C1 1957 Oil Tee Fitting

[Bruce B.]

Re: C1 1957 Oil Tee Fitting

Brent,

I was under the impression that the distributor holddown was cad plated.

Do you have a 908 distributor in your car?

Can you post some pictures of your fuel unit?

Bruce B

[Bill M.]

Re: C1 1957 Oil Tee Fitting

Bill could you send some more pictures of your fitting without the wrench so I can see it better?

Again, thank you for all the help.

Here ya go. I don't think either of the fittings is correct. I gently tried to remove them, but they are very tight.

[Bill M.]

Re: C1 1957 Oil Tee Fitting

Brent,

But the pictures you posted make a good case for the cast fitting.

So, in my mind the jury is still out.

Bruce B

Bruce:

Ken's book has a picture of a '57 FI engine on hot test. There's a bigger version of the same photo in Noland's book in the '57 FI section. It looks to be a fully-machined T. Check it out. Maybe both machined and cast were used?

Bill

[Brent W.]

Re: C1 1957 Oil Tee Fitting

Bruce,
For some background. Not sure if you remember me but I stopped in to see you in Sep-09. My car is a '57 airbox #5369. It has a 908 distributor. I have owned the car since 1989. In '96 & '97 it was in the Bloomington Special Collection (see attached). In '99 some bad humidity ruined a lot of the engine compartment which is visible in the FI pictures from 2009 and also attacked most fittings underneath the car. In '99 I put the car in a carbag (www.carbag.com) to stop & stabilize the corrosion until I could get to it. In 2009 I started cleaning & re-doing the finishes that the corrosion attacked. Started under the car at the rear and moved forward. Now at the engine compartment after a year slowdown due to other things. So as I have the engine stripped I might as well check what I believe is still wrong.
All the other airboxes I have seen have a silver adapter between the FI inlet hose and the FI. Mine is painted black as it is believed that the late '57's were black so I will leave it that color. But hey, I thought the tee fitting I saw at the 2011 NCRS show & in the old Vette Vues mag was correct. The adapter is at 9 o'clock when it should be at 11 but I need a different/longer balance tube.

Bill,
I am curious about your fitting. Which side screwed into the block? On my repo the male/male nipple (green corroded in my attachment from last post) goes into the block.

[Gary C.]

Re: C1 1957 Oil Tee Fitting

Brent,

Here's some links for brass "male branch T" and threaded T's.

Gary
....

http://www.amazon.com/Parker-Brass-F.../dp/B000FMX06O


http://www.parker.com/portal/site/PA...IPE%20FITTINGS

Parker Hannifin 4-4-4 ST-B

http://www.brasscatalog.com/catalog_...cd=no&page=194

http://www.plumbingsupply.com/brass.html

[Bill M.]

Re: C1 1957 Oil Tee Fitting

Bill,
I am curious about your fitting. Which side screwed into the block? On my repo the male/male nipple (green corroded in my attachment from last post) goes into the block.

Neat car Brent; an historical treasure.

My '59 was converted to a carburetor in the early 60s (before I got it) but the 914 distributor was used. The 914 needed a source of high pressure oil, so the T was kept. I believe both added fittings on my T are wrong. The long pipe was used to elevate the T above the rib on the aluminum AFB manifold. (There's a divot in the FI manifold rib at that fitting but not in the AFB manifold.) I guess that required the T to be inverted so the pipe could be installed in a female port. The fitting to the right of my picture was used for the oil pressure gauge and the fitting is definitely not OE. That is the male part of the T that should go into the block (with the adapter shown in Ken's pictures). (A new oil line to the distributor was also required for the AFB installation.)

I'm going to have my brother take the thing apart next summer. I assume the newer Ts are fatter because the 1/2 ones are very fragile. He's rebuilds 300SL injection systems and will know how to save this (apparently very rare) T...I hope.

Bill

[John D.]

Re: C1 1957 Oil Tee Fitting

Tom, Dr. Mike McCagh taught me this tip long ago. Tip of using the 1/2 wrench as a guide to checking out the T fitting.
Now some say well just take the new fatter one and mill it down. Won't work for as the configuration of the part is not the same. (is similar though)
But it's good enough I think for most of us.
Thanks, John

[Brent W.]

Re: C1 1957 Oil Tee Fitting

Bill,

Thanks for the reference to Noland's book. It definately looks like a machined Tee. The Tee also looks to be sitting on a bushing. If you were to remove the male/male nipple from your setup and if the threads on the bushing on the right fit your block it would look similar, attach your distributor oil line to the top (another bushing needed I think) and your oil gauge to the remaining outlet. John Degregory says the NAPA 3750x2 Tee fitting is close so I went out & bought one and it is close (9/16" thick instead of 1/2"). The bottom of the NAPA fitting is male and I think if I find a correct bushing it would look the same as the one in Noland's book.
It makes sense to use the bushing as it helps the oil gauge outlet on the fiting to clear the edge of the manifold.