Modified Landry V4 cylinder head oil line upgrade Trenton R. Schoeb Gainesville, FL trs@nervm.nerdc.ufl.edu trs@uab.edu (as of July 2000) ------------------ Date: January 1996 Version: 1.1 Changes: Added (1) reference to Art Reitsma's oil pressure data, (2) notes re replaced cams & followers, (3) appendix with suggestions, reference to Art's cam regrinding FAQ, and some BS ------------------ This describes my experience upgrading the cylinder head oil line on my 1985 V65 Magna. I used a slight modification of John Landry's method (http://www.math.uwaterloo.ca/~rblander/V4_JL_oil.txt), wherein I used steel brake line for part of the job. I got the idea for this from Phil Rastocny's method, available by email from Robyn Landers (rblanders@math.uwaterloo.ca). This may be copied freely as long as you (a) include this header, (b) don't modify the text, and (c) don't try to blame me or John if you eff up your bike. --------------------------------------------------------------------------- 1. INTRODUCTION I bought my bike in August 1995. I'd been looking off and on for a couple of years and finally found one locally in acceptable condition (adult owned, garage kept, frequent maintenance, etc.). When I bought it I didn't know about the cam problem. The local dealer's shop told me they didn't know of any unusual problems with these bikes, and the parts manager told me he had a V45 Sabre he put 60K mi on with no major problems. On my bike, however, at less than 22K mi the front intake cam was mildly pitted and the other three were mildly to moderately pitted and scored, and all but one of the followers had grooved erosions of various sizes. The accompanying GIF shows what they looked like. I gather they can be a lot worse, but I like the bike enough that I decided to cure the problem once and for all by replacing them, after upgrading the oil line. I modified John's method slightly by using 5/16" steel brake line for the primary oil line, that is, the part between the main oil gallery and the tee. My reasoning for this was to have a larger diameter primary line for maximum oil flow, to have rigid steel line instead of hose where it passes near the exhaust header, and to provide a place to disconnect the line in case I needed to work on the starter. The major reason, though, is that I'm a compulsive tinkerer and thought it would be an interesting challenge to do it a little differently. I don't know if it was worth the trouble, but I like the way it turned out. In any case, I think it's pretty clear that any modifications to either the Honda Racing/Landry or Tierney Hollen/Reitsma oil mods are a matter of personal preference rather than functional improvements. Experience shows that both work as is. Furthermore, Art Reitsma's oil pressure data that just became available says about everything that needs to be said about V4 oil mods: with only 5.5 psi in the stock oil line, no amount of futzing around with it is likely to help much, whereas with 90 psi in the main gallery to work with, getting some of it to the heads by whatever method suits your fancy should be pretty much curative. Robyn's web site has the scoop, if you haven't read it all already, but if you're interested in a few things I learned replacing the cams, see the appendix at the end of this. Below are the current part numbers and prices for the stuff I used, and my notes. I hope they help some other V4 owner. Anyone who wants to try this or another variation on John's method will need to get his document first. 2. PARTS LIST 2.1 Honda parts -- numbers & prices Sept 95 ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Part No. Each Total ---------------------------------------------------------------------- 11394-MB4-000 gasket, right engine cover 1 $19.52 $19.52 18291-MN4-920 gasket, exhaust pipe 2 $ 2.98 $ 5.96 18391-ML8-000 packing, muffler 2 $ 7.26 $14.52 18373-ML8-003 band, right exhaust pipe* 1 $19.52 $19.52 18274-ML8-003 band, left exhaust pipe* 1 $19.52 $19.52 90118-471-000 bolt, flange, 8x37mm* 2 $ 2.98 $ 5.96 90112-MB4-000 bolt, flange, 8x70mm* 1 $ 3.98 $ 3.98 90443-MB0-000 washer, sealing, 10mm** 3 $ 2.52 $ 7.56 ------ Total $96.54 ---------------------------------------------------------------------- *NOTE: I didn't really have to have these; it just goes against the grain to re-use threaded parts off an exhaust system. However, I wouldn't pay Honda $19.52 for each of the clamps again. I'd either re-use them, with new bolts, or get cheaper clamps from a mail order outfit like Dennis Kirk. The two 8mm x 37mm clamp bolts were badly rusted and I would not have re-used them. The 8mm x 70mm exhaust collector mounting bolt, while