Disaster...360 Engine blew a connecting rod

[YellowThumper]

Oil Hole position ?
you could add a cut to the shaft to help oiling

Sort of position.
273 rocker shafts requires an oil slot (yes it could be cut). Stamped rockers have the slot formed in. Shafts then only have/ need the hole.
273 rockers and newer shafts effectively shut off the oil flow.

[chargerdon]

thanks thumper...looking on ebay i saw:

https://www.ebay.com/itm/273-318-340-360-Mopar-Mechanical-Rocker-Arm-Shafts-New/123704509072?_trkparms=aid%3D888008%26algo%3DDISC.CARDS%26ao%3D1%26asc%3D40718%26meid%3D746f6a89d8014ebfaa1ce0ff3e1a4b7f%26pid%3D100009%26rk%3D1%26rkt%3D1%26sd%3D153153414097%26itm%3D123704509072%26pmt%3D0%26noa%3D1%26pg%3D2047675&_trksid=p2047675.c100009.m1982 good pictures and descriptions of the slots on 273 rockers..   Their $230..  Thats a lot of money for used parts.   Going to go with the Mopar Performance rockers. 

Thanks guys..

[gzig5]

thanks thumper...looking on ebay i saw:

https://www.ebay.com/itm/273-318-340-360-Mopar-Mechanical-Rocker-Arm-Shafts-New/123704509072?_trkparms=aid%3D888008%26algo%3DDISC.CARDS%26ao%3D1%26asc%3D40718%26meid%3D746f6a89d8014ebfaa1ce0ff3e1a4b7f%26pid%3D100009%26rk%3D1%26rkt%3D1%26sd%3D153153414097%26itm%3D123704509072%26pmt%3D0%26noa%3D1%26pg%3D2047675&_trksid=p2047675.c100009.m1982 good pictures and descriptions of the slots on 273 rockers..   Their $230..  Thats a lot of money for used parts.   Going to go with the Mopar Performance rockers. 

Thanks guys..

I think those shafts come from member Rocket over at FABO.  Seem like nice parts and he lists them there for sale as well.  Might save ebay fees.

[chargerdon]

You get what you pay for !!   Sometimes ..

The Mopar Performance Rockers are $10.99 each at both Jegs and Summit.   Their $18.99 plus tax and shipping at Year One... good grief...   But, at Moparonlineperformance.com their only $9.60 no tax and free shipping.   

If i had gone to Moparonlineperformance.com before canceling my bid on the 273 rockers, i would have seen that they sell Performance Rocker Shafts for $37.92...They show a close picture and they have the oiling slots on each hole.  I probably would have gone ahead and bought the 273 rockers.  ...  Imagine that where the used shafts on ebay go for $250.    Yep, you get what you pay for...sometimes! 

[RUNCHARGER]

Yep: The 273 rockers are an upgrade, oh well hopefully the stock 318 ones will work.

[1 Wild R/T]

Actually just cause the shafts have banana grooves doesn't mean they are all the same..... 
I can add banana grooves to a $20 set of shafts...  Which is likely what is being sold for $37.....  But wall thickness & material hardness are worth considering...  If your talking about the "used" shafts you linked earlier in this thread those are actually new & while not the highest quality they are pretty high grade shafts...  I have a set of them in one of my engines...   I've got a set of RAS shafts in another engine... Premium stuff comes at a premium price... 

And add to that a set of billet hold downs so the shaft is properly clamped, the stock stamped hold downs tend to oval the shaft... Less of a problem with thicker walled shafts but still an issue..

A stamped rocker arm has so much slop an oval shaft doesn't matter but any machined rocker can and will bind on an oval shaft...

There are lots of cheap rockers out there but there are lots of failures tied directly to cheap rockers...  Stainless rockers that gall & seize to the rocker shaft... Roller rockers that fail & send tiny roller needle bearings all through your engine....

There's reason people who move away from the basic stamped rockers spend more money...  Stamped rockers do their job to a point without causing big problems... They aren't very accurate, they can't handle big cams or big spring pressure but they are simple & reliable within their happy range...

Ductile iron rockers are the next step up & while they need oil grooves & round shafts they can handle very high spring loads & are surprisingly accurate...

[Chryco Psycho]

I would have bought the second set I listed that were complete , The 273 rockers are virtually indestructable compared to the stamp steel ones

[1 Wild R/T]

I would have bought the second set I listed that were complete , The 273 rockers are virtually indestructable compared to the stamp steel ones

At $250 they were a good buy... But just like I said in the beginning add pushrods & your in it $400....  Which is exactly what I would have done...

But my suggestion was to throw a used rocker on it & run it till next year... Trying to keep Don's wife happy by not spending any more money this year..

Instead Don has decided to spend money buying MP rockers... Which I never would have suggested...

[chargerdon]

Guys...i appreciate your inputs...really and truly do.   

