Valve stem seals

[MagnusHolmgren]

Hi
I am restoring the twincam engine for my Pre-Aeroflow -64 LC.. It is the ”matching numbers” engine block/head with the 4 bolt crank/flywheel and the rear rope seal.

I have sent the cylinder head to a machining shop and it is ready very soon. The machine shop owner told me that the TC has not got any valve stem seals..... I thought most engines had that. He tells me that the engine uses more oil that way, but that is the way they were constructed... You learn something new every day.

My question to the forum is: They can modify the valve guides to take valve stem seals, would that be a good idea?
Or would it be wiser to leave it as it is? What have you guys done?

Thanks
M

 

[Scott Simpson]

Hi Magnus,
I bought some modified valve guides, complete with stem seals a few years ago, for my 64 car. However, being a lazy sod, I haven’t yet pulled the cylinder head to fit them. So it smokes like a hippy in Amsterdam! I got them from John McCoy of Omnitech Engineering, who plies his undisputed race engineering skills in the United States of bloody great big cars and arrow straight roads. He will ship worldwide and is a very helpful bloke. I’m sure you’ll fit them to your car way before I get round to it on mine. So let me know how it goes!
Scott

 

[David Baldock]

I find my little puff of smoke quite endearing. I wouldn't have it any other way.

Dave B

 

[Pete G]

I find my little puff of smoke quite endearing. I wouldn't have it any other way.

Dave B

Quite right Dave,- it's only when the little puff becomes a big puff is there need for concern !

 

[David Baldock]

Thank's Pete. It's good to know at least one other person agrees with me.

 

[MagnusHolmgren]

Thanks!

I asked a couple of people outside this forum as well, and the general opinion among these is to leave it as it was constructed. And accept some smoke upon start-up.
I think that I will do that for now. But Scott, if you do fit your seals, please let me know if you can recommend it or not.

Many thanks again!
/M

 

[Paul jorgensen]

Hi Magnus,
I fitted John McCoys valve guides with the seals earlier this year and my engine does not as Scott says smoke like a hippy in Amsterdam any more....
for me it was well worth doing.
Paul

 

[MagnusHolmgren]

Thanks Paul!

Where can you get those?
My engine restoration is finished and my engine runs like a dream, so I will not dismantle it again. But it could be useful for others.
If my engine was still in pieces, I would definitely consider it.

/Magnus

 

[Scott Simpson]

Hi Paul,
So, you fitted the stem seals? Did you do it yourself, or get an engine builder to install them? Was it much of a job? I’m going to get into my car once my hip is healed enough and that is one of the jobs, I’m eager to get to grips with. The list of to do’s has grown extensively over the last couple of years, so I need to get my ass in to gear soon!
Scott

 

[Trident team]

My engine does not have valve stem seals as per the original design.
It only smokes on start up and lasts for 5 mins. at idle particularly if it hasn't been started for a while.
When driving I ask my mates behind if she is ''blowing'' smoke and they say ''no''.
Oil consumption checks confirm that I, have a healthy engine.
Bearing in mind that the heavy price constraints that Colin Chapman placed on
the design team to come up with a cylinder head that would ''work'' and wouldn't
''break the bank''. Hence the valve stem seals weren't included. I'm sure that they figured out that a little extra lubrication of the valve stems wasn't a bad thing.
Cheers Geoff

 

[David Baldock]

Well said Geoff. Snuffing out that little extra bit of lubrication could be fatal..........Just saying.

Dave B

 

[Pete G]

Yes Dave and Geoff, as I said earlier 'a little puff is OK', mine also smokes on start up from cold
I also had a mate following me and he said while driving there was no smoke but stopping at lights there would be some starting off again, I think also on overrun,- that's what they do !!

 

[Trident team]

I ran a lightweight sports sedan Anglia many years ago with a heavily modified pushrod 1200 cc engine.
The fix in those days was to throw out the Ford valve stem seals and fit Datsun 1600 stem seals as they had a
small spring around the bottom of the seal making a ''tight'' fit over the valve guide and wouldn't lift during valve operation.
The problem was that the valve stem to guide ran ''dry'' causing the valves to stick sometimes resulting in a misfire.
So, I then refitted the original Ford stem seals, which did not fit as tightly as the others but it didn't suffer from sticking valves again.
Hope all this helps,
The oil is there for a reason.
Geoff

 

[Paul jorgensen]

Hi Magnus,
I bought the same ones that Scott purchased from John McCoy of Omnitech engineering in the US.

Scott, I stripped and rebuild the engine but got Saunders Motor works to remove the guides, machine the head to except the new guides and they fitted them.
Paul