I've got a Ford 360 been rebuilt by someone else, started and ran good a few days maybe 1000 miles now one push rod came off the rocker and one pushrod bent and broke. Solid lifters and soild pushrods. 20 plus psi oil pressure at idle. But I have no oil coming to top of engine. What's wrong? I thought the oil traveled thru the pushrods and lifters to get up top. (obliously not the case with solid ) the cylinders involved are 1 and 8.
FE's don't oil rockers thru pushrods. Oil flows up thru block to deck in a passage,then into an corresponding passage thru the hrad and into a passage in one off the rocker shaft stands, from there into tubular rocker shaft and out to the rockers.
. FE's, if not assembled by a qualified person, will not send oil/pressure to all corners of the block. I suggest you find a local machinist that is familiar with the assemblage of FE parts cuz if not done right, You will not garner oil/pressure to the top end. As far as the pushrods go, someone has obviously not set the rockers/shafts/pushrods up right. Irregardless, your major problem right know is in correcting the lack of oil pressure before the engine is wrecked. My first thoughts are that is a misplaced or missing oil galley plug or that an external engine oil cooler or remote filter is plumbed backwards? It's always a beach starting and running someones else's so called build up. .
The 360 was an hydraulic engine. If you spec'd solids (and it had to be changed over), one changeover trick is to reduce oil supply to the rocker shafts as this increases oil volume @ the bottom of the engine where it will be needed and prevent it from going into the valvetrain where as much oil supply is not needed with solids. Check under the stands that allow oil to the rocker shafts and you should find restrictors installed. Simply remove them.
The Jalopy Journal
