I got a call tonight from a friend in Michigan who was assembling an engine. He asked if it was right that the notches in the pistons go toward the front and the oil holes point toward the distributor. I asked him what year shop manual he was using. Sure enough it was a 1962 edition which clearly shows the oil hole pointing to the intrake side of the motor. Have any of you noticed this error? I once assembled a racing motor according to the 1962 manual and it laid down a smoke screen at the top of each gear.

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If you didn't drive it there, it's not a street car.

Oiling holes shouldnt have any difference in engine smokeing,alum block engines have them reversed,maybe he was reading that part of the Manuel.

Not an error. The oil hole orientation was rotated 180° beginning with 1963 engine production, except for aluminum engines which stayed the same as the '60-'62 iron engines.

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

Very interesting. I always thought that early shop manual was wrong. Does anyone know why that change was made in 1963? Possibly the interaction of full grooved main bearings and pointing the hole toward the intake was why my engine made so much smoke.

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If you didn't drive it there, it's not a street car.

When pointed to the manifold side, more oil does get up into the cylinders, this help cool the pistons but also makes the ring sealing harder.
Pointed towards the cam... puts more oil on the cam.
When I hear about smoke at high rpm, the rings have lost good contact with the cylinders. Loose piston fit and/or detonation can cause that.
DD