Adjustable Push Rod Tubes

Gordon....happy belated birthday....Dana put stainless tubes on my engine, I think from CB.  I have to talk to him tomorrow...will call you after.

I did the spring loaded ones...Roland sent them to me and I think they were Jaycee brand and seemed to be fine and a night tight fit.

I've had them. I've got a $100 set of Jaycee's on the 2110 in my panel van. They leak. All of them, eventually.

The stainless accordion-style don't, and the windage type actually have some benefit. Save $40, get Teflon seals, keep your 3/4 rocker-box from filling with oil so quickly, and stop worrying about leaks.

But, what do I know?

Gordan, just did a rebuild and my new tubes leaked (too much crankcase pressure) and I think I didn't stretch them enough when I installed them. I bought a spring loaded set from Appletree which are bigger in diameter and caused a problem as I have cool tins on the cylinders. This necessitated some snipping and flattening of the metal to get them to lay straight from head to case.They have two "O" ring seals where they slide into one another and because of the tins loading the tubes downward there is potential for poor sealing.

Anyway verdict is out until Saturday and I'll let you know.

Spring tension is pretty strong and they were a challenge to get in and I put a little aviation seal on them so I did not fire it off last weekend. I'll see this week end if they leak.

The screw out threaded type imho are better than the spring

type  dont use the crap red seals 

I used the threaded tubes (CB Perf) on the Spyder with excellent results....  and as Doc says, Forget the red seals....

I put Bugpack spring-loaded on mine in 2008. They sweat a little bit but not a pouring leak. They don't leak any more than anything else on this car. Next time the engine comes out I will re-use them with new seals and O-rings. I'm satisfied, and like the fact that I can reseal them anytime without pulling the heads. 

OK, I ordered a set of the screw-type jobbies from CB.  Besides, I couldn't get the Bugpack ones, don't like the look of the JayCee's (Fussy dude, ain't I?) and those from CSP are just ridiculously expensive.

I checked stock (in my garage) and found I have two complete sets of orange colored end seals as well as two complete sets of the white, mushy, silicon seals - I used that material on the oil cooling tower seals and they work great.  Guess I'll use the white ones, since I looked under the grease and I used the orange ones when I built it.  Seems only fair....

Hopefully, this will be nearly the last stuff to buy.  Everywhere I looked, I found something else that needed attention - some of it important, some of it aesthetic but I built this engine in 1999, so a few little leaks are to be expected by now.  It was never more than a drop or two here and there unless I flogged the hell out of it on the highway for hours at a time, but it's out and on a stand so "What the Heck?"

Found that the lower engine tins were just hanging on by cracked and worn mounting tabs, so I've fab'd new, reinforced mounting tabs and welded them on (with gas, of course!) to the tins and those pieces should be good for at least another 16 years.  By that time I'll be 80 and doubt that I'll be driving it much.  Probably won't care a whole lot for oil leaks then, either.

Tomorrow is supposed to be a bit warmer so I'll be moving the exhaust header out to the driveway and wire brushing it off to paint it.  I usually use BBQ Hi-Temp black on the headers, but it doesn't last more than a year.  Anyone use something in satin Black a little more permanent (like two or three years?)

Don't worry Gordon...just keep it running for another 20 years or so and you can have your grandsons take you for a spirited ride every now and then. They're impressionable right now.... and I would get it in writing. I have no grandchildren so I may have to borrow one of yours if that's ok. Teach them to drive carefully please.

The heck with grandkids, let Chris drive!

Gordon, I use MCS Industrial Coating silver paint. From Braintree, MA. It is a rust and water inhibitor. It is a perfect match to the satin silver ceramic-coat on my exhaust. Takes three or four years to rust before recoat. Did a quick web search but couldn't locate the company anymore or dealers. weird.