it looked pretty rusty before I removed it, was actually in good shape and did not need to be replaced. **NOTE: At the banjo fitting ports on the cylinder heads, the bottom sealing washer fits into a recess. The new washers have a slightly larger OD and don't fit into the recess. I re-used the old ones on the bottom and put new ones on top. Thus, you only need 3 new ones. I verified the part number with the dealer's parts manager; it is the one shown in Honda's CD-ROM database, and he's stumped as to why they don't fit. However, I noticed when I did some brake work later that the brake banjo fitting washers looked identical to the ones off the oil line. I miked them and they are the same, so if you needed or wanted new compression washers you could use the brake ones. 2.2 WOFSCO materials -- prices Sept 95 -------------------------------------------------------------------------- Part No. Each Total -------------------------------------------------------------------------- Aeroquip 38-190627-2-4 Teflon(R)[1] hose to 1/8" NPT 2 $ 4.17 $ 8.34 Aeroquip 63-190600-4 Teflon(R) hose to 37 degree JIC 2 $ 4.09 $ 8.18 Aeroquip 2807-4 Teflon(R) hose, 0.19" ID, per inch 36 $ 0.35 $12.60 Aeroquip FBM2948 10mm banjo bolt fitting, pkg of 2* 1 $18.52 $18.52 Weatherhead 3700-2 1/8" NPT brass tee fitting 1 $ 1.31 $ 1.31 Weatherhead 3200-2 1/8" NPT extender 1 $ 0.51 $ 0.51 Weatherhead 3400-2 1/8" NPT 90 degree street elbow 1 $ 0.62 $ 0.62 ------ Total $50.08 -------------------------------------------------------------------------- *NOTE: You need one pkg of 2, not 2 pkgs. I got 2 pkgs by mistake. When you call WOFSCO, ask to speak to Dave. He's the one who helped John and he was very accommodating to me also. 2.3 McMaster Carr materials* ----------------------------------------------------------------- Part No. Each Total ----------------------------------------------------------------- 4591K11 1/4" Teflon(R) pipe seal tape, roll 1 $1.11 $1.11 7432K61 Teflon(R) black bundling wrap, per ft 2 $1.76 $3.52 shipping $2.83 ----- Total $7.46 ----------------------------------------------------------------- *McMaster Carr's Atlanta GA phone no. is 404-346-7000. They also are very accommodating and were perfectly willing to sell and ship such a trivial order. They won't give you a catalog, though, unless you send a request on a business letterhead. NOTE: The 91287A169 10mm x 1.5mm x 20mm SS hex screw John used on his bike was the wrong thread pitch for mine. I needed a 10mm x 1.25mm. I bought a black finished one at an auto supply store and shortened it to length. 2.4 From PepBoys, an auto supply store: ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Part No. Each Total ------------------------------------------------------------------------ brake line, 5/16" x 18" 1 $2.49 $2.49 brass elbow, male 1/8" NPT to 5/16" inverse flare 1 $0.99 $0.99 brass hex head plug, 1/8" NPT 1 $0.99 $0.99 10mm x 1.25mm hex head machine screw 1 $0.99 $0.99 engine enamel, semigloss black spray 1 $3.99 $3.99 ----- Total $9.45 ------------------------------------------------------------------------ 2.5 Parts Totals The total cost for parts & materials was about $165. Without the exhaust system clamps and bolts and the unneeded compression washers, it would have been about $110. If you do it as described below, you also need a tubing bender and a set of flare nut wrenches. Mine are Craftsman from Sears, current prices about $25 for each. 3. FABRICATION AND INSTALLATION 3.1 Transmission feed block I had to use a different bolt to plug the oil line outlet from the transmission case, as noted above. I notice that the black one I used is rusting a bit and needs to be painted. You'll want a stainless one if you can find it. 3.2 Original oil line removal I couldn't get the original oil line out without destroying it (cutting it with a big wire cutter). You might be able to if you pulled the carb assembly first, although you'd still have to contend with the coolant pipes. Pulling the carbs does make it a lot easier to see what you're doing, though, and isn't that hard if you've already removed the radiator, tank, and coils. You just about have to remove the radiator to get the banjo bolt out of the front cyl head, anyway; it's barely possible without it but more trouble than removing the radiator. (I know this from experience.) You don't have to remove the tank and coils to get to the rear banjo bolt, but it improves access and visibility considerably and is worth the effort. If it hasn't been done already, you need to pull the carbs anyway and give them a good cleaning and inspection. (Mine had holed diaphragms in #2 and #4, a plugged air jet in #1, and some sediment in all the bowls.) A tip for getting the carbs in and out is in the appendix below, as are some suggestions for ways parts of the old oil line could be used to save a few bucks and get around having to bend the necks of the Aeroquip banjo fittings. 