Lower Dip Stick Tube Length

[Edward M.]

Re: Lower Dip Stick Tube Length

Ed, sorry it has taken me a while to get back to you. I have been working outside. I did measure the dipstick and it is the same as yours, 19 9/16 in. I am about to go out to find a 5/16 self-tapping screw and try to extract the lower dip stick tube. I will let you know how it goes. Wish me good luck! Brooks Glover (2141)

Brooks;

I hope you meant 21 9/16 inches, not 19 9/16 inches?

[Gary C.]

Re: Lower Dip Stick Tube Length

Brooks, also you've never said what your measurements are from the add and fill line to the washer. Posted those dimensions earlier for you. Gary....

[David D.]

Re: Lower Dip Stick Tube Length

Sorry Joe, got my terms mixed up. This must explain why my upper tube is loose and why the dip stick does not slide all of the way into the upper tube easily. I just replaced the pan on my 60 FI engine and did not see a lower tube. Of course it is good news that it can be inserted from the top!

[Brooks G.]

Re: Lower Dip Stick Tube Length

Gary and Ed, I have been busy and have not had a chance to reply till now. As to the over all length of the dip stick it is 21 9/16. I must have had a senior moment earlier when I typed 19 instead of 21. As for the length from the felt washer to the add mark, it is 19 7/16. From the felt washer to the full mark is 20 7/16. Earlier this morning I went to the building supply and bought a 5/16 lag screw about 6 inches long. It cost 83 cents and worth every penny as the picture I am posting will show. I locked on to the lag screw with vise grips and used a hammer to drive the lower dip stick tube out. Now all I have to do is wait till the new one arrives from Paragon and hopefully I will be in business. This has worked out for me and I hope my experience will be of use to someone else. Thanks again to everyone who posted concerning this thread. I wish all of you the best with your project. Brooks Glover (2141)

[Edward M.]

Re: Lower Dip Stick Tube Length

Good job Brooks.

I still don't understand how this will affect your level reading though.

What is the length of your upper dipstick tube. That would affect the level reading.

[Brooks G.]

Re: Lower Dip Stick Tube Length

Ed, what was told to me was that the lower tube would affect the angle that the dip stick goes into the crank case and thus could possibly give a false reading on how much oil is in the engine. The same source also told me that this tube also keeps the dip stick away from moving parts like the crankshaft. It sounds logical to me. Of course not knowing is the reason that I posted the question to this board in the first place. I am still all ears on this subject. Thanks to all who have posted replies to my question. Brooks Glover (2141)

[Joe C.]

Re: Lower Dip Stick Tube Length

Ed, what was told to me was that the lower tube would affect the angle that the dip stick goes into the crank case and thus could possibly give a false reading on how much oil is in the engine. The same source also told me that this tube also keeps the dip stick away from moving parts like the crankshaft. It sounds logical to me. Of course not knowing is the reason that I posted the question to this board in the first place. I am still all ears on this subject. Thanks to all who have posted replies to my question. Brooks Glover (2141)

Brooks,

Please re-read posts Nos.: 6, 11 and 12.
Thanks,
Joe

PS: This is not to be insulting, but I used the word "normal" to mean: "at a ninety degree angle".

[Edward M.]

Re: Lower Dip Stick Tube Length

Brooks;

P&A manual says the upper dipstick tube is 8 3/4 inch overall length. Is that what your upper tube measures?

[Brooks G.]

Re: Lower Dip Stick Tube Length

Ed, sorry it has taken me till now to reply. Things have been hectic around here. In answer to your question, the upper dip stick tube I ordered from Paragon measures 8 3/8 in. from the top down to the flare and 9 1/4 in. over all length. I am still waiting on the new lower dipstick tube I ordered from Paragon. When it arrives I will find out if this fixes my problem of reading a quart low on oil. Hopefully it will be here either tomorrow or Friday. Thanks again for all of the replies to my question. Brooks Glover (2141)

[Gary C.]

Re: Lower Dip Stick Tube Length

Brooks, tube should measure 9 1/8~1/4" OL on the outside of the curve and 8 3/4" from the end to the ring. What does your dipstick measure from the Add/Full lines to the washer with the measurements provided in an earlier post? Gary....

