Okay, what did I miss? I picked up a dipstick guide tube for my 400sbc and it does not fit. The diameter of the tube and the diameter of the location are the same. What did I miss???
Oil Dipstick Guide Tube Doesn't Fit?
mbmmca
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Are you positive that the old one didn't break off flush with the hole? This has happened a lot and has also tricked a lot of people. Thats the first place I would check.
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This is an interference fit, will have to be driven into block using the lower bulge lip as a ledge. Open end wrench will help . Easy if motor is out of car, If not, A piece of maybe 3/8" pipe with a lengthwise half moon cut could serve as a driver.
Thinking outside the square..cool
Yep things like that work, we used to drop seals and stuff into pnumatic pumps and machinary by that method...and used CO2 fire extingishers.
Chromed aftermarket can be hard to pressing due to the skight oversize of the chrome plating.
mb,
I have never seen one that wont pretty much slide into place without a lot of effort. I would wait until someone can measure a stock one for you to compare it with. We take them out of blocks all the time to clean the block and all it usually takes is a tap or two with a very small hammer. If yours will not go in the same way, then something is wrong. I can check one on Monday if someone else does not measure one before then.
I have never seen one that wont pretty much slide into place without a lot of effort. I would wait until someone can measure a stock one for you to compare it with. We take them out of blocks all the time to clean the block and all it usually takes is a tap or two with a very small hammer. If yours will not go in the same way, then something is wrong. I can check one on Monday if someone else does not measure one before then.
Block was born 1978. (came with the car) I have tried several tubes, nothing seems to fit. Gonna do some more looking at work today, if time allows. BillK a measurement would be great. It will give me a starting point. Going to try the freezer idea after soccer practice tonight.
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I think there's only 2 diameters. Lots of different lengths though.
.3ish and .4ish
The very early blocks(like my 66 283 and my 72 400) take the .4ish. But the $50 .4ish Lokar stick I bought for the 400 wouldn't work with my Brodix heads, so the 283 got it instead and the 400 got a damn old piece of junk out of a 66 283.
My 99 ZZ4 350, Dart 400, a little 96 or 97 305, and some other 350's laying around all take the .3ish. The main diff in them is their length.
I know this .3ish and .4ish bs because dipsticks for car engines are not my friends. I have more $10-20 and $50 dipsticks laying around than you can shake a stick at. And none of em fit anything
And my damn Dart uses a homemade .3ish one that I think came out of a 91 350 and I cut and bent it to work. And the $50 .3ish Lokar I bought for it is hanging on a nail, hits the clutch ball boss, needs bent, needs damnear ALL the stainless section cut off to be long enough.....
.3ish and .4ish
The very early blocks(like my 66 283 and my 72 400) take the .4ish. But the $50 .4ish Lokar stick I bought for the 400 wouldn't work with my Brodix heads, so the 283 got it instead and the 400 got a damn old piece of junk out of a 66 283.
My 99 ZZ4 350, Dart 400, a little 96 or 97 305, and some other 350's laying around all take the .3ish. The main diff in them is their length.
I know this .3ish and .4ish bs because dipsticks for car engines are not my friends. I have more $10-20 and $50 dipsticks laying around than you can shake a stick at. And none of em fit anything
And my damn Dart uses a homemade .3ish one that I think came out of a 91 350 and I cut and bent it to work
. And the $50 .3ish Lokar I bought for it is hanging on a nail, hits the clutch ball boss, needs bent, needs damnear ALL the stainless section cut off to be long enough.....mary beth,
I have an entire box full of the tubes. All of them measure just about .362" I tried a couple of them in 3 different 400 blocks and they basically just fall in the hole except for the small expanded lip on the very top.
I hope we are talking about the same part ..... this is the part that goes into the block to guide the dipstick. The actual dip stick tube goes in on top of it. I will bring one home and post a picture here this evening. I have never seen any other size of this particular part.
I have an entire box full of the tubes. All of them measure just about .362" I tried a couple of them in 3 different 400 blocks and they basically just fall in the hole except for the small expanded lip on the very top.
I hope we are talking about the same part ..... this is the part that goes into the block to guide the dipstick. The actual dip stick tube goes in on top of it. I will bring one home and post a picture here this evening. I have never seen any other size of this particular part.
If it's a Mr. Gasket or some other aftermarket chrome tube you'll have to file the crap out of it to get it to go in. Just be careful you don't bend it while trying to ram it in. We put one in my son's Firebird and a simple 5 minute job turned into a several hour project. May be easier to see your local Chevy dealer.
Mark
Mark
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