Thanks all. I am gonna run it. It's brand new and I always use an oil slinger and drip tab. I bought a parts truck once that had a 318 in it. The owner said it just quit running one day. I pulled it apart to find the timing chain so loose it had eaten the entire drip tab away as Scratchn said earlier. It was after that it finally skipped teeth and quit running.
I am overkill with oiling mods on my LA junk. I drill block/cap/pump to 1/2" add 4 extra holes in oil filter plate and galley feeds to 9/32" run full groove main bearings/windage tray, add 1/4" drain back holes in-between lifter bores, drill a hole in the oil galley plug/thrust plate to help oil chain. early LA engines had a hollow bolt on the thrust plate to oil chain. I do the same when adding a tensioner.
If I use the stock oil cooler off the police car/engines I do not drill galley plug/thrust plate or bolt to oil chain as the cooler dumps oil back to the pan thru a hollow fuel pump bolt oiling the chain with cool oil returning to pan. I just use a drip tab and crank slinger with cooler.
also the police engines used a HD double row chain & gears stock but oil it with cool return oil for longevity. windage tray & full groove main bearings = more oil to rod bearings along with #1 & #4 cam bearings have oil groove for full time oiling to rockers.
I have yet to find a replacement set of cam bearings with #4 bearing having the oil groove. but I have 4 police engines that have them. I have the machine shop cut the cam journal instead.
Ma Mopar would not have done these mods if they do not improve longevity in severe duty engines... so is it really over kill?
on a side note.. when I look to buy a tensioner I do shop ebay for early NOS Mopar tensioners for v6 engines. and try not to use the AZ/advance store cheapy on the shelf brands form china. seems to be better quality that way.
good luck
