Pushrods & Rocker Studs

Hey, trying to figure something out here. My engine has oiled pushrods AND rocker studs. Is everyone else's engine like this? Does anyone not have oiled studs and pushrods?

Robert, when you rebuilt yours were they all oiled?

Thanks kids!

starchief1959.....If your engine has not been modified that is the way it was. The oil from the lifters came up through the hollow pushrod to lubricate the rocker socket where they touch. The rocker socket didn't have the tiny hole to oil the rocker and pivot ball. A drilled passage in the head fed oil to the hollow studs to lubricate the rocker and grooved balls. The overflow of oil lubricated the rocker tip and valve tip and stem. A very good system as long as the oil and filter were changed and the passage and studs remained free of sludge. This system was used all the way up to 1964 I believe......John

Thanks catbird. I was getting a lot of input saying I was overoiling the head and robbing the crank and cam of oil. That my heads must have been altered. Did find some info though that stated as you did that this is correct. Also some guys over on the HAMB confirmed it too. Just some reassurance that I was getting this thing back in one piece te right way.

My motor was machined for screw in studs so the oiling had to be switched from rocker stud oiling to push rod oiling. Factory pushrods should not be hollow.

Stud oilers do not gush oil all over like pushrod oilers. The oil through the stud fills up the ball cup and overflows at the tip to lubricate the valve stem and rocker where they touch. Without hollow pushrods, the rocker and/or the pushrod would soon wear out, as no oil would get to the socket where they touch. That's why they are hollow from the factory. If the rocker had the tiny hole in the socket, like small block Chevys, there would be too much oil to the heads. The speed equipment manufactures used to make hollow screw-in studs. I have a set that I was going to put on mine, but I think they are overkill on an engine that is not likely to see more than 5200RPM's......John

starchief1959.....If I'm not mistaken, I saw on another forum that you have new lifters to put in your engine. If this is the case, I would strongly caution you not to. New lifters riding on an old camshaft is a recipe for a wiped out cam. The lifters are hardened, and by now the camshaft has worn most of it's hardness off, especially with todays oils (no ZDDP.) Get a new cam to go along with the new lifters. Good mild grind cams are relatively inexpensive, and you don't want to do everything over again......John

That's a good point about the new lifters vs old cam

Great info Catbird!! I alwayas wonered exaclty how this odd comshaft/rocker oiling system worked.


Question:

I have a set of NOS tappets I'll be installing (actually I have 15 out of 16. Anyone want to sell me an NOS tappet, lol?) on my engine when I rebuild it since modern day tappets seems to have a plethora of issues from bad designs to poor metallurgy. I noticed that the part# for the later non-stud oiled rockers were different than the older stud oiled rockers. I also see tappets from, say comp cams, displaying 1959-1981 as being all the same and compatible with each other. Care to explain who's right, wrong, or if I'm the idiot, lol. Thanks!

Dan

I would assume it has to do with the oiling. Since the 66??? rockers are pushrod oiling im thinking the oil comes up the pushrod and onto the rocker and then runs down to the tip. Whereas the stud oiled rockers oil through the stud and then down to the tip.

I'm not exactly sure, just guessing. I was told you can just use 66?+ pushrods and rockers and you won't have to worry about the stud oiling.