Dented pan low oil pressure?

[blk68wailer]

Hello everyone. I am working on a 72 Charger that I just aquired. The motor is a 318. At start up the oil pressure is about 30 and drops to almost 0 after the car warms up. Also the temperature climbs and does not stop. I first checked the oil pressure and temperature with mechanical guages. Still the same problem. Timing is 10 btdc. It has new oil and filter. I checked coolant, radiator cap, etc. The water pump has just the slightest rock when you grap the pulley and move it up down and left to right. The weep hole is NOT leaking. I checked the oil pan and the almost the whole sump of the pan looks dented in. I put a straight edge across the sump of the pan and measured the depth of the dent. It is about 1/4 to 3/8 inch deep.(The dent takes up about 3/4 of the whole sump nearer the passenger side.) Is this dent deep enough to interfere with the oil pickup thus resulting in my oil pressure problem?
Thank you.

[TylerCharger69]

it's doubtful....sounds like the engine needs a freshening

[Dodgecharger74]

mine has 5 lbs at hot idle time for a complete rebuild

[TylerCharger69]

Hey fellas.....he came by the house yesterday and painted me a clearer picture.   The oil pan appears if someone had tried to jack the car up by the pan itself.  I think the question is....could damage have been done to the pick-up unit to cause these results?  I'm still leaning toward a bearing-crush issue...but haven't experienced this one before.  If the oil pan is crushed in...could it have crushed the pick-up as well??? 

[lisiecki1]

it's possible that it's interfering with the pick up, but if it was I would expect problems across the board......being that he has 30 lbs. cold and it drops off when up to operating temp it sounds to me like it's time to freshen up the bearings, etc.  What weight oil is he running?  If it's super light weight and old it's probably thinning out at temp.  no water in the oil or vice-versa, correct?

[TylerCharger69]

that is correct.....then after reaching temperature.....at idle  the pressure drops out......never goes any higher than 30 though.  I'm leaning toward a freshening up myself.....

[blk68wailer]

Thank you for the replies Tylercharger69, Dodgecharger74, and Lisiecki1.

[TylerCharger69]

Anything I can help out with...let me know