Superjeep: Three (now Ten)(now Twelve) Years Later

Tha AMC V8 engines have a poorly designed oiling system, similar to that of some of other 1950s American designs. The way AMC oils is there is a main vertical galley (fed from the pump located in the timing cover) in the front of the block, which then connects to the right bank lifter galley, which then feeds the crankshaft off the rear of that lifter galley.
The problem is the crank gets its oil after the lifters, which are by design, leaky to some extent. The priority oiling modification bypasses 90% of the lifter galley, feeding from the vertical front galley straight to the rear of the lifter galley adjacent to the rear main feed. Lifters bleed down, wear, and feed pushrods and the top end, all controlled leaks. These all lose oil volume before it ever gets to the crank. Have you ever noticed how many older AMCs have a bad case of ticky lifters?
Your examples of low pressure builds are cases where those people shouldn't be building engines, and yes, they likely introduced swarf into the oil passages at the same time.
When installed in conjunction as the rest of the machine work, and using braided tubing with swedged ends, the priority oiling has nearly no downsides. This modification ensures a dedicated full flow to the crankshaft, the most important component to have oil pressure.
Yes, these engines will live without this mod, but its extra insurance when included in a build. This is just another guy's opinion. I have pulled several or more AMC V8s down over the years with the main and rod journals so bad that .040 cuts wouldn't clean up the cranks, but the bores were within stock specs. Just my observations.
-Donny

 

My top secret AMC 368 (360 block with Chevy 400 pistons) build has the valley oil line mod and the milidon external sump line pan. Going through all that work to cut a simple corner??

 

I wouldn’t characterize it as cutting a corner, not doing it for expediency. I just don’t think it’s necessary unless an engine is regularly spun at high RPM. Conversely, adding additional oil joints does introduce some risk at all RPM. And external oil lines on a Jeep is out of the question.

 

You know what keeps a guy awake at night? Not being able to find the VIN tag that had been in the gun safe for past few years while doing body work.

Last hope is in my big box of parts at my buddy's house where he is painting while I assemble the engine.

 

Oh that's not a good feeling... Hope that it turns up for you.

 

I went entirely through this thread. Really cool, and you are really a wordsmith.

 

Huzzah! Wife found VIN tag in pocket of shorts in laundry. I guess those shorts were at bottom of hamper!

 

That was a close one! Dmv's are universally the worst, I'd hate for you to have to go fight with them over a replacement vin

 

That’s some dumb luck! Awesome, glad you found it!

 

Apparently, laundry is not done often in your house!

 

or your wife has been avoiding those shorts!......
happy the tag was found!

 

Yep me too.

 

I was able to get my fingers in there to hold the bolts/nuts. Take the front bracket off and tip it in from the front. Mine additionally had and now have a rubber insulator holding the tank down to the bracket.

 

Well, I'm back. I completed a move to TN two years ago just as I was getting close on my Jeep. This weekend I'm headed back to PA to fetch it, freshly painted and ready to break in the engine rebuild.

Teaser pics.

 

Engine set.

 

Looks too good.

 

wow, it's been awhile. I had forgotten about the superjeep.

 

Loaded up, heading SW to middle TN.

 

Made it to TN. Flannel shirt weather here, t-shirt if working hard.


By buddy did a terrific job on the paint. Its not a show Jeep, but that was explicitly NOT the plan. He left some spot weld evidence, as was customary from Toledo. This is base/clear rather than single stage like original. But this is a resto-mod so we didn't feel constrained too much to originality.