[oldbogie]

Originally Posted by joe_padavano

I'm afraid that is not quite correct for Olds motors. Please see posts #3 and #7 above. The Olds oiling diagram is in the factory Chassis Service Manual. Oil from the pump flows directly to the main gallery that is the one that feeds the driver's side lifters first. A drilled passage from this gallery then feeds each of the mains, and from there additional passages feed the passenger side lifters and the cam bearings. Unlike Chevy motors, there is no dedicated main gallery that feeds the main bearings first. The only way to restrict oil to the rockers is with restrictors in the lifter feed holes, or with restricted pushrods.

As a side note, I have GM factory service manuals spanning the 1940s through the 1990s, from Olds, Chevy, and Cadillac, and every one of them calls these passages oil galleries, not galleys. Per Webster, one definition of gallery is a long narrow passage.

Yeah I know it's sort of poetic license when I'm in a hurry, he needs to solve the distribution problem behind the bearing more than how the oil got there, but I stand corrected, thanks.

Bogie

[ztwntyn8]

I'm getting into an old 455 boat engine that sounded like it had a little man with a hammer inside. For a long time now I have been hearing about these restrictors. It was killing me to see them in the mains. I just flat wouldn't do that. It's crazy. It sounds like a real half *** fix to me. Just from a logical thinking standpoint. The cam bearings will drop the oil right into the crankcase so that's not a problem. the only thing I would concider would be the pushrods. The thing I would def do is deburr and enlarge oil return passages at this point.

My boat engine teardown revealed main bearings scored like you find brake rotors. I think it's never been machined before and think it will come out. This engine ran at 6000 in our boat for verry extended periods of time. If it were running out of oil, I believe this engine wouldn't have lasted through a whole tank of gas. The engine blew a head gasket and was hydrolocked in the morning. The heads pulled and gaskets replaced and oil changed.... note: you can't get to the drain plug in the oil pan so you have a tapped hole in the side of the oil pan that will let maybe a quarter to half inch of oil remain undrained. In my mind oil floats on water so if there was still water in the pan it would be at the point below this tapped hole and remain in the engine along with the fresh oil. The next outing didn't last long and came back knocking. I don't think it was due to oil starvation. Nothing seems hot or siezed up. My experience so far. We put the original engine back in it along with the "C" heads and crower cam. It dosn't turn 6000 anymore but does go about 5700 and no issues yet.....

[ezobens]

In the meantime (since my original post), I've had my 455 marine engine built buy a competent engine builder who knows his way around a 455 Olds (and Buicks and Hemi's etc...) and I couldn't be happier.
No oil restrictors in the mains, only restricted pushrods and good old fashioned attention to detail.
I went for coated bearings as insurance and am using outside grooved cam bearings with aftermarket rods (Olds always seem to spin the rod bearings first because the factory rods are crap for HD marine use).
With a 10 qt oil pan and HV pump, I never pump the sump dry and all he did was some standard clean-up for the oil returns.
It's a solid 400-425HP motor and I can run it all day at 4500 without worry (with an 'A' impeller, it tops out around 5000).
FINALLY!