No oil to rockers?

[G money]

check the oil hole in the lifter and see if it meets the oil galley, if it doesn't then mill a .003 groove from oil radius on lifter to oil hole on the lifter. I had to due that on my son's super stock motor, they where not cheap lifter's .

Originally Posted by G money

check the oil hole in the lifter and see if it meets the oil galley, if it doesn't then mill a .003 groove from oil radius on lifter to oil hole on the lifter. I had to due that on my son's super stock motor, they where not cheap lifter's .

We?ve had to take a dremel and very slightly grove down ( tiny groove) from the oil hole to the recess. Seen this about a dozen times.

[55 Chevy]

The very early 283 (57), with the part number 3731548(as did the 3720991 265's) had a notch in the rear cam journal surface to basically link the block oil galleys at the # 5, the far back one feeding the rockers. It used a thinner cam plug at the back to not block that hole and if the newer style plug was used it would. Thus no oil up top. The trick was to either grind a feed hole in the block at the rear cam journal linking the two oil feed holes. Or oblong the hole in the # 5 cam bearing to link the two.

Not sure if this is the case with your 283 but just a thought. I don't know when GM made the change in the blocks,I believe it was the late fifties but i really don't know. These blocks also had no provisions for side mounts which your '63 would need.

If you did just a straight camshaft and lifter swap and not changed the rear cam plug when things worked before,this is not the problem. But just a thought.

Also on the very early 55-57 small blocks, if you used a newer style distributor instead of the original with a notch at the bottom that distributor would fill with oil as it could not drain back through the block. So mods were needed there too.

[Mike Taylor 3601]

if nothing has been done with cam bearings and was oiling before cam change...
early small journal blocks have to have groove/flat spot in cam...pull lifter and spin drill and see if oil is flowing out of oil galley in lifter bore
if all that is right look at lifters... pull lifter apart and you should see a clear path for oil to pass and go through pushrod seat..
there will be a disc(valve) that sits against bottom of pushrod seat and there should be away for oil to go between disc and pushrod seat. it may have a embossed/raised place stamped in disc with a small spot that isn't embossed,leaving a small groove for oil to pass. some have the bottom of pushrod seat curved, both styles I have seen not oil.basically the disc seals against the bottom of pushrod seat and has a small place for oil to flow through.. if it does'nt which is a defect I cut a small groove in bottom of pushrod seat so oil can pass between disc and pushrod seat to oil pushrod/rocker..
lifter should have oil hole on outside in the groove,have seen them missing...
if hole is in body above oil band then it wrong for hydraulic

[Lyn Smith]

Removed the intake and pulled out #8 cylinder exhaust lifter. Spun pump over and oil gushes out of the open hole. Lifters seemed to be pumped up, but still no oil out of top of them. Going to install a set of Comp hydraulics tomorrow.

Originally Posted by Lyn Smith

Removed the intake and pulled out #8 cylinder exhaust lifter. Spun pump over and oil gushes out of the open hole. Lifters seemed to be pumped up, but still no oil out of top of them. Going to install a set of Comp hydraulics tomorrow.

Lyn, Leave lifters in and spin pump, look for too much oil escaping onto cam and beliw lifter. Sounds like it?s not getting to the pushrod oil hole on the side. - thus the slot I was talking about. If it has two holes only barely slot one.

Pm sent

[Mike Taylor 3601]

Originally Posted by Barry Polley

Lyn, Leave lifters in and spin pump, look for too much oil escaping onto cam and beliw lifter. Sounds like it?s not getting to the pushrod oil hole on the side. - thus the slot I was talking about. If it has two holes only barely slot one.

Pm sent

hydraulic lifters will have the oil hole in the oil band/groove of lifter,that lets oil flow through oil galleys.
the lifter that have to be slotted sometimes won't be hydraulic, will be soild roller or flat tappet the oil hole is above the band and that meters the oil sometimes it meters too good,then you have to make a small groove from oil band to oil hole which is above the oil band..
another check after you see oil galley is getting oil ar rear is to pull front lifter and check oil flow there, to verify the oil bands on lifters are lined up in the oil galley allowing oil to pass lifters

[ron mattson]

I saw a 327 that wasn?t oiling to the rockers and it
needed lash .003-.004 to oil the rockers it had longer
pushrods which changed the position of the oil hole in
the pushrod to oil hole in the rocker and without lash it would
not oil, put .004 in it and boom it oiled.