Hill Country Performance & Machine

09/06/2026

Fun Holiday Weekend project. Made an adapter for the run stand / Dyno room. Needed a place to ad a water temperature gage. The engine was already painted and I didn’t want to pull a plug out add a temporary temperature sensor and then replace the plug. Would have messed up the paint.

08/30/2026

Y Block Sunday is Sunday Funday!

08/27/2026

Let’s talk about Ford Y-block rocker shafts—how the rocker-arm assemblies receive oil, how the factory overflow tubes work, and why some builders convert them to pressure oiling.

I’ll show you the parts, explain the original oiling path, and walk through how we plugged the factory overflow passages to keep the rocker shafts supplied with pressurized oil.

Would you leave the factory oiling system intact or convert yours to pressure oiling?

The new rocker shafts wouldn’t fit, so these Ford Y-block rocker-ar...

08/21/2026

The rocker shafts wouldn’t fit—so these Ford Y-block rocker assemblies received a complete rebuild and an FE-style oiling modification. 🔧

These are the rocker assemblies for the 1957 312 cylinder heads going on the 292 for a 1964 Ford truck.

After disassembly and cleaning, I refaced the rocker tips and honed the rocker bores. The pedestal bores had been distorted by previous overtightening, so I honed them until the new shafts would slide through correctly.

The factory setup used two small tubes that allowed oil to drain back into the engine. I tapped those openings and made two small plugs from bolts, then cut screwdriver slots into them so the modification still looks old-school and period-correct—using the same basic approach Ford used on its FE rocker system.

The assemblies went back together with new rocker shafts and new SBI pushrods.

Y-block builders: would you keep the factory oil tubes or convert the rocker assemblies to pressurized oiling?

08/20/2026

Ford Y block video update.

08/08/2026

Should you ever use block sealers? In my opinion block sealers should never be used to repair a cooling problem. If used correctly it will repair the result not the cause for the cooling problem. Modern MLS head gaskets and BlueDevil in my opinion were made to go together. Most people have never seen a MLS gasket but will swear the sealers will not work. This Chevy Cruz was pushing compression into the cooling system and the oil system. Oil was milky and bubbles in the cooling tank. We fixed the cooling problem ( a bad water pump) and replaced all the hoses and plastic parts. Followed the directions on flushing the system and added the sealer. Then and only then we installed a new thermostat and burped the system to remove any air in the system. This was two weeks ago. Owner has been driving around downtown San Antonio and back and forth to work and has reported that his car and a/c have never run this cool. Texas is very hot this time of year and if you get in traffic it’s not fun. You can trust me, I would never say or try and sell anything that doesn’t work.

07/24/2026

Rear Main Seal: Rope or Neoprene? Rear main seals have sparked debates for decades. If you’re building an older engine, do you stay with the original rope seal, or upgrade to a modern neoprene rear main seal?

I’d like to hear what professional engine builders, machinists, and experienced DIY builders are using today—and why.

One more option worth discussing: Best Gasket also manufactures a graphite rope rear main seal, which many builders consider an improvement over the older traditional rope seals.

Tell us in the comments:

• Rope seal?
• Graphite rope seal?
• Modern neoprene seal?
• Have you had one fail?
• What engine are you building?

Let’s compare real-world experience and see what today’s engine builders are actually using.

06/27/2026

Working on a custom-painted 2016 Chrysler 5.7 HEMI block, I hit a problem.

Two different aviation paint st*****rs wouldn’t remove the epoxy primer and HEMI Orange paint.

Instead of fighting it any longer, I tried an inexpensive pneumatic needle scaler—and it worked far better than I expected.

If you’re restoring or rebuilding engines and struggling with stubborn paint, this tool may save you a lot of time.

Have you found a better way? Let me know in the comments.

👍 Like • Subscribe for more real engine machining and rebuilding videos.

Tools DIY Restoration Chrysler ShopLife https://youtube.com/shorts/bYKFPyuiPm8?is=sNmYbjADOxmA9ZJH

06/15/2026

Yay it’s raining! Shop life. It’s all good, at least I have a shop.

05/25/2026

Ford 312 Y-block restoration.
The way a shop addresses restoration processes can make a huge difference in outcome. As I continue my series on our Y Block project, I take some time to explain the problems we found, why they matter and how to correct them.

As always, if you have questions or concerns, please leave a comment and I will be happy to tackle them for you.

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