Side oiler versus top oiler

[RyansFord]

I'm fairly wet behind the ears when it comes to Ford's. However, I finally decided to give an old Ford a shot. I got a big block FE from-I think-64. The date castings hard to read. I know it has a 1U cobra jet crank.
Anyways, I want to know how to tell if it's a side oiler or top oiler. What distinguishes the two from one another?
Side note: The blocks out and stripped of it's innards.

[tnlprt]

I'm fairly wet behind the ears when it comes to Ford's. However, I finally decided to give an old Ford a shot. I got a big block FE from-I think-64. The date castings hard to read. I know it has a 1U cobra jet crank.
Anyways, I want to know how to tell if it's a side oiler or top oiler. What distinguishes the two from one another?


Ford does not have big or small blocks ..that is a gm term

Ford has engine families

You have an FE

The date code is located between the oil filter adapter and the oil pan rail

1U is NOT a Cobra jet crankshaft ..It is a common 428 crank


Unless you have a 1965 or later 427 it will be a center oiler

looking at your picture it is a center oiler block ...Just like 98% of all FE blocks

Side oiler is just like it says
There is an oil passage that runs down the side of the block that feeds oil to the main bearings

[RyansFord]

That would help explain why the intake has date codes from 66'. The heads don't have the thermactor holes for a CJ. So, I assume the intake is really what makes it a CJ and not just a 428.

I thought the 302 and 289, etc. is considered a small block... I suppose I should just stop using big and small block terms if that's a GM thing. Sort of makes sense not to, anyways. I mean, cubic inches are cubic inches.

Did Ford engineering switch to center oilers because they're better at feeding oil, somehow?
Do they both feed the bearings journals differently or is it just in how the oil gallery is situated?

[tnlprt]

That would help explain why the intake has date codes from 66'. The heads don't have the thermactor holes for a CJ. So, I assume the intake is really what makes it a CJ and not just a 428.

I thought the 302 and 289, etc. is considered a small block... I suppose I should just stop using big and small block terms if that's a GM thing. Sort of makes sense not to, anyways. I mean, cubic inches are cubic inches.

Did Ford engineering switch to center oilers because they're better at feeding oil, somehow?
Do they both feed the bearings journals differently or is it just in how the oil gallery is situated?

The CJ engine has different heads,intake ,cam and exhaust manifolds than other 428 engines
Thermactor is for emission control
Ford switched to side oilers in 1965 for the 427 ONLY
No other FE has the side oiler passage EXCEPT the 427

Side oilers feed the main bearings first
Center oilers feed the cam first

Side oilers were first used in Nascar to keep from starving the main bearings in a 500 mile race

I should correct the figure ...99.9% of all FE blocks are center oilers since side oilers were only used for the 427 block ...

These are all side oilers

427 so.jpg

[tnlprt]

CJ heads have the casting number of C8OE-N

They also have a 16 bolt exhaust pattern

[RyansFord]

Okay, that clears it up a lot. I thought other engines were side oilers too. Well then, mine's definitely not a side oiler, then. Really, you just gotta see if it has the cross bolted mains and those oil plugs-easily telling it's a 427. Thus making it a side oiler.
I wondered about it because the bearings in the crankshaft on my 428 seemed to have some pretty heavy wear compared to the cam bearings.

[tnlprt]

Okay, that clears it up a lot. I thought other engines were side oilers too. Well then, mine's definitely not a side oiler, then. Really, you just gotta see if it has the cross bolted mains and those oil plugs-easily telling it's a 427. Thus making it a side oiler.
I wondered about it because the bearings in the crankshaft on my 428 seemed to have some pretty heavy wear compared to the cam bearings.

Just when you thought you had learned something

ANY FE block can be cross bolted after the fact

Not all 65 sideoiler blocks were drilled for the sideoiler passage

They may have been cast as side oilers but may not have been drilled

A lot of boats came with the 427 engine but because of the motor mounts the sideoiler passage was ground away partially
Making it impossible to drill the passage

427 engines were also used in pumps to irrigate fields

Also NOT all 427 blocks will have screw in freeze plugs (which can be done to any FE block)

[RyansFord]

Of course it can't be that easy! So many variations of a design...
I had also read somewhere, that a 428 FE can have holes drilled for cross bolting. I did notice the place it could be drilled on mine. Maybe when I drop off my block, I'll ask the machinist if he could do it for a fair price.
Does the outward appearance of the side-oiler casting differ much from the center oiler? Like the number location or size of ribs for oil gallerys?

[tnlprt]

Of course it can't be that easy! So many variations of a design...
I had also read somewhere, that a 428 FE can have holes drilled for cross bolting. I did notice the place it could be drilled on mine. Maybe when I drop off my block, I'll ask the machinist if he could do it for a fair price.
Does the outward appearance of the side-oiler casting differ much from the center oiler? Like the number location or size of ribs for oil gallerys?

That place on the side of the block that you think will work for crossbolting is where the the machining fixture bolted to

About 1000 bucks will get your block cross bolted if you do not have the correct caps and have to buy them

Yep the side oiler has a raised oil gallery on the drivers side of the block
It runs the entire length of the block
It also has a screw in plug in the front of the block to seal the passage

[Manny]

Okay, that clears it up a lot. I thought other engines were side oilers too. Well then, mine's definitely not a side oiler, then. Really, you just gotta see if it has the cross bolted mains and those oil plugs-easily telling it's a 427. Thus making it a side oiler.
I wondered about it because the bearings in the crankshaft on my 428 seemed to have some pretty heavy wear compared to the cam bearings.

If it were a side oiler my advice would be sell it and you could build 2 engines for the money. Nothing wrong with a top oiler in a truck. You've said the 428 crank numbers but what is the bore size on the block have you checked where the bores are out at now???

[RyansFord]

Okay, that clears it up a lot. I thought other engines were side oilers too. Well then, mine's definitely not a side oiler, then. Really, you just gotta see if it has the cross bolted mains and those oil plugs-easily telling it's a 427. Thus making it a side oiler.
I wondered about it because the bearings in the crankshaft on my 428 seemed to have some pretty heavy wear compared to the cam bearings.

If it were a side oiler my advice would be sell it and you could build 2 engines for the money. Nothing wrong with a top oiler in a truck. You've said the 428 crank numbers but what is the bore size on the block have you checked where the bores are out at now???

A rough measurement with my dial calipers showed the bore on a couple cylinders may be a little over-sized at 4.17". That's also measuring from the top of the cylinder where it gets the most wear. I'm 99.9% sure it's a 428. Sort of doubtful it's a CJ due to the older intake and heads. The guy I bought it from told me it was an industrial engine. I didn't see any evidence of that though. Not much info I could find on industrial models. The #4 main cap has a D2TE stamped in it. Guessing that meant Truck Engine. Except I don't know of any trucks that came with a 428.

Of course it can't be that easy! So many variations of a design...
I had also read somewhere, that a 428 FE can have holes drilled for cross bolting. I did notice the place it could be drilled on mine. Maybe when I drop off my block, I'll ask the machinist if he could do it for a fair price.
Does the outward appearance of the side-oiler casting differ much from the center oiler? Like the number location or size of ribs for oil gallerys?

That place on the side of the block that you think will work for crossbolting is where the the machining fixture bolted to

About 1000 bucks will get your block cross bolted if you do not have the correct caps and have to buy them

Yep the side oiler has a raised oil gallery on the drivers side of the block
It runs the entire length of the block
It also has a screw in plug in the front of the block to seal the passage

$1000 seems pretty steep to drill 6 big holes. I've worked in many machine shops. I know that's about a days work for a guy that knows what he's doing. At that price I'll probably hold off on cross bolting til I'm ready to build a drag beast.

When I get home I'll look for that oil gallery on the drivers side too.

[eggman918]

If Tnlprt would be so kind and post a pic of the cross bolted bottom end i "think" you will find that there is more to cross bolting than just 6 drilled and tapped holes,IIRC it will require new main caps,machining the inside of the block skirts and line boring the mains to do it correctly

[RyansFord]

If Tnlprt would be so kind and post a pic of the cross bolted bottom end i "think" you will find that there is more to cross bolting than just 6 drilled and tapped holes,IIRC it will require new main caps,machining the inside of the block skirts and line boring the mains to do it correctly

Yeah, I started thinking about why it might be so pricey last night. Then I saw the price of cross bolted mains and stuff. I can see how that would be a fair price for being done right. It also makes sense that Ford cut back on the 427. Much more expensive to manufacture... Not a ton more in performance gains over a 428 with the right components...

[RyansFord]

I've been trying to guess what those 2 holes are for, on the bottom driver side of the block. Also, I look at the inside oil gallery coming from the oil filter adapter and it seems to angle up the front of the block, to oil the crankshaft first and camshaft second.
Does this resemble a side oiler or am I just looking with novice eyes?

[image]433[/image]

[tnlprt]

I've been trying to guess what those 2 holes are for, on the bottom driver side of the block. Also, I look at the inside oil gallery coming from the oil filter adapter and it seems to angle up the front of the block, to oil the crankshaft first and camshaft second.
Does this resemble a side oiler or am I just looking with novice eyes?

[image]433[/image]

The 2 holes were explained in a previous post

wrong side of the block for the side oiler passage