I have a 58 392 Hemi that has some valvetrain ticking during startup. The engine is completely rebuilt with Hot Heads roller rockers and a mild Howards hydraulic flat tappet camshaft. It has 65 pounds of oil pressue. I have readjusted the valves twice since breakin. If I crank the engine without fire for a few seconds before starting it seems to minimalize the ticking. Pulling the valve covers it looks as though there is practically no oil getting to the intake rockers. Is that normal or should they be noticably wet? The exhaust rockers are wet and when I pull the spark plugs they are wet so oil is getting up there. This is my first early Hemi so I don't know their quirks.

Thanks
Arno

You might pull the dizzy & preoil it with the 5/16" hex shaft & see what you see for oiling. Not sure if a faulty filter (or bad brand) can exacerbate drainback but it'd be a cheap thing to try. Is your preload OK. I wouldn't sweat a few seconds of clattering but I would have to checkout the inadequate oiling on the rockers. I'm wondering if a thinner oil would build psi faster. Nothing definitive but here's a BTT for ya

Thanks for the input Rapid. The motor only oils the valve train for a split second in one rotation of the crank. An oiling hole in the crank lines up with an oil galley sending oil to the cam jounal and then on to the heads. Just spinning the pump without the oiling holes lined up won't send oil to the heads. While spinning the pump I can spin the motor by hand to line up the oil holes. I did this awile ago and got good flow to the heads but did not have the valve train in place. I guess that will be my next thing to do. I might try another filter to see if that helps but I am getting good pressure as soon as it fires. Preload I have set at 0 lash + 3/4 turn. The thinner oil thing sounds like something I should try. Thanks for the ideas!
Arno

Hello Arno, Yeah I forgot about lining up the passages (& I'm right in the middle of doing that right now as we speak ). As you said I'd try it now (rotate/spin) since it's together & see how it flows