I got Andy F's book and have been reading about the top end oiling dilemma's. If you run a roller cam and don't groove the #4 journal the top end doesn't get enough oil. If you do groove it it starves the #4 main and the #7 & 8 rods. A solution is to run the Indy heads with external oiling BUT what if you don't, what if you just run EZ1's ?

A possible solution mentioned was to tap into the main gallery, block the top end feed from the #4 cam bearing and feed the top from the tap. Unfortunately there was no mention of a method to do this.

So here's what I'm thinking ...

rotate the # 4 cam bearing on installation so it blocks the top end feed holes. Drill a new #4 cam bearing feed hole from the mains.

This should maintain all bottom end oiling.

To feed the top ...

Tap into the main gallery and into the top end feeds in the block. Install fittings and plum with braided lines.

Has it been done?
Will it work?
Would it weaken the block, lifter bores, etc.?

What is the application? I thought I laid out several alternatives in the book to show that the oiling requirements all depend on how much power you're making and how hard you're spinnning the motor.

You can use valve cover oilers and/or pushrod oiling also. And there should be a picture that shows how to tie the rocker oiling feed to the main gallery.

Did I really say that you need to groove the #4 cam journal? That doesn't sound like something I would say because I don't believe that to be the case. In fact, grooving the cam journal probably leads to more problems than it solves. I'll have to re-read that section to see if something got crossed up in the editing process.

I'm generalizing here and I didn't say that "you said" to groove the journal, only that it mentions a grooved journal.

The simple fact is that too much info can be dangerous and you've scared the b'jeezus out of me with some of the stuff in that book. The last thing I want is a catastrophic failure - regardless of the power level I'm building !

Anyhow, I'm planning a 528" RB stroker with a solid roller, 10.5:1 cr, and EZ1 heads. Primarily for street use.

Right now I have the block, EZ1's, 440-2 intake, Harland Sharp 1.5 rockers and shafts, roller lifters (not pushrod oilers), complete dual line oil system and some other incidentals.

The goal is something that with a ton of bottom end so I can run 3.54's with a stick and still launch like a super stocker. I figure the Comp XR280 should do that nicely.

oil accumulater!

The pictures on page 89 show the block modification made to send oil direct from the main gallery to the head.

If you're going to run a solid roller on the street then you really need to think about the oiling system. The original system wasn't designed to handle that type of valve spring load it shouldn't be a surprise that you'll have to make some changes.

Valve spring oilers are easy to add. The EZ heads can be drilled and tapped for external oiling, in fact, Indy does that on the Big EZ head. The block modification isn't too hard to do if you go that way. If you're going to feed the head thru the #4 cam journal then I would certainly recommend opening up the feed line from the main gallery to the #4 main bearing.

All the info should be in the book, you just have to study it and apply the info that is relevant to your situation. I will say that running a solid roller on the street is about the hardest thing to do. Don't be surprised if your valvetrain needs constant maintenance. The valvetrain sees a lot more cycles when you drive it around town than it does on a 9 sec pass down the strip.