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I just thought I would share my misery with you all since that is an inherent part of restoring these cars, and just to make you thankfull that this didn't happen to you. I have been putting the finishing touches on my 1959 270 horse car, after a complete nut and bolt body off restoration, the moment of truth occurred 2 nights ago when I fired the engine up for the first time. After checking everything I could think of, setting top center on cylinder one, and guestimating on distributer position I turned the engine over. Once fuel had been pumped through the filter it started immediately and seemed to be running perfect and sounded great. The next 10 minutes were uneventful with frequent checks on temp and oil pressure (oil pressure 55-60 throughout), when all of a sudden a large gush of oil began to flow out of the bottom of lower clutch inspection cover - at a rate I would guess of at least 1 quart/min. I got it shut off immediately, and found that there was still an adequate amount of oil in the pan. After talking to the engine shop, a very well known and respected facility that built the motor approx a year ago, they feel that it is either the main seal (although this is a low pressure system) or a galley plug that was not tightened properly. Hopefully things can be fixed without complete disassembly, but it looks like at least the transmission and clutch will have to be pulled. So much for all the details that went into putting the engine/chassis together, correct overspray on bolts/no overspray/etc. Oh well, not all can be anticipated, but next time I will definitely break in the engine on a dyno.
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Re: 1959 Engine - My worst nightmare
Rob-----
The rear block oil galley plugs are NPT threaded plugs. I would not expect one to be loose enough to create the kind of oil leak that you're experiencing, unless the plug actually worked its way out. This is highly unlikely.
A failed rear main seal is a possibility. However, another possibility is the camshaft tunnel rear soft plug. If this plug becomes dislodged, a torrent of oil will be seen at the rear of the engine.In Appreciation of John Hinckley -
Re: 1959 Engine - My worst nightmare
Same fears, I am dyno testing my newly rebuilt motor Monday. I am told the engine will seize or fail within the first few minutes if there is going to be any problem. Good luck in your quest.Comment
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That's my vote
The cam plug was either left out or not glued in. I like Indian Head on brass freeze plugs as well as zinc plated cam plugs. How do you explain the relatively high oil pressure?
Dale.Comment
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Re: That's my vote
Dale-----
I don't think that a dislodged cam plug would affect oil pressure----at least not until the engine runs out of oil. If the oil galley plugs were loose or had fallen out, there would be little, if any, oil pressure.In Appreciation of John HinckleyComment
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Re: That's my vote
My concern is the HIGH oil pressure, not loss of pressure. Does the engine have a high pressure pump spring?
Dale.Comment
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