A 1974 Duster - My 2nd one, 41 years later!

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Well...... About an hour of run time disaster strikes. In my opinion the cause is running the MRL solid roller lifters and not tubing the block or bushing the lifter bores. These lifters were "supposed" to be drop in, no mods needed. Nope...they are not!

Low oil pressure, burned up the Hughes rockers and shaft on passenger side over hole #2. Everything is a big mess. The shaft on the passenger side is scarred so bad... it looks terrible. I really don’t know what to think. All components were purchased from Mike, his 408 design. I carefully assembled it all. Running a solid roller VooDoo cam and the MRL lifters with Smith Bros. push rods, and Hughes shafts and 1.6 rockers. Disaster. Live and learn, expensive F up.

Pulling engine, going to take it apart. Either I’ll have the lifter bores bushed, tube the block, will buy a set of Comp 828-16 solid roller lifters (no oil belt). The 828-16 lifters require grinding the block, should have been done before it went together. I will now be on an Oil Mod Mission!
 
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Trans out:

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IMG_5389 by Alexl5280, on Flickr

Engine out, didn't have to take hood off either!

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IMG_5391 by Alexl5280, on Flickr
 
That’s bad ***, gonna paint my Duster Snakeskin green it’s very close to that color, congratulations to your wife.
Will she let you drive it.... lol
 
did that thing run more than 5 minutes???....those pistons are wayyyyyyyy clean....not even a carbon fart
 
I got them on Ebay from a seller with good ratings, I got the Gloss Black, and it really isn't glossy...more like a semi gloss.
 
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Update. Engine all apart, I did most of the GuitarJones oil modifications to the block here at my shop. Just dropped off the block at Ridge Reamers, they will be doing all the lifter bushings.
 
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jaws said:
Any bearing surfaces get scored? Metal any where else?
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Nope, Nope, no metal anywhere. Pete of Ridge Reamers said that the cam bearings might have been off, blocking the oiling.

I have all new bearings for everything. The mains will be Clevite full groove bearings, DuraBond coated High Performance Cam bearings, and King High Performance Rod bearings.
 
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Alex5280 said:
Nope, Nope, no metal anywhere. Pete of Ridge Reamers said that the cam bearings might have been off, blocking the oiling.
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Had we not been pushing ya to get her done lol it would be fine. Think I said you would get done then want to change things didnt I... it will be better for it looks like. You were pretty careful sometimes things go sideways. No real damage thats a nice gift.
 
All things happen for a reason. Ya just have to deal with it.

Believe me, I have done a ton of reading trying to understand what went wrong. When running a solid roller cam and lifters in an LA block it is imperative that you either "tube" the block, or "Bush" the lifter bores, or run CompCams 828-16 lifters, or else all the oil will fall right back down on the crank through the series of 1/2" holes in the main oil galleys.
 
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