Rocker Gear

[KFH]

Today I had occasion to take the tappet cover off of an EJ motor I have in the shed.  I noticed that the posts supporting the rocker gear is totally different to the ones in my original "L" motor I am running.  The supporting posts in the FC motor are the same height on each side where the bolts go through.  The EJ has one side the same height as the FC while the other side of the in much shorter. Is this a later and improved design.  Is it any better than the ones I am running in my FC.  I was always under the assumption that they were all the same.

Keith

[ardiesse]

Keith,

Your EJ motor has FJ-to-early FC rocker gear on it.  That's really odd.  A recommended upgrade for FX-FJ owners has long been the late-model rocker gear with two long bolts on each pedestal.  The early pedestals were quite prone to breaking because the stress of holding the valve springs open is taken on the short-bolt side.

Just for info's sake - where is the oil hole on the rocker arms - right on the top, or closer to the adjusting locknut?  Similarly, what does the oil pipe fitting look like?  Is it brass and hexagonal, or is it cast, with a screw in the side?  Even among "early" rocker gear, there were variations.

Does the cylinder head on the EJ motor have provision for just a temperature sender, or a sender plus a heater outlet as well?  If it's a "single-outlet" head, it may be that the motor has had an early-series head fitted, complete with early rocker gear.

Maybe you could read the date code off the head, and that'd put us all out of our misery . . .  The date code will have a single digit, a letter, and two digits.  I forget the order, but it will tell you when the head was cast.

Rob

[ardiesse]

Keith,

One other thing.  Does the engine number have a J prefix?

Rob

[KFH]

Rob
Thanks for the information.  I had a look today and found the following.  No oil holes on the top of the rocker like my FC has.  There is a brass hex where the oil feed goes into.  The block has a J prefix.  Casting info on head is H279 and there is no water outlet drilled into the front spot on the head.

Keith

[ardiesse]

Keith,

I think H279 means August 27th, 1959.  So you have a 1962 block with a 1959 head and early FJ rocker gear.  The FJs ditched the complicated cup-and-spring arrangement the FXs had, for a hex brass fitting.  And then somewhat later the oil hole was moved to the top of the rocker to improve lubrication to the tip of the valve stems.

At some stage in the motor's history it went through a major rebuild, and was assembled with whatever was within easy reach.

Rob