Knebworth disaster!

[jemburrett]

Hi all,

Just got back from the Knebworth Classic Car Show..... on the back of a transporter!

I have always been a bit concerned at my car's tendency to ground when encountering bumps in the road and when entering the show ground, I 'gently' grounded the sump; some 3 or 4 minutes later, I heard a difference in the engine noise (can't describe it really), glanced down, saw the oil pressure had dropped to < 20PSI - I switched off and pulled over onto the grass. There was a line of very clean engine oil trailing away in the direction I had come.

The dipstick is no longer long enough to reach any oil.

It's a 350 SBC with less than 4000 miles on it - what's the best guess as to whether I have run the bearings?

Would you change the shells anyway or swap the sump, refill, fire up and see what story the oil pressure gauge and my ears are told?

At the same time, I need to introduce some more clearance - both the sump and the bell housing are just under 4" above ground. What's the best way forward? Can one pack up the engine and gearbox mounts to lift the engine/drive train within the chassis?

I guess stiffer front springs will be necessary as well (MkIII Sumo with Grandad running gear) any ideas for spec and/or sources?

All advice gratefully received.

Regards
Jeremy

[Andy S]

Originally Posted by jemburrett

Hi all,

Just got back from the Knebworth Classic Car Show..... on the back of a transporter!

I have always been a bit concerned at my car's tendency to ground when encountering bumps in the road and when entering the show ground, I 'gently' grounded the sump; some 3 or 4 minutes later, I heard a difference in the engine noise (can't describe it really), glanced down, saw the oil pressure had dropped to < 20PSI - I switched off and pulled over onto the grass. There was a line of very clean engine oil trailing away in the direction I had come.

The dipstick is no longer long enough to reach any oil.

It's a 350 SBC with less than 4000 miles on it - what's the best guess as to whether I have run the bearings?

Would you change the shells anyway or swap the sump, refill, fire up and see what story the oil pressure gauge and my ears are told?

At the same time, I need to introduce some more clearance - both the sump and the bell housing are just under 4" above ground. What's the best way forward? Can one pack up the engine and gearbox mounts to lift the engine/drive train within the chassis?

I guess stiffer front springs will be necessary as well (MkIII Sumo with Grandad running gear) any ideas for spec and/or sources?

All advice gratefully received.

Regards
Jeremy

Jeremy drop Gareth08 a PM he is the master of all things chassis on a pilgrim, he will be able to help re springs ride height etc.
As for the sump there are many variations available for the chevy, including wide & shallow etc.
Best bet at the moment is to have a look on the Summit website, in the states, with the dollar at the moment its very cheap to get bits shipped over.
www.SummitRacing.com

[jemburrett]

Andy,
Thanks for the response - I'll do both those things.
Jeremy

[gareth08]

Originally Posted by jemburrett

Andy,
Thanks for the response - I'll do both those things.
Jeremy

You have PM

[jemburrett]

Gareth - thanks for that, I'll be looking for some 600lb springs now - source anyone?

On a connected note, whilst ordering a replacement sump from Real Steel, I explained that the holed sump had come from them and was a chrome plated one, they said 'Oh, the chrome ones are cheap thin material, made in China or somewhere' I have ordered a black, more substantial item. Had I known about the poor materials of the chrome ones, it would not have been fitted in the first place - be warned!

Thanks again for the guidance.
Jeremy

[wilf]

If you are going to swap the sump anyway, while it is off, pull off a couple of big end caps and main bearing caps and take a look at the shells. Then you will know if you need to change them or not - if they have run without oil, it should be pretty obvious.

[jemburrett]

Thanks for the advice all. New sump has arrived (excellent service Real Steel!)and I will be dropping the old one in the morning.

I will follow Wilf's advice about taking off some bearing caps - can anyone advise the correct torque settings for the mains and big ends? (In the hope that they are undamaged and I am able just to replace the caps!)
Regards

Jeremy

[petecob]

Originally Posted by jemburrett

Thanks for the advice all. New sump has arrived (excellent service Real Steel!)and I will be dropping the old one in the morning.

I will follow Wilf's advice about taking off some bearing caps - can anyone advise the correct torque settings for the mains and big ends? (In the hope that they are undamaged and I am able just to replace the caps!)
Regards

Jeremy

Try this.http://www.ecbrcnj.com/id13.html
Pete

[jemburrett]

Thanks for that Pete - perfect.

Regards

Jeremy

[jemburrett]

Thanks all,
Bearings inspected and deemed A1, new sump fitted, fired up and as sweet sounding as before with exactly the same oil pressure readings - phew!

Regards
Jeremy