[Rory McNeil]

[QUOTE=Dale Shannon;160284]Side oiler block has a galley casted in block down the (SIDE OF BLOCK)
Counter-rotate is only cam change and is PORT engine left from back of boat, was done mainly on Hi-po boats to help go straight-er,
I was under the impression that the Ford 427 Marine engines would have a crankshaft with the rear main seal grooves reversed, wouldn`t using such a crankshaft in the standard rotation be likely to have oil leaks in the rear main, due to the grooves pushing oil towards the seal, rather than flinging it away? Also, I would imagine the distributor would also be designed for reverse rotaion, not that anybody would use a marine dist in a car.
I also have to wonder if 40 years of having the block loaded in 1 direction would possibly cause strength concerns under "heavy" usage with the rotation switched? As for the side oiler vs top oiler, I believe that all the 300 HP 427 Ford marine engines were cast with the side oiler "bulge" down the drivers side of the block, but were left undrilled. I suppose a really good machinist may be able to drill the passages out, but due to the passage running the length of the block, & a "cut out" for motor mounts in that area, such an attempt is quite risky. Personally, I`ve be racing 428 FE`s for 30 years, and 390`s before that, which are of the top oiler design, and have never had any oil deivery related failures after a few modifications were made to the original oiling setup. Myself, I wouldn`t be too concerned about not having a side oiler block. The side oilers were mainly designed for NASCAR & endurance road racing, but for the typical drag or street type FE engine, not needed. There seems to be a bunch of mystical hype surrounding the side oiler 427`s, but it`s mainly by the semi uninformed, who "need" to have a "correct" side oiler block for their fiberglass kit car copy of a AC Cobra.