went back to the parts store and got another one of the gaskets I got yesterday, and used a layer of silicone between them. Now i just have to wait til tomorrow for it to cure, and see what happens.

The gaskets I got are for, among other applications, the late 60s Jeep V6.... I thought that was very interesting, especially because the bolt holes lined up so no trimming was necessary. Go figure...