Engine: oil breather cap

[willisl55]

Hello to all and I just want to say thanks to everyone who has helped me in the past with my 55 Champion. It has become a lot more involved than I originally thought but it has been fun(and expensive) so far but I wouldn't change it for anything. Now on to my question. The prior owner swapped in a 289 partial flow and it has chrome rocker covers with breather caps. The stand pipe beside the oil filter has a rubber plug in it. Should this also have a breather cap or is the plug ok. I would really like to know the year of this engine but the pad where the numbers should be is perfectly smooth and the only numbers I can find are the casting numbers. Any help and advice is much appreciated and I hope someday to be knowledgeable enough to help others.

[brngarage]

Leroy, I have a '56 289 and I'm planning on installing the chrome valve covers with the breathers as you have. I intend to "plug" the 'stand pipe"/oil filler tube as you have it. I believe the breather caps should provide plenty air intake to allow the system to "breath".

[Dwain G.]

With block casting numbers at right front corner and date code at rear near distributor we can pretty much tell you when the engine was built. Head casting numbers over center exhaust ports would help also.

[StudeRich]

Oil Filler Pipe

A much better solution is to do what Studebaker did, just use a 1963-'64 Oil Filler Pipe Block-off Plate and get rid of that clumsy thing.
You can make a inner fender mount for your Fram or buy a Remote Partial Flow type Oil Filter and drill and tap a hole in the block-off plate for the return.

To me that would look more professional than a Plugged Oil Filler Pipe, your opinions may very.
It would also be OK to just install a Oil Cap on it, your choice.

[GinettaG12P]

I went just the opposite way with the '63 Lark 259 full-flow installed in my 1959 Silver Hawk. I found a beautiful pair of chrome valve covers with no breathers, so after installing them, I removed the blockoff plate and transplanted an oil filler tube from a partial flow 289.