oil pump/ distributor gear shaft big block along with oil pump prob

[72charger440]

i built a 440 with an edelbrock perfomer rpm cam in it i was wondering can i run the factory gear/shaft for the distributor or do i need an aftermarket bronze gear for it? i was just wondering because ive been runnuin the factory gear and shaft 4 alittle awhile( i have 6 hrs on engine so far) but after readin some magazines im not sure if i need 2 replace or can keep runnin what i got i kinnda need 2 kno b4 it messes up my cam gear and or worse. thanks

[RD]

yes, you can use it.  it will be fine in 99.9% of the situations.

[72charger440]

ok cool thank u i wasnt sure becasue like i said ive been readin alot lately in mags that if u have like a high/radical cam that ull need a bronze gear becasue the factory one wears out quickly and could srew up ur camshaft so i wasnt sure if my performer was like that. this is my first engine for my high school project build so i wasnt sure ha

[flyinlow]

I think thats when you have a billet steel cam  (roller) that you need a bronze gear. For a flat tappet hyd.(Edelbrock RPM) cam the normal gear wears the best.

[72charger440]

ahh ok cool yeah