OK, I thought I read somewhere on the forum that the crank oil holes, the ones that run from the main journal to the rod journals, should be drilled out to 5/16 inch.
Well, it was a pain, but I did just that. I sent the crank to the machine shop to be checked/polished. The machinist thinks that I am nuts, and the holes are the biggest he has ever seen.
So, did I misread something somewhere? Do I need to start over with another crank?
I wasn't worried until I got the call from the machine shop.
Good news, the block is ready.
-Matt

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-MattMan
LEANED & MEAN

You were supposed to drill the feeds in the block.

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Joshua

I did that, drilled the block. The block isn't the problem.
I thought I read somewhere to drill the crank as well.
Worst case, I'll need a new crank (but I hope not).

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-MattMan
LEANED & MEAN

Neither was the crank. Remember, Slant-6 engines tend to live long lives even without "improvements" that may or may not actually improve anything.

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一期一会
Too many people who were born on third base actually believe they've hit a triple.

If the crank breaks, you'll need a new one.

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Joshua

Well that is good to know. you guys have been so very helpful.
Don't think I don't appreciate it.

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-MattMan
LEANED & MEAN

You may end up with low oil pressure.

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Official Cookie and Mater Tormentor.

I have heard of cleaning the crank holes with a pipe cleaner and/or a drill bit of the stock size, radiusing the oil feed holes in the crank, but never drilling the feeds out larger. The oil feed on a slant is is just dandy unless you are building a very high RPM motor.

Doctor Dodge wrote a great article about modifying the block to improve oiling behavior. HERE it is.

The good doctor also wrote a great thread about modifying the oiling system in the slant. Read it HERE.

Drilling the holes out likely weakened the crank abit and did very little to improve oiling. If you are brave, run it and tell us how it goes.

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Casually looking for a Clifford hyperpak intake for cheap.

I would not worry about it. There is so much meat there... Folks have turned down the rod journals to <2" diameter and not had problems. I can't imagine that tiny diameter increase will hurt anything. The leakage of oil out of the bearings should not depend hardly at all on that oil hole diameter, so I would guess oil pressure will not suffer much either.

If you are trying for 500 HP, then maybe worry.

My 2 cents...

Lou

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Home of Slant6-powered fun machines since 1988

You're blazing trails! Let us know how it goes!

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Joshua

be sure you have a smooth radius on the hole edges,,

Ain't no call for that, now. It's no fun to learn we've gone ready-FIRE!-aim instead of the other way round, but usually we have only ourselves to blame for charging ahead based on what we thought we remembered recollecting we might have read some time back, without double-checking.

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一期一会
Too many people who were born on third base actually believe they've hit a triple.

No worries there. I am not that sensitive.
But I really thought I read that somewhere (drilling the crank oil holes).

That's funny though, I don't recall having a memory problem.

Anyhoo, I will be racing the dang thing so I might play it safe and get another crank. What's the worst that could happen?

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-MattMan
LEANED & MEAN

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一期一会
Too many people who were born on third base actually believe they've hit a triple.