[INchief]

I am having my 287 overhauled and there is a question from the shop I don't have an answer. Any help would be appreciated.

1. There are 2 thin brass channels that were pulled during cleaning. They were damaged on the ends where the shop pulled them out. Can they just be cleaned up at the ends, remove some of the bent brass material and reinstalled? Are they required to be installed or can they be left out? They are somewhat triangular in shape and have holes drilled in them along the length. It looks like they might be there to channel coolant.

[pfilean]

As long as they don't cause a coolant lead just straighten them as needed and reinstall. If they are not corroded enough to be totally unusable. I doubt that you would ever find replacements. Do some searches on this forum and see what others have thought about them. The subject has come up before but as those tubes have not been used since 59 or 60 it is an old problem. It was probably a good idea at the time, and I think Pontiac had used a similar cooling solution on the older 6s and 8s. That idea was probably dropped as the tubes were a nuisance to maintain and probably everyone else was getting by without them and using a different cooling flow direction.

[INchief]

OK thanks. I did a search but maybe I was too specific. I'll try searching cooling systems. I'm not sure what they are called. Appreciate it.

[Bill Hanlon]

Those tube are 55/56 only (57-59 use different parts). Yours are the same parts on both sides.

You get 84 hits if you start in the "60s and earlier" forum on this web site and search for "cooling tubes". Guys over there will at least be more sympathetic to your plight.

They are sometimes called "gusher tubes".

[INchief]

ok, great - thanks

[Jack Gifford]

"... could they be left out?..."
No. The rear cylinders would not get much coolant flow. Also, none of the exhaust seats would get the intended amount of coolant flow.