Nailhead Lifter Noise

**conroy** · 11-06-2011, 05:17 PM

As the initiator of this thread, I thank you for your comments and everyone else for their participation.

[QUOTE=Renshai;82513]This was BY FAR the best thread I have read. Anywhere. On Anything.

**RIVguy** · 12-11-2011, 08:31 AM

I'm just going to add one more item to what everyone else has already told you.
When you do the oil change & filter, and you should: 4 qts. of oil & 1 qt. of Marvel Mystery Oil. MMO has been around for a long time, and the reason is, it just plain works. Oil or Gas, it doesn't matter. I'm on my sixth Riviera now, a 70, 455. I have used MMO in all my Buicks and with good results. Buy a gallon at WalMart, you willn't be sorry. The other five Rivieras were 63's & 65's. RIVguy

**conroy** · 01-15-2012, 08:04 PM

I am a believer in MMO too. However, I think my engine was beyond help by MMO at the time I decided to take drastic measures. But I have faithfully used MMO since all the work I did. I firmly believe that MMO helps keep my engine clean and quite, especially with the low miles I put on it.

I can't wait until spring. I am getting cabin fever. I am ready to fire her up and go cruising. But wait; it's cold, snowing, and too much salt on the street. Oh well. Wait another two months.

**DocModisett** · 01-22-2012, 10:49 AM

The very best thing to clean rocker arm stuff in is pure simple green... dont dilute it at all.... break the rocker arm assemblies down, submerge the parts in the SG for 12 or more hours and then rinse in hot water.... they will look like new.... do the shafts in the stuff, then run a rifle cleaning brush thru them and follow with compressed air and new end plugs.... oil them up good when you reassemble....
and.... a lot of times you can make a clicking lifter pick up,,, by subing a qt. of atf for 1 qt. of oil at the oil change....

**62BuickFan** · 01-24-2012, 09:37 PM

Wow this thread could win a prize for the longest running thread.
I have a 62 Invicta with 76000 miles on a 401. It to has a lifter noise, or rocker noise at startup only and after it runs a minute the sound fades away, and I don't hear it again until the next time it sits for 5months and I start it.
I think this is a lifter bleeding down and it needs to pump back up, because it only does it after it sits for long periods of time and at startup. I have toyed with the idea of replacing the lifters, rockers and pushrods and putting it back together. I am bummed to hear about the nylon timing gear. I thought only chevy did that. I plugged an oil pickup screen on a sb chevy and luckily, caught it before any real damage was done.

One other thing I do is not baby this engine when it is fully warmed up and been running a while. I will stand on this old girl and run it at 80mph down the interstate for 20 miles and it loves it. I open the secondaries up to pass people on two lane roads and they look in amazement as this big old led sled steam rolls by them.
I think sometimes these old engines just need to be opened up and let them eat.
They are a lost treasure in my opinion. A glimpse of days gone by. I for one am glad there are a few of them still around. My old 62 is unrestored and it looks like. Its not pretty, but I sure get a smile on my face when I drive it, and that is all I care about.

Thanks for the thread.

**DocModisett** · 01-25-2012, 06:51 AM

In the old days that was called, ''blowing the smut out of them''....

**62BuickFan** · 01-25-2012, 01:44 PM

Yep blowing the cobs out is what we called it. When I was a kid we had a 62 LeSabre with the 4 barrel 445 trq wildcat engine and my older brother and I never let any cob webs grow in that old girl. She was wide open at 125mph several days a week back in the 70s. My Dad bought that car new and my Mom, 2 sisters and my brother all drove it. My bro finally killed at 225,000. Got it to hot and cracked a head or the block or something, and got water in the oil. The junk man hauled it off and gave us 35 bucks for it. Dad said that he had never had a valve cover off that car the entire time he had it. Amazing when you think about.

My Dad drove it pretty much like we did. He drove it for the first two years of its life. He was young and had a heavy foot with no speed limits, he drove it 90mph most of the time. Not sure if that is why it lasted so long or not, but was the single best car we ever had and that is why I have the Invicta now. It is like stepping back into my childhood every time I drive it.

**BornBuick** · 03-13-2012, 06:44 PM

For anyone interested in the proper procedure for complete servicing of the Nailhead lifter including dissembling, cleaning, checking for wear and reassembly here is a really good post over on AACA. Takes the mystery out of it and tells all:

http://forums.aaca.org/f162/how-do-s...we-322149.html

**conroy** · 03-17-2012, 06:54 PM

Wow! David that was an excellent DYI thread. Here, in Illinois, it's been around 80 degrees for several days. I changed the oil and plugs in my Riviera (used Marvel Mystery Oil as an additive this year). Fired her up. In past years that first start of the Spring always created a cloud of smoke. The things I have done must be making a difference. No cloud this year AND quite as a mouse; well except for the glorious V8 rumble.