bronze lifter bushings

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dodge freak

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Ok, here I was hoping to pick up my short block 340 today. Found out yesterday it be late Monday most likely. I get a call this afternoon--was it ready early--heck no--guy goes well I was prepping the block and hone out the lifters and the front drivers side is very worn and needs a bronze bushing.

Went on to explain that he sends the block out for that and the dude is at the cool Red Bull Air Race over the Detroit river---it be Monday until he can send the block over!

He guessing $80 to $100...so much for checking before he hone the block a week ago.

What can I do, anyhow should I think about having all 16 bores bronzed--isn't it a good idea for hydraulic roller lifters?
 
I'm guessing maybe he was honing the cylinders and in the course of blueprinting the block he found the lifter bores worn? It makes no sense to me to hone lifter bores on a used block.

If the lifter bores are out of tolerance then bushings are required. Hydraulic lifters and/or Magnum heads require that oil holes are drilled in the bushings to

A: Feed oil to the hydraulic lifters.

B: Feed oil through the lifters and pushrods to oil the rockers on Magnum heads.

It's up to you if you want to replace them all. It won't hurt anything but won't make anything faster other than the money out of your wallet. I suppose if you plan on keeping this block for a long, long time you should just have them done.

The machinist honing the lifter bores still creeps me out though.... I've heard from a couple very reputable shops here that most MP blocks from the factory require lifter bore straightening which, of course, requires bronze bushings and a hone to size.
 
Well my 3 year old camshaft looked just fine after being in my 150,000+ mile 30 year old 318 block which never had anything I believe done to the lifter bores. I was taking it the hone was just a quick clean up in case a burr was in a few bores. Lifters need to rotate in the bores.

Wounder if they just over did one lifter bore?
 
There has to be a problem. I've been running small blocks since 1970. I never saw that needed.
 
They shouldn't have used anything more than a "dingle ball" hone for a quick deburring. The reason it needs to be done when the engine comes apart is because you run long stiff brushes through the oil galleys to clean them. They run right through the lifter bores and the stiff brush can cause small burrs in the lifter bores, prevent lifter rotation. Not rocket science.

I would do all of them since it's going to be in the jig anyway. properly bushed lifter bores can make more IF the factory ones were off, which they very well could be considering how sloppy the factory machining was back then.
 
lilcuda said:
They shouldn't have used anything more than a "dingle ball" hone for a quick deburring. The reason it needs to be done when the engine comes apart is because you run long stiff brushes through the oil galleys to clean them. They run right through the lifter bores and the stiff brush can cause small burrs in the lifter bores, prevent lifter rotation. Not rocket science.

I would do all of them since it's going to be in the jig anyway. properly bushed lifter bores can make more IF the factory ones were off, which they very well could be considering how sloppy the factory machining was back then.
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All my engine oil passage brushes are nylon. I've never seen this as an issue but I will never say I've seen it all or know it all. :)
 
If he measured them and any are larger than .906 then they may cause low oilpressure or loss of oil volume to the main and rod bearings. Properly bushed the bores provide a much better alignment on the cam and more power, plus better oil control. I won'r run a solid roller cam without bushing them. It's not cheap tho. Costs me $500.
 
hi, lifter bushings are for solid or rollercams. they cut off the oil to the lifter body. the oil passage in the block will have to be drilled full length, so the lifters will get pressure. this is not a cheap repair!!! just food for thought
 
perfacar said:
hi, lifter bushings are for solid or rollercams. they cut off the oil to the lifter body. the oil passage in the block will have to be drilled full length, so the lifters will get pressure. this is not a cheap repair!!! just food for thought
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And I am out $85 for a nos crane cam and nos mopar hyd lifters--in order to change to running a solid cam.

Hyper pistons were the main reason I didn't go for a 7,500+ red line limit.

I'm leaning to just doing the one lifter but yeah I don't know the messements. If I can I stop at the shop Monday morning.

Better this is caught now and not when the motor had low oil pressure at idle.
 
dodge freak said:
Sometimes I wished I just got a Blueprint 408 short block.
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Ha! You say that now but do a search on Blueprint engines and you may change your mind.

I only ever had to hone one used block. It was a real low mileage block and the bores were real tight (.9035-.9038) and the aftermarket Hughes lifters didn't rotate good. Every other one I have done they've been plenty loose. The one in my car now is real loose (.9059-.9065) and it has low oil pressure.
 
perfacar said:
hi, lifter bushings are for solid or rollercams. they cut off the oil to the lifter body. the oil passage in the block will have to be drilled full length, so the lifters will get pressure. this is not a cheap repair!!! just food for thought
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I see no reason why you couldn't drill the bushings for oil supply to a hyd lifter and just make sure that the hole lines up with the oil galley when it's pressed in. The oil passage in the block is already drilled full length. Not sure what you mean by that.
 
ramcharger said:
All my engine oil passage brushes are nylon. I've never seen this as an issue but I will never say I've seen it all or know it all. :)
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Same here, but they are stiff nylon. Next time you have a SB apart, check out how sharp the edge is where the lifter bore intersects the oil galley. Sometimes there is a little burr inside the oil galley at that intersection. Now run a stiff nylon brush through it and that burr can be forced into the lifter bore.
 
Your block may have had an oversize lifter bore from the factory, pretty rare but not that uncommon either. Check your engine number area for a diamond stamped close to the actual engine number. Also check the valley area for another diamond stamped just above the 'bad' lifter bore.
 
raymond said:
Your block may have had an oversize lifter bore from the factory, pretty rare but not that uncommon either. Check your engine number area for a diamond stamped close to the actual engine number. Also check the valley area for another diamond stamped just above the 'bad' lifter bore.
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That is it. Has a mark Diamond like way above the bore near the deck. Shop didn't even see it..."nope, no mark at all, must have been worn that way" Then we stand the block up and I see this Diamond mark.

Good news in a way since all 15 others are ok. Still going to cost around $200 but this shop wants $600 to do all of them, un un.
 
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