What the heck?

[J-440]

 Just got through priming my oil pump with my wife verifying the oil gauge going up to 60psi.  Ok cool!! I restab the distributor, crank the motor, rotor is spinning, but the oil gauge is reading 0psi??  I also check the passenger side valvetrain and it is completely dry.  And yes the rocker shafts do have the oil holes facing down.  What gives??

[justcruisin]

Well clearly the pump is working as you have verified by priming. You probably haven't fitted the drive gear all the way home and the hex hasn't slotted into the pump, it will wind in on the cam gear but unless it lines up with the hex in the pump it wont go all the way, or the shaft is broken and not long enough. Pull the disy and drive shaft, move the pump shaft a little with your priming tool then try fitting your shaft again, you will feel it when it goes all the way home. Did you turn the motor by hand and check for head oiling while you were priming?

[J-440]

 I do recall that there are 2 brass gear distrib shafts from Milodon that fit a 440.  I'm wondering if I have the shorter shaft?  It would make since because the distributor is obviously turning because it is engaged with the cam gear.  That's the only explanation I can think of.  Dang, I bought that thing years ago assuming it fit.  Just...you tha man, I appreciate it.

[J-440]

 Since I am only getting 60psi with the priming drill, will the motor put out more psi during cranking to get oil to the valvetrain?  I'm still not getting oil to the valvetrain with priming the motor.  Crap, maybe I did put the rocker arm shafts on backwards.  I'm assuming there are passages in the heads that line up with the holes in the rocker arm assembly shafts that allow oil to the valvetrain?

[Chryco Psycho]

I assume the engine has not been fired up yet ?
you have to get a lot of oil up to the rocker shafts to fill them , I assumed you lubed the rockers & you are wiping the cam lube of the cam cranking it over , I would just fire the engine up & get the cam broken in , I am sure the rockers will lube unless the cam bearing was installed in correctly , also the oiling holes inside the heads were cleared out to allow oil up .

[J-440]

 I can see that the cam and lifters are getting oil from me priming the pump with a drill and the oil gauge reads 60psi.  I can also here the engine spit and sputter oil through the passages so that's  good.  It's when I reinstall the distributor cam gear that the oil gauge reads "0" when I crank the motor.  This makes me think that the distrib shaft is too short and won't engage the pump. Think I have the shorter shaft for a 400 instead of a 440 like I need.   

[Chryco Psycho]

or the engine simply is cranking too slow to make pressure

[J-440]

 Oh it's cranking fast alright.  I've only got 8.5 compression ratio with a powermaster mini starter. 

[A383Wing]

I thought the 383 - 440 intermediate shafts were the same?

Bryan  

[J-440]

 I heard awhile back that there were 2 different distrib shafts for the 400 and 440.  440 having the longer shaft.  Milodon must have sent me the wrong shaft years ago. 

[Chryco Psycho]

I have never seen a oil gauge move just cranking an engine , you have probably wiped most of the cam lube off by now too

[John_Kunkel]

B and RB use the same intermediate shaft, some shafts for dual external pickup pumps are longer but none are shorter.

It's possible that the hex end of the intermediate shaft snapped off (seen it happen lots). Pull the intermediate shaft and check it.

[375instroke]

You know the top end is lubed by passages in the cam that must line up when it rotates.  The motor must be turned over for oil to get up there, so run the drill, and spin the motor by hand slowly, and you should see oil get up there intermittently when the passages line up.  How many times is the drill turning per second compared to how fast the motor is cranking when the distributor is installed.  I'm sure the motor is spinning much slower, and that's why you don't read any pressure.

[J-440]

375...so you have seen a motor crank with zero oil pressure and then when a primer drill shaft is used you then see pressure?  I saw it when I was priming it but then when I cranked it using the key, I saw nada.  Interesting.  Wonder if I should cancel the order for my new intermediate shaft.  The Milodon shaft looks great with nothing broken off.

[J-440]

 Aha!! My shaft is 6 1/4" long from the base with a total length of 7.5" overall...Man that sounds really gay!!  Anyway, it should be 8 3/4" total length.  I bought the wrong one from Milodon.