Let me try to explain my probable bad decision making.  First, i simply wasn't comfortable to just keep driving it with the Sealed Power standard rockers in it.   If one failed, then another probably will also, and to drive the car till next year and always worrying will another fail and need towed again, simply wasn't an option.   The tech at Lunati agreed that it is more likely that if one failed with the higher spring pressures then it probably wasnt a defect but simply not strong enough.   So, driving it till next year wasn't an option.  Lunati tech also agreed that the MP rockers are much stronger and would probably give years of service..  My nephews racing buddy felt that also.

Yes, at $250 for the complete set of 273 rockers would have been a good choice probably the right choice.  But, then i worried about installing them properly..  One picture on Ebay shows springs to hold the rockers in position, another shows spacers, and i don't have any manuals on how to set them in properly.   Then there was the question of special HOLD down spacers for another $100+, and to that another $130 for custom made pushrods, and i'm up into the $400-$500 range and don't truly have the expertise to install.   Also, i would be dealing with used parts that i haven't physically inspected.   So, i chickened out and went the cheaper route.   Hopefully, the MP will work well.   If not then i have wasted $152 and a lot of time.   

Entering into the cheaper decision is that I need to get the A518 sitting in my garage into the car as the 904 is showing many signs of not holding up and will slip badly in first gear if i get on it.  So NEED the a518.  That is going to cost me $500-$600 for rebuild kit $200, new torque converter $200 (different spline count between the 904 and 518), drive shaft cut $125, and fabricating a new crossmember.   So, if i had spent $4-500 on the rockers, wife would have gone nuts on me.   

Such is life with old classic cars !

[chargerdon]

Guys opinions and suggestions please.   For rebuild of my 1992 A518 i'm thinking:

1) Rebuild kit $210 ebay 173608139282  or https://www.ebay.com/itm/A518-46RE-47RE-46RH-Raybestos-Performance-Transmission-Rebuild-Kit-90-97-Gas/173608139282?ssPageName=STRK%3AMEBIDX%3AIT&_trksid=p2060353.m1438.l2649

2) and Torco torque converter $169 ebay 233188214290 ...  https://www.ebay.com/itm/Chrysler-A518-46RE-High-Stall-2350-2850-Dodge-Torque-Converter-1-year-warranty/233188214290?ssPageName=STRK%3AMEBIDX%3AIT&_trksid=p2060353.m1438.l2649
This is both high stall 2300--2600 and Lockup converter.   My current Torque converter is from them and its working fine.   

If i go with Ebay need to do before end of month as i have a 10% off coupon for ebay.   

What do you think... 

[chargerdon]

OMG...Fate Intervenes...   Moparperformanceonline.com called and the MP rockers are discontinued ! 

Ok, guys, they are still available at Summit at $10.99 each or total of $176...   Show of hands, who all thinks i should go with the ebay used 273 rocker and arm assembly 233317817680 for $250 ($225 after discount) have to order before end of month .   Recognize their used parts with no returns.  If i go with those can you guys advise me on the installation, and valve lash adjustment?? 

[1 Wild R/T]

Ok, if you are gonna do it.. First pushrods need to be the right length & ball/cup design.... Honestly I'd order a pushrod length checker & wait for the rockers to arrive... When you have them in hand check all 16 adjusters... Mopar originally set they up with an interference thread so the adjuster should be hard to adjust but theres no lock nut.... If any of them adjust without much force I'd replace all the adjusters with ones the use a lock nut... 

That needs to be decided before measuring for push rods cause there can be slight variations that effect push rod length...

The pictures on Ebay look pretty good so they are probably fine but I don't like to assume anything...

Adjusters if you need them.....   https://www.summitracing.com/parts/crn-99802-16?seid=srese1&cm_mmc=pla-google-_-shopping-_-srese1-_-crane-cams&gclid=CMWYgILtpNICFQ64wAodgIUEBA

On stock length pushrods, if you had a set of 5/16 ball/cup pushrods I'd try them but I'm guessing you don't...

I've veiwed allot of threads about small blocks & see numbers from 7.18 to 7.49 so I'd buy the tool & measure... To long is bad, it tears stuff up... To short can cause oiling problems...

Getting them right can be a PITA but once you sort them out they are bulletproof...

Oh, depending on your springs & retainers sometimes the rocker need to be clearanced...

I have Big block stuff & four sets of Isky rockers so my pushrod lengths have zero value here...

[Chryco Psycho]

Grab the 273 rockers now , get 1 one good rocker tp replace the broken one & drive it for now , we can help with setting up the rockers over the next few months 

[1 Wild R/T]

Grab the 273 rockers now , get 1 one good rocker tp replace the broken one & drive it for now , we can help with setting up the rockers over the next few months 

Sounds like a good plan... Hell bolt all the originals back on, They worked flawlessly for years... I think the new Sealed Power units aren't as good as the originals were...

[RUNCHARGER]

I'm really lazy. I throw out the weak links, replace them with strong parts and move on so I don't have to fix them several times. The 273 are proven, I've used them in 7500RPM 340's.