Alright, I'll confess right now to having a fuzzy memory. I am working on a 427 marine engine, cast AND drilled that way, casting C8AE-A, says 66-427 on rear bulkhead. My Boss swears this is the backspin engine of the pair...but I'm thinking it isn't. Or if it is, it has several wrong parts. This engine cam to us with the 1 cam bearing having smeared the cam journal, 2 & 4 cam bearings spun in the block and #3 cam bearing fell out. It has a normal double chain & gears for the cam drive, but some these things were already apart when owner brought them to us. I haven't had a chance yet to see if the lobes are in normal order on the cam, but didn't 427 marine backspin engines have cranks that were drilled in reverse, or mirror image of normal ? This engine has an ordinary 390 type cast crank in it. This engine also has a solid cam, don't know whose, with dumbell lifters. what part number cam bearings do I need for a hydralic lifter sideoiler, and if this does turn out to be the backspin engine, do I need special cam beraings or should the regular ones be installed, but backwards or mirror image to allow for the reverse rotation.

The pair of sideoilers this came from has been out of the boat 3 times already. our competition across town 'rebuilt' them, but he messed them up badly. He kept telling the boat owner that he needed more money for more exspensive parts....after the valvetrains weren't getting any oil and the aluminum rockers kept galling up. We tried to explain to the other shop that the FEs don't all take the same cam bearings, and that side oil is differant than top oil, and that there are further differances between sideoils depending on application......but he wouldn't listen, told us we were full of sh--, its just a bigger bore 390, he says. Now that the boat owner is out 10s of thousands of dollars, and the other shop is out of business.....mr boat owner wants us to fix his problems. We fix one of them already last summer, but he just brought us this one last week. Cal/LSG

Just asking because true drilled Marine Side Oilers are so blasted rare typically the marine sideoiler block is drilled as a center oiler. I'm betting if it is indeed a true side oiler the flow to the lifter galley was blocked and the front galley plugs were not installed since they are not pressurized and it was run with a solid cam. From what I recall on the Reverse Rotation motor the crank has ass-backwards slits at the rear seal to pump oil away from the seal and is otherwise a standard production FE casting. The Rev cam and distributer are both unique with matched gears. Never heard of any differences in any other internal engine parts. Your in for a "major pain" in the ass if indeed they damaged the cam bearing journals hopefully the side oiler unique ones are OK..

The cam bearings for a sideoiler are different than the other FE's. Numbers 2 and 4 must have holes to feed the rocker assemblies. Durabond f 24's are one part number for them. They cost about three to four times what the standard ones cost.
Frank

Here's a picture of a set of bearings for a sideoiler. Notice the extra holes in numbers 2 and 4.

I have a true side oiler C8-A block out of a 427 Chris craft. It looks like someone replaced it because the hone marks are still showing,blue goo was on the manifold corners,block wasn't machined externally and is drilled as a side oiler and hydraulic lifters. Regular cam bearings can be used when the oil holes are drilled and de burred. Worked for me.

Kam

Kam, thats kinda my backup plan if there isn't a set of sideoil bearings available reasonably fast. I know mr boat owner wants to go back out on the lake.......Cal

Survival, DSC, Keith Craft, all sell the bearings you need.



1912 Model T Ford touring Salmon (ugh!)
1913 Model T Ford Touring original Black paint
1915 Model T Ford Roadster Black
1915 Model T Ford touring Black of course!
1967 Cougar GT 390 Cardinal Red / Black
1968 Cougar GTE 427 Augusta Green / Saddle
http://www.supermotors.net/vehicles/registry/15029/50071-2