Well, the 403 to 455 swap was going pretty well. Starter in and cables tethered out of the way, long tube headers installed...............then came the dipstick tube. Can't see very much, not much room to work down there, but I managed to stab it into the block. Right up to the 'bubbles'. Then comes the problem.........how in the world do you seat it so it's tight? Thinking about trying to slightly crush the 'bubbles', and add some engine oil or grease to help it along. Any other remedies??
Thx.

 

Take a block of wood and keep going til they're in the block

 

is it a GM tube or aftermarket, the spectra tube i used had the flare a little larger than GM and needed to be filed down slightly to fit in the block.

 

Every aftermarket or repro tube I've seen is too larger in diameter at the two beads that go into the block. I've filed them down to match the OEM tube, which typically means removing about 0.010" from each bead. After doing that it goes in just like factory.

 

Well, I did file the beads slightly, then added a bit of grease, and used a block of wood to help as I tapped it to get started. I had removed the starter, so it was possible to access the flange on the tube from underneath. I fabricated a nut to fit around the tube, welded a small piece of round stock to it. I used a small clamp to keep the tool in place then used the slide hammer from my stud welder kit to tap it down into the block. The angle of the rod to the nut was nearly straight, but I must have bent it during removal............



Worked pretty well.
Thanks for the tips, guys.

 

I always file then install a bolt in tube it works for me then hit it hard it will go in,

 

x2