Hi Folks, been out in the shop workin' on my 290 Ardun which will be an
8BA block (my 239 is a 59A) and a few items have come to mind.
Got the "truck pan" with the windage tray for this block so it was
necessary to put fittings in the pan to take the drain pipes from the
heads. Zora used common 3/8 compression fitting unions for the head
drains, so I use the same thing in the pan. I made some thin nuts by
cutting standard ones and using two on one end of the compression union
to make a bulkhead fitting in a 9/16 hole in the pan, two inches below
the joint, and in the center (behind the center main cap where splash
wouldn't affect the draining). I used Loctite LockNSeal on the nuts and
this will NEVER (one of the few times in the world I dare say this) come
loose or leak oil. The exposed end outside the pan takes the usual
compression fitting and nut on a 3/8 copper pipe. Zora provided a tee
fitting for the top of the block, at full oil pressure, but with a
restrictor to a 1/16" orifice, which supplies both heads, and has proved
in my Ardun to be exactly the right amount of oil for the rockers, etc.
The period literature said to braze the fitting to the pan, but the only
unions I can get are brass, and brazing brass fittings to the steel pan
is a dodgy business, for me anyway, the fitting wants to melt if
overheated just a little.
I took the blanking covers off the 239 block to put them on the 290 (the
flathead exhaust port covers I mean), and 4-5 oz. of oil came out of
each port. The gaskets I made for the 1/8" thick plates from NAPA 1/16"
cork-rubber gasket material sealed here perfectly, with no sealant
added. I use the same product glued to the valve covers, had them on
and off maybe 25 times and still no leaks. This is a good gasket
material.
Checked out the bearing clearance in my stroker crank and rods, which
proved to be .001 everywhere. Okay for a stock or maybe street engine,
but I'm going to get the crank ground to increase it to .003. More
later. Cheers Bill
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