[Brooks G.]

Re: Lower Dip Stick Tube Length

Gary, I have been in the garage working on the chassis and motor. It is 95 degrees out there and I decided to cool off for a bit. In a previous reply I gave the measurements of the dip stick. It was 19 7/16 from the felt to the full mark and 20 7/16 in from the felt to the add mark or at least that was what I meant to say. I received my order from Paragon this afternoon with dip stick tubes in it. I have a picture of the new lower tube next to the old one and you can see a difference in the length. There was also a kink in the lower tube that I removed yesterday. Pardon the picture as it is a bit fuzzy. I also have a picture of the upper tube that I bought from Paragon along with a tube that I removed from a 1956 265 V-8 engine that I owned many years ago. Other than a kink in the old one, they look the same length to me. If 8 3/4 in is the measurement of a correct upper dip stick tube, I am in trouble as the one I purchased from Paragon measures 8 3/8 inches. Later this evening I am going to install both lower and upper dip stick tubes in my 265 engine and put the dip stick in. If it reads correctly, I am probably going to leave it alone and move on to the next problem. I will let you know how I come out. Thanks again to everyone who has responded to my original post. Brooks Glover (2141)

[Joe L.]

Re: Lower Dip Stick Tube Length

Gary, I have been in the garage working on the chassis and motor. It is 95 degrees out there and I decided to cool off for a bit. In a previous reply I gave the measurements of the dip stick. It was 19 7/16 from the felt to the full mark and 20 7/16 in from the felt to the add mark or at least that was what I meant to say. I received my order from Paragon this afternoon with dip stick tubes in it. I have a picture of the new lower tube next to the old one and you can see a difference in the length. There was also a kink in the lower tube that I removed yesterday. Pardon the picture as it is a bit fuzzy. I also have a picture of the upper tube that I bought from Paragon along with a tube that I removed from a 1956 265 V-8 engine that I owned many years ago. Other than a kink in the old one, they look the same length to me. If 8 3/4 in is the measurement of a correct upper dip stick tube, I am in trouble as the one I purchased from Paragon measures 8 3/8 inches. Later this evening I am going to install both lower and upper dip stick tubes in my 265 engine and put the dip stick in. If it reads correctly, I am probably going to leave it alone and move on to the next problem. I will let you know how I come out. Thanks again to everyone who has responded to my original post. Brooks Glover (2141)

Brooks------


How long is the original lower tube and how long is the Paragon replacement?

[Gary C.]

Re: Lower Dip Stick Tube Length

Brooks, sorry missed that post. Just saw the one with the overall length reply to Ed. Dipstick measurements are correct. Do this test - pull the dipstick up 3/8" from the top tube and see what you read. Gary....

[Brooks G.]

Re: Lower Dip Stick Tube Length

Joe, sorry I can't get your measurement as I have already installed the new lower dip stick tube from Paragon. The old one was shorter in addition to having a bend or kink in it. The new one is installed along with a new upper dip stick tube. I am still showing a quart low. I am going to go to the parts store and get another quart of oil and see what that does. There was a post earlier this year concerning Corvette oil pans. I posted a picture of what is supposed to be a correct 1956 & 1957 oil pan. I had it next to a 1956 Chevy 265 V-8 passenger car oil pan. You could see quite a bit of difference. It appeared to have quite a bit more capacity than the passenger car pan yet the references I have looked at show both to be 5 quarts with filter. Can you believe everything you read? So far the engine runs good. I will just go from there and see what happens. Thanks again to all who have responded to my questions. Brooks Glover (2141)

[Edward M.]

Re: Lower Dip Stick Tube Length

Brooks;

I made you copies of the documents I told you about last night.

As I told you, the Automobile Manufacturers Association Consolidated Specification Questionaire for 1956 Corvette says the following:

Capacity of Crankcase, less filter-refill (qt.).................5
Oil Filter Capacity.......................................... .........1.5 qt.

By my math, that is a total of 6.5 quarts.

Let the fireworks begin.