3.3 Main Gallery Tap Don't forget to drain the oil before taking off the engine cover. I almost did, I was thinking so hard about the oil mod itself. (Wouldn't that have been a fine mess...) Also, when you pull the cover off, the dowel holding the starter idler gear may come off with the cover, causing the idler gear to fall off. Be prepared for this so if it happens you don't let it drop onto the floor. At first it looks like you won't be able to get it back on because the starter clutch only rotates one way, preventing you from rolling the idler back in place. No big deal; just put a wrench on the end of the crank and rotate it a little as you work the gear back in place. Where I tapped into the main oil gallery, I used the 1/8" NPT extender and threaded the 90 degree inverse flare fitting into that. The additional length is necessary to gain enough clearance to turn the flare fitting. The hole must be very carefully located to make room on both sides for the flare fitting to turn. On my bike there was a circular flat about 3/8" diameter right in the center of the lump where the main oil gallery is. Center punching in the center of this flat was perfect. Note that the hole can't be any farther out than this, or the threads of the fitting extending inside the oil gallery could interfere with the plug. I drilled a 1/8" pilot hole, then followed it up with a 5/16". The 5/16" (0.3125") is slightly smaller than a Q bit (0.332") but works fine and is the usually recommended size drill for 1/8" NPT. IMO a new, sharp bit is an absolute requirement here. You don't want the bit trying to wander or making an out-of-round hole. I had a little difficulty getting the fitting to tighten up where I tapped into the main oil gallery. It went all the way in before getting good and snug. I'd recommend anyone else doing this to remember you're not installing steel pipe here; the aluminum crankcase and brass fitting are much softer. So, run the tap in absolutely no farther than necessary to fully thread the hole. If necessary, you can always cut the threads a little deeper. If you're really paranoid about leakage, you could probably use some high temp thread lock or hardening gasket sealer instead of Teflon(R) tape, which ought to effectively cement the thing in place. 3.4 New oil line I ran the 5/16" steel brake line under the starter and up the front of the engine between the frame and right front engine mount. This requires a slight bend (about 10-15 degrees) slightly upward but mostly to the right just in front of the flare fitting, then an upward bend of about 75-80 degrees around the bottom & front of the starter, and finally a bend backward of about 30 degrees around the engine mount, ending with the end of the line pointing up and slightly back at right angle to the bore of cyl #4. I cut this off leaving about 1" of straight tubing after the last bend. I took my time making the bends, with lots of cut and try (it's a lot easier to bend the tubing a little more than it is to straighten a bend), reamed the end to deburr it, and flushed and blew out the chips with WD40 and compressed air. Some high temp threadlock could be put on the flare nut if desired, although I didn't. I drilled out the hex head plug to 5/16" and sweat soldered it onto the end of the tubing instead of trying to reflare the tubing. (With brakes, at least, even if the tubing doesn't split, it often leaks anyway.) You really need a drill press for this because the remaining wall of the plug is only about 1/32" thick, although if you were careful you could probably do it by hand. It turned out that the finished line was just about 12" long, so I probably could have used a standard 12" brake line and a straight 1/8" male NPT to 5/16" inverse flare fitting on this end instead of sweating on the drilled out plug. This would result in a slightly longer assemblage of fittings, though. To the sweated on plug I threaded one end of the long side of the tee and into what was now the side arm of the tee I threaded the ell, resulting in two openings pointed up and back against the side of cyl #4. In this area is one of the bolts holding the upper and lower parts of the engine case together. I made a little bracket out of 1/16" sheet steel with one hole lining up with the opening of the long side of the tee and another hole for the bolt. I attached the hose going to the rear cylinder