Packard Forum Index » V-8 (1955-56)

Look CLOSE at the valve retainer. Is there a rubber seal there at the top????? IIRC it is moulded to the ID of the retainer that fits over the valve stem.Thaat mite have been 56 only. I can't remeber.

Yes sorry I forgot the positive seals were for my modification.

As for the hardened seats or not. Do what you want and makes you happy, that's all that matters. Don't worry about the rest of us.

Years ago I used those plugs on impossible to reach areas. Sometimes replacing a core plug in chassis was a real bear. I seem to remember that they were made by Dorman.

Hi gang,
So I'm in the 'putting it back together' phase so I am resurrecting this thread to ask another question. Since we last talked, I pulled the engine apart and:
-Had machine shop Replace pistons/rings and all bearings
-Replaced all core plugs
-Really cleaned out inside of rocker arms and polished them on a lathe
-Ground rocker arm tips
-Replaced all the valve springs
-Replaced all valve spring retainers with '56 hardened ones
-Replaced Exhaust valves (did NOT go for the hardened seats)
-Had heads machined for positive valve seals on intake
-New umbrella seals on exhaust
-New lifters (old camshaft)
-Added Vines high volume oil pump conversion
-(rebuilt water pump on the shelf)

I'm close to installing heads on block and thinking with the positive valve seals that there is no reason to reinstall the valve spring oil baffle. But with the new high volume oil pump wanted to get your advice.
Anyone else not bother with these baffles with positive seals??

Also thinking with the long rebuild duration that it would be good to manually spin up and prime the oil pump just prior to my first start (still a ways away). I don't have an old dist shaft handy so was thinking of making/grinding a long shaft that would take place of the shaft that goes from dist to oil pump. Unless someone knows of a cheap one commercially available with the right shape to fit the pump??

thank you for reading
-Bob

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You could make something for the oil pump but some of us have also used an inexpensive hand transfer pump from Harbor Freight to pump a volume of oil into the system before startup. You could buy a couple of fittings and use the ports on the ends of the heads or possibly even the larger port where the sender is located or the one at an angle below it to pump in two or three quarts and flood the passages. Obviously not as high a pressure as the regular pump but it will put out a surprising amount which does a decent job of filling the engine oiling system depending on how hard you push the handle.

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Using positive valve seals on intakes:
I would NOT run the sheet metal baffles.
If the engine displays any kind of excessive oil consumption then install baffels at later date. Head does NOT have to be removedto R&R baffles.

Bottom line:
If the positive oil seals do not do the job they are supposed to do then the baffels can be installed later.

BUT!!!!! If the positive seals do too good of a job AND the baffels are in place then the valves could starve for oil.

I am assuming u are running the rocker arms that do NOT have the pee hole as early 55 had.

What kind of umbrella seal did u use on exhaust???

Churning up oil pressure:
If u have a spare distributor then remove gear and use that.

Usualy, one can find an oil gallery plug in the head or high on block. Remove plug. install hose shank. apply vacuum to hose shank. USE Clear tubing so u can see when oil has risen.

Its a little tricky but a good strong vacsource is to use vacuum from another engine. Just besure to disconnect hose real fast BEFORE the running engine suppliingthe vac can suck in much oil.

Thanks for the replies so far. I'll ponder using some vacuum source as suggested by HH56 and PackardV8. I wouldn't think it would be nearly as good as actually spinning the oil pump, but I may be thinking about it wrong.

PackardV8: CORRECTION: My rocker arms do have a small hole that goes to the pushrod tip and one out the side toward the valve tip. Is that is what is meant by a 'pee' hole?

I am not familiar with different types of umbrella seals.
They all look about the same to me. The ones I put on the exhaust are a set that Jack Vines sent me a while back. I can post a picture if it helps answer your question.

thx
Bob

p.s. For some reason I am missing a rocker arm :( Had it and took them to a machine shop to get the tips ground. Now that I am reassembling, I am 1 short! I'll call the machine shop on Monday to see if they happen to have it, but it has been several months. Unless someone has a spare, I guess I will get one from Max.

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Yes. Would like to see pic of the umbrella seal used on exhaust.

FWIW:

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