65 Barracuda daily driver

JDMopar said
It sounds like everything is good with the new pump. There really isn't a good way that I can think of to run a wire or brush up into the oil passage that goes from the pump to the oil galley. To clean the oil galley's that you can get to, you would have to pull the engine, and then, at best you would just be pushing any sludge that you could dislodge around to another place. I don't think it would be worth the trouble, honestly.

Test fit the new pump to the main cap and make sure it is seating properly. Not sure if your motor will have one, but the rear main cap of my 273 had a hollow dowel sticking up maybe an 1/8th of an inch that the pump had slide down on, but it's the only small block that I can ever remember having one of those. Your new oil pump probably came with a gasket for where it bolts to the cap, so be sure and use it. You will probably use the new pickup you have when you put it back together, so check the pan to pickup clearance with some clay. Just tape up the screened opening of the pickup while checking so it doesn't get gobbed up with any clay if it squishes in that direction when you press the pan up tight to check. To make it easier to check while laying on your back, leave the end seals off the pan while checking. Tight against the block with pan rail gasket thickness is what determines the depth anyway.

If you get it back together and it still does it, just drive it and enjoy it while you find another small block (Magnum version would be my choice) to rebuild as you can afford to, and then swap it in when it's done. I've had a few that do the same as your motor does...being a slow poke to turn the oil light off at start up, and they lasted just fine. The oiling system in engines is just a controlled internal leak anyway....lol. You're doing a good job and I admire your tenacity in fixing whatever you have to instead of giving up.

:thumbsup: :thumbsup:

Thanks, once in a while I keep looking at the title of this thread and this car hasn't been a daily driver in well over a year. I bought another car to get around that also needs some attention here and there. First I was struggling to get the exhaust installed and then the freshly rebuilt transmission was leaking worse than the Exxon Valdez. And now the oil pressure issue. Luckily I'm extremely stubborn and to me it's not an option to give up on this car. I don't want to be one of those people who wish they hadn't sold their beloved ride. I bought "Salma" 14+ years ago and consider her family. The car has been a fairly reliable daily driver for most of that time. Sure, for a daily driver keeping the Slant 6 would have been the better option, it seemed easier to work on, there's more room in the engine bay, and the gas mileage was probably a lot better. But it was originally a V8 car and even though the slant was great, I simply wanted a 60s V8 "muscle" car.

Since I started I would have done a few things differently. A Magnum would have been a great option and the long block 318 was in the end one of the cheaper parts. The TTi dual exhaust was over a thousand bucks, the poorly rebuilt transmission cost me about 800 bucks and then some to fix it. I really wanted to keep the original console shifter, so I was looking for a 1965 A904 for years and eventually found one. I should have just bought the Imperial Services adapter cables that allow you to use any later model A904. I could have gotten a good later A904 for free essentially.

The V8 swap went waaaayyyy over budget and I still don't have a running car. But it's also more than just a car and I like working on it a lot. I'm already looking forward to fixing some dents and the paint. I plan on replacing and painting the hood, both fenders and the trunk lid... And the car was freshly painted 7 1/2 years ago. It never ends hahaha.

We'll see how that oiling issue turns out. You're probably right and the engine might last for a while despite the rough start. I also haven't really driven it much and it might fix itself over time. The engine was overall not that sludgy, but who knows.

One thing I learned over the last few months is that you want to take your time and do things right. When it was my daily driver and only car, I didn't really have another option than rushing it to get it back together. Unfortunately that way you have to do everything 3 times until it's right.