head to that opening, with the male fitting through the bracket and into the tee. Two of the old compression washers were perfect for making the hose end fitting/bracket/tee a solid assembly. The accompanying GIFs show the finished assembly. The bracket is 1 1/4" x 3/4" with 2 holes centered about 7/8" apart. The hole for the engine case bolt is 15/64" and the hole for the 1/8" NPT male end is 3/8" enlarged slightly with a rat tail file. The holes are located so the *edges* are about 1/8" from the inside (engine side) of the bracket. The bracket is tapered towards the smaller hole, the ends rounded concentric with the holes, and all edges broken and holes deburred. I used a bench grinder and wire brush, but a hacksaw and files would do fine. Last, there is a bend, about 1/2" from the small end, of about 30 degrees to match the flats on the bolt hole and end of the tee. I had to remove a tiny bit of metal from the top of the boss where the engine case bolt goes. The boss is slightly countersunk, leaving little points in front of and behind the bolt hole. The front point would prevent the bracket from lying flat. I used a sharp wood chisel for this. The tubing should be away from the exhaust pipe at the bottom, obviously, but should stay close to the engine mount at the front. If the line is close to the frame instead, vibration might eventually wear a hole in it due to the engine being rubber mounted. If needed, the position of the tubing could be adjusted slightly where it passes between the frame and engine mount by moving the compression washers in front of or behind the bracket. I painted the steel parts with semi-gloss black engine enamel before installing them. I originally used the Teflon(R) bundle wrap on the steel tubing as insulation, but decided this isn't needed and later took it off thinking it might promote corrosion. I also painted the brass fittings black after I took the pictures to give a little cleaner look. 3.5 Assembly I assembled the oil lines to the heads from the braided hose and banjo fittings as described by John. His instructions are excellent and I had no trouble assembling the fittings. I couldn't find any MolyKote type G, so I used moly assembly lube instead. On both front and rear cylinder heads there is a lump next to the banjo bolt hole that, in combination with the intakes, and, in the case of the front cyl head, one of the coolant pipes, prevents the banjo bolt from being tightened without cramping the assemblage of fittings among these obstacles. I had to bend the stem of both banjo fittings slightly to get the assemblies to fit freely in these spaces, as shown in the accompanying GIF. The extra package of fittings was comforting here, although as it turned out I didn't need them. You probably could re-use the old banjo fittings here, as suggested in the appendix. As noted above, I had to re-use the old compression washers between the banjo fittings and the cyl heads. IMO this is no big deal, as you end up with 6 old ones off the original oil line; even if one leaked you could surely find a good one in the bunch. 4. FINISHING UP No major problems here, but do like John says: Get yourself some aerosol gasket remover and be careful with the gasket scraper. I did have a bitch of a time reinstalling the exhaust by myself and had to hold it up with a floor jack while I worked it into place. It would have been a lot easier with a helper, as the shop manual suggests. John says that after a little practice he can get it back on in 10 minutes. I don't plan on practicing, myself. A few little tips, though: (1) Handle the front cyl head to header gaskets carefully; they are easy to bend out of shape. (2) Put the rear header to collector packing sleeves on the headers themselves, not in the collector connections (stick them on with grease if you have to), and spread the openings of the collector connections a little and smear some graphite grease on the insides. This will make it much easier to get the collector to slip back up on the rear headers. It'll smell like hell when you start it up but will burn away in 5 or 10 minutes of riding. (3) Put some metallic anti-seize compound on all the screws and bolts, which should make them easier to remove if you ever have to take them out again. 5. NOW THAT IT'S DONE This definitely wasn't a trivial job. It took all of a long day, a good bit longer than I thought it would, but a lot of that was spent bending the steel tubing. Now that it's done it looks really cool, and there hasn't been any leakage anywhere. I can definitely recommend John's oil mod. It really wasn't that hard to do, and I'm sure no expert (this is only my third bike and my first used one). It was interesting to compare the old cams with the new ones. In Robyn's article, he writes: "These 'middle model' cams, if I may call them that, have small holes drilled in the bearing surfaces to pick up oil, carry it inside the shaft, and release it through other such holes. Unlike the very latest model cams, one end of the camshaft is open to let the oil run out, whereas the latest ones are sealed on both ends, presumably to force the oil out the small holes in the bearing surfaces into the journals for support." The plugged ends and oil holes in the cams that were in my bike were identical to those in the new ones; the only difference I could see was an additional oil groove in the wide (inner) bearing surfaces of the new cams. I also noted that the follower shaft threads had no threadlock on them, as called for in the manual. These observations make me think the cams in my bike may have been replaced before, perhaps under the extended warranty. If so, they already had significant damage after what was probably considerably less than the odometer mileage. 6. APPENDIX 6.1. Getting the carburetors out and back in with minimum aggravation As noted above, taking the carbs out would make the job easier. Neither the Clymer nor Honda manual goes into enough detail about getting the carbs out of and back into the connectors. Old hands have probably already got this down pat, but I'd have appreciated not having to figure it out for myself. So FWIW here's how for newbies like me. 1. Remove the radiator, tank, coils, etc. and back off the throttle cable adjustment at the grip according to the manual. The airbox top is the hardest part. It's a tight fit, and the gasket can stick and/or snag. It's thin and fragile and would be easy to break, so watch it. 2. On the front connectors, loosen the bands on the carb side only. Loosen both bands on the rear connectors. 3. It's hard to get the connectors to let go of the carbs without firmer and more controlled pressure than you can easily apply with your hands. So, use a long screwdriver or equivalent between the cyl head and back of the carb assembly to exert gentle firm pressure forward so the carbs pop out of the rear connectors. Be careful. Don't pry on the airbox itself; it is thin walled and could be damaged. Not much force is needed, just firmness and control. 4. Similarly lift the assembly out of the front connectors. 5. Slide the carbs to the left to gain access to the throttle & choke cables. Prop the carbs up with your knee so they don't fall. 6. Loosen the choke cable bracket and disconnect the cable end. 7. Instead of detaching the throttle cables from the bracket, use a ratcheting offset phillips screwdriver to detach the throttle cable bracket from the carbs. Then, disconnect the throttle cable ends, twisting the throttle grip to gain slack. To reinstall: 1. Coat the insides of the connectors lightly with silicon grease. 2. Slide the carbs partway in from the left and reconnect the throttle and choke cables. 3. Getting the carbs back in the connectors is the hardest part. First place the carbs so that the front carbs rest centered on their connectors, in position to slide together. Place the rear carb connectors at an angle between the carbs and intakes so the connectors overlap the top of the intakes and the bottom of the carbs. 4. Use the long screwdriver between the carbs and frame to *gently* press the front carbs into their connectors. Protect the airbox rim with a shim of wood or cardboard. Be careful; again, it's not brute force you need, but firmness and control. 5. The rear carbs now line up with their connectors and can be similarly pushed into place. 6. Tighten the connector bands, adjust the throttle and choke cables, and reinstall the radiator etc. according to the manual. Watch the airbox gasket. 6.2. A cam regrinder If you have the bad luck to have cams that need replacing, you could save some bucks by having them reground instead. Art Reitsma has had good luck with Shadbolt Cams in Vancouver, BC. They appear to really know what they're doing, so I'd use them if I were going this route. Even though they're in Canada, the customs thing probably isn't too big a hassle since NAFTA. Art's web site has a FAQ that gives the scoop, including shipping info (http://www.island.net/~areitsma/camfaq.txt). If you live where you can ride year 'round and dislike the notion of the downtime involved, you might be able to "borrow" a set of old cams to have reground instead. My old ones are currently "on loan," but if you're interested, and you have an '83-'85 V65 Magna, email me and we'll try to work something out. Shipping UPS will run around $10. 6.3. My $0.02 worth on the cam problem and oil mods Again, I claim no special expertise; most of what I know I learned from the same place where you're probably reading this: Robyn Landers's web site. However, I observed a few things when I replaced my cams and have seen some points raised on the SABMAG mailing list that don't seem to have been addressed much elsewhere. So, FWIW, here they are. 6.3A. Oil flow in the heads. Oil flow into the head and to all the points that need lubrication is described in the shop manual, but I didn't fully understand it until I did the oil mod and cam replacement and got a good look at all the parts. Oil coming in the banjo bolt hole goes either through a tiny "oil control port" in the cam holder, down into the head where it goes into the follower shaft or via an oil groove into the camshaft, or into the oil pipe where it goes to the other cams, holders, and follower shafts. Oil going into the camshaft can exit a hole on the cam opposite the lobe, and that going to the follower shaft can pass out through a tiny hole that I guess is supposed to squirt oil onto the cam lobe and contact surface on the follower. (At whatever's left of 5.5 psi after all that?) The oil pipe itself has some restrictions in it, which you can easily demonstrate with compressed air or a can of WD40. Others have noted these restrictions and suggested that they are the reason, rather than heat, for the tendency that some have noted for the exhaust cams, which are farthest from the oil inlets, to be affected most severely. However, on my bike and one other I know of, the worst cam lobes were on the rear intake cam, which is closest to the inlet. I wonder whether the direction of rotation of the cams is a factor. The rotation of the front intake cam would tend to wipe whatever oil dribbles out of the hole in the follower onto the contact surface, whereas oil on the rear intake cam lobes would tend to be slung off as they go around before hitting the followers. In any case, it doesn't necessarily follow that turning down the banjo bolts or futzing with the cyl head oil pipe or whatever is going to improve the situation much, because there would still be several restrictions that would take a hell of a lot of work to modify, and you'd still only have 5 or 6 psi *at the inlet*, let alone after all that branching. On the other hand, if you get some of that 90 psi up there you shouldn't need to mess with anything else. 6.3B. Oil mod starving the pump or causing oil pooling in the heads at high rpm. I find it very hard to believe this could be a significant problem, even in all-out racing. For one thing, if anyone was going to have this sort of problem, it would have been Honda Racing, but this does not seem to be the case. They wouldn't do a modification to save their cams if it trashed the lower end. Have a look at The Ultimate Motorcycle Book by Hugo Wilson (Dorling Kindersley, London, 1993; ISBN 1-56458-303-1). On page 178 there are a couple of shots of a 1985 Interceptor, one with the plastic off. You can clearly see the braided hose coming from a banjo fitting on the bottom of the engine and going to a chromed vee fitting and from there to the heads. Second, all the restrictions in the head should help prevent excessive oil flow even at high pressure. Whether this is the case or not, Art Reitsma's data show that after his Tierney Hollen type mod, at 5000 rpm there was still over 90 psi coming out of the pump, so there's no evidence of starving the pump. Third, the cam chain galleries, where the oil returns to the sump, are truly cavernous. Even with the cam chains whirling around in there, I don't see how you could get more than maybe a fourth of a quart pooled in both heads, out of over 3 quarts total. Finally, if anybody who has done either a Landry or TH type of oil mod has had any problems of this nature, they haven't told John, and Robyn doesn't report any. If this aspect still worries you, I'd recommend checking out your oil pump and pressure, as described in the shop manual, and using a gauge of *known accuracy*, *before* you do the oil mod. You might find that after the mod you had a slight drop in pressure in the main gallery, and if you started with marginal pressure, the oil mod might put it under spec. Based on the experience of others as noted above, it seems highly unlikely that the oil mod would cause a significant loss of pressure in an otherwise healthy lubrication system, so if you had below spec pressure afterwards it would probably be a good idea to make sure your oil pump doesn't need servicing. 6.3C. Susceptibility of oil mods to damage. Again, if anyone has had either a Landry or TH oil mod line break due to a road junk hit or whatever, no one has said so to John, and Robyn doesn't report any such incident. If you use a Landry mod, the line under the bike is shielded by the exhaust header and frame so that it would be very hard for a piece of road junk to get in there and hit it hard enough to make it leak. Besides, that braided SS/Teflon(R) hose is *tough*. If you were really paranoid you could wrap the whole thing in Teflon(R) cable wrap or even rig up a little guard out of sheet metal, but IMO it's not needed. 6.3D. Hardness of cams and followers. I learned from Art Reitsma that Sabre and Magna cams apparently vary considerably in hardness. (See Art's cam FAQ as noted above.) Art had a set reground that the machinist found to be of the proper hardness, but he was told that they have also seen cams that were far too soft. This might partially account for some bikes being spared while others eat not only their original cams but replacements as well. I say "partially" because Art's cams were damaged even though they were properly hardened, and because--this is what I haven't seen mentioned elsewhere--the followers have some kind of hardfacing that looks like hard chrome on the surface that contacts the cam. At least, the ones in my bike did and the new ones do, too. Even so, all but one of my old followers had erosions that went right through the hardfacing. To me, the damage to this very hard surface, along with Art's experience, confirms that inadequate lubrication, rather than soft cams, is the major part of the problem. One more point regarding this is that the hard surface on the followers resulted in the erosions on mine having quite sharp edges. I'd think that once these erosions get started they would accelerate deterioration of the cam and follower surfaces, regardless of the hardness of the cams, because not only is the softer base metal of the follower exposed, but also the sharp edges might cut into the cam lobe. 6.4. Suggestions re other variations on John Landry's oil mod Not that any modifications are needed in the first place, but there are other variations that would be fairly simple. One alternative would be: main gallery tap => 1/8" NPT ell (no extension) => straight piece 5/16" brake line with drilled out 1/8" NPT plug sweated on each end, long enough to extend past front of oil pan => tee => 2 braided hose oil lines to heads, either both up the front & around the right side or one to each side like the TH kit. The tee assembly could be anchored to one of the oil pan bolts if desired. This would save bending the tubing while still providing a rigid steel line under the engine. Another variation would be to use the ends of the old oil line instead of the Aeroquip banjo fittings. This would save a few bucks as well as prevent having to bend the new banjo fittings. The cut off pipe could be soldered to drilled out 1/8" NPT plugs. The pipe is 0.252" OD with the paint removed, so to allow for solder clearance an F drill (0.257") would be called for, or a 1/4" drill could be used and the OD of the pipe reduced slightly with emery strip. WOFSCO probably could supply some hose fittings with female instead of male 1/8" NPT ends to connect directly with the plugs. I haven't seen any detailed descriptions yet, but I've heard of a couple of oil mods done along this line with apparently good results. I think there might even be a fairly simple way to install a banjo fitting on the bottom of the engine, but I doubt anyone would bother. 6.5. A couple of easy-to-make tools that make changing cams & followers easier 1. A 1/4" drive 10mm socket shortened to about 0.57" is needed for the bolts holding the cams to the sprockets. A regular length socket won't go into the available space, so you can't torque the bolts properly without it. It also makes bolt removal easier. I cut one off with a hacksaw and finished it with a bench grinder. 2. A 10mm hex key with the short arm and angle cut off leaving a straight 10mm hex 3" or 4" long that will fit in a 10mm socket. This is needed to torque the follower shafts and makes their removal easier. I cut one with a diamond grit hacksaw blade (they are *hard*) but you could do it with a regular blade if you anneal the hex key first. (Heat dull red & allow to cool without quenching.) If you do this, only heat near the angle and put this end in the socket, not in the follower shaft, as it might be soft enough to twist and damage it. Footnotes: [1] DuPont's lawyers have warned that this footnote must be shown. "Teflon(R) is a registered trademark of DuPont for its fluoropolymer resins."