FE-FC Holden Discussion Forum

G'day to all,  Ret I need your advice on when my engine was built.  I went to buy some push rods for the FE and found that they were about 3-4mm too long(American Autos-P/n7408422 FJ-earlyFB).  I know the engine in the FE is not original but I am not sure what model it is out of.  The engine number is B226958, the reason for this request is so I don't make the same mistake when buying other parts.

The engine is out of an FB,

Actually Slim the engine is from an EK. The engine numbering started at 1000 again with the "B" prefix and ran through both FB & EK.
There were 174,747 FB's made according to the Holden Heritage book, this means that the engine is 52, 211 into the EK series, and since there were only 150, 214 Ek's built, it is about a third of the way into the production.
The EK was released on May 2 1961 and superseded on July 30 1962 - almost exactly 15 months.
This would make your engine roughly October 2 1961

I think my logic all holds together here.

Hope this helps

Ken

Who would dare argue?  ::)

G'Day Mooky
The part number you have quoted is the actual number for FE,FC & FB motor up to B65279,the part number for push rod after that EK & EJ is 7416291.
Push rod length of first is 10.4", plus or minus .015'  and the second is 10.212", plus or minus .015".
Hope this helps as well
John M
ps. 48/215 & FJ's are different lenght again 10.305".

Gentlemen, thank you for your advice, as usual it has been most helpful.

Hang on Blokes,
Does this mean that I've got 3 or more different lengths to choose from??????
I've got an FE with Eng No Bxxxxx (Not here but definitely 5 digits. Possible FB/EK powerplant.)
It has bent No1 exhaust pushrod.
The motor has been sitting in the car in a shed since 1978, and was supposedly recoed shortly before storage. Looking at the pistons etc I'd almost believe it.
It may be possible that some ignorant fool (like myself) could have used the extra long rod.

Thats right Stevo56, you will need the full engine number and a parts cattledog, to get the right pushrods to suit the orginal motor with standard specs.
However if the motor is non standard that is shaved head  top of block decked etc, you may have to measure to get the pushrods required.
Try measuring all the rods you have and see if there is any difference in length between them, if you have a bent rod already after motor has been "Rebuilt" it either has had a big rev or maybe the wrong pushrod / cam timing or someone bent the rod before it was installed.
Good Luck
John M

Hi guys,
I'll just put in my 2 bobs worth as well. The lifters are also 2 different depths (although overall length is the same). Ideally, you should use the long pushrods with the deep lifters and the short pushrods with the shallow lifters. However, if the block's been decked and the head shaved, it can be beneficial to use short pushrods with deep lifters (for a shorter overall length).

Having said that, you can mix & match lifters & pushrods with success, as there is usually enough adjustment to compensate, but you should avoid it if you can.

Cheers,

Graham.

Stevo56,
i had a problem with 2 push rods after leaving the car for 10 years and I found the valves were ceased.Freed the valves straightend the push rods and no problem since.
Cheers,
Graham :)

EK utes ran into the EJ release by about 6mths I've been told.Would their engine no' have the letter B or J ?

I didn't know that EK utes ran into EJ :P
Don't know the answer, but GMH seemed reluctant to use the B prefix if earlier examples can be relied on.
The FJ utes and vans ran into FE production and these engines used U prefix to keep them separate.
Ken

Thanks guys,
The valve was jammed open on No1 Exhaust.
Maybe the owner had shagged it when he started it.
We'll never know coz the water pump was also seized and that covered up any other noises when we cranked her over.
(She is a she, and I call her FEona. Well actually Fiona, but it sounds better.)
You know what I mean with female names, the HT ute is the H arlo T, the 1 tonner is Theresa. Why I dunno, I didn't name her, etc etc etc.

If this posts twice, sorry but I didn't log in properly as Stevo56.

Apologies for dragging up such an old post - I've gone through a number of old posts and this one has a lot of detail relevant to my question (hence my desire not to start a new thread)....

I have an FE Special Sedan with an engine number of L346059 and have a few bent pushrods. I *believe* the engine to be original based on my knowledge of this vehicle.

First, can anyone confirm (based on the engine number) that this is in fact the original engine?

Second, any suggestions on how to straighten them would be appreciated? Looking at getting a toolmaker friend to make up some form of jig (discussions over beers continuing..!), or shall I try the vice?

Thanks-in-advance.

Refer to this link to check engine numbers,


http://www.fefcholden.org.au/techinfo/enginenos.html

Effie C

The Vice worked fine for me.Using soft jaws and being careful not to go overboard.Worked fine.
Cheers,
Graham

So much information .... so little time.

I thought I'd gone over that part of the site.

Thank-you.

The number certainly looks like one that would be in the FE range, although that doesn't necessarily prove it's the vehicle's original.

Plug the rest of your car's details into the ID plate decoder ($2), and see what it says.  If the vehicle's assembly year matches the engine date you've already found, I'd say the chances are pretty low that it isn't the original engine.  If you can provide the body and chassis numbers here, Ken has many years of research to pin these things down with even greater accuracy.

cheers
RET