Anybody street driving with no lifter oiling?

[TetanusShot]

As the title asks, is there anyone on here street driving their big-block with NO oil going to the lifter bores? So, it would be splash oiling only.

 

[493 Mike]

Why would you want to do such a thing?
Mike

 

[Dipstick]

Where would the "splash" come from? I've seen examples of incorrectly installed rocker shafts with no oil to the top end and it's bone dry there.

 

[69a100]

Why would you want to do such a thing?
Mike

I guess some people like living on the edge of destruction?

 

[91r/t]

Yea is this even a horsepower savings? What is the purpose of plugging the lifter bores oil source?

 

[747mopar]

That would rely on oil draining back down from the heads hitting every lifter then the cam lobes and crankshaft splashing all of them? Even at that wouldn't most be wiped off as the lifter travels into the bore? I like the idea of oil being fed where the friction is vs relying on accurately placed splashing... would it work?? Don't know but I'm not a gambling man either.

 

[69a100]

Yea is this even a horsepower savings? What is the purpose of plugging the lifter bores oil source?

I'm guessin it's their idea of maybe keeping more oil in the pan? Insane, I know, but who knows what goes on in others mind?

 

[threewood]

That sounds like a terrible idea!!! I am always worrying about enough oil to my rockers as is, heaven forbid the oil to the tappets stops and I wipe the motor out.

 

[PRHeads]

Without any additional machining operations, the Indy block has no lifter oiling.
However, the valley on those blocks are designed so the tops of the lifters are actually submerged, so they’re still lubricated adequately.

I really see no upside to drying up the lifter bores on a stock big block for street duty.

 

[TetanusShot]

Its a Keith Black Stage 2 wet block. There is no oiling to the lifters. I would have to make some custom feed lines to add lifter oiling. That's why I was asking.

I didn't say what the situation was in the first place, because your answers to the question are either 'yes' or 'no', regardless of what I'm doing.

 

[Lefty71]

I'm guessin it's their idea of maybe keeping more oil in the pan? Insane, I know

Nothing much wears in the pan lol. Its hard to drive on the street with all your fingers crossed.

 

[andyf]

As the title asks, is there anyone on here street driving their big-block with NO oil going to the lifter bores? So, it would be splash oiling only.

Might work with solid flat tappet lifters. It won't work with hyd lifters and I wouldn't try it with solid roller lifters but you might get away with it with flat tappets. You might want to borrow some flat tappet tricks from the NASCAR boys to make it live. They had some special coatings for applications like that.

 

[TetanusShot]

Might work with solid flat tappet lifters. It won't work with hyd lifters and I wouldn't try it with solid roller lifters but you might get away with it with flat tappets. You might want to borrow some flat tappet tricks from the NASCAR boys to make it live. They had some special coatings for applications like that.

So far, the only folks I've found that are street driving with dry lifter bores were running solid rollers. I would prefer to run SFT though.

 

[TetanusShot]

For those not familiar with old KB blocks:

There is no internal pickup, you must run an external pickup system. There is one main oil galley on the side of the block. It feeds the mains directly. The cam bearings are fed off the mains, and the heads+valvetrain are fed off the #3 cam bearing through the deck as usual. No oil whatsoever is ported directly to the lifters.

Clearly this system works for racing, with high idles speeds and short idle time between runs.

For as long as these old-style wet blocks have been around, there has to be SOMEBODY who has used one on the street...

 

[PRHeads]

Fundamentally I think it would be “fine”....... but not 100,000 mile fine.

Use common sense in selecting the cam lobes and spring loads.

 

[747mopar]

Its a Keith Black Stage 2 wet block. There is no oiling to the lifters. I would have to make some custom feed lines to add lifter oiling. That's why I was asking.

I didn't say what the situation was in the first place, because your answers to the question are either 'yes' or 'no', regardless of what I'm doing.

Yes but knowing it's an aftermarket block makes a huge difference. When asking a question like that we all automatically assume it's a factory block in which I'd say no. Knowing it's not... who knows what little differences there might be like what PRheads mentioned about some being submerged which sounds like something that may work?

 

[TetanusShot]

Yes but knowing it's an aftermarket block makes a huge difference. When asking a question like that we all automatically assume it's a factory block in which I'd say no. Knowing it's not... who knows what little differences there might be like what PRheads mentioned about some being submerged which sounds like something that may work?

I didn't ask if people thought it would work, I asked if people had done it. So, what I have is inconsequential.

 

[747mopar]

I didn't ask if people thought it would work, I asked if people had done it. So, what I have is inconsequential.

O.K.
Thought you may find this interesting, looks like something was available to fit it with lifter oiling capabilities according to my book?

 

[TetanusShot]

What you've posted is relevant for newer blocks, it can't be added to my casting the same way. I would have to build custom feed lines.

 

[493 Mike]

It shouldn't be too hard to add a spray bar over the cam and feed it through the rear bulkhead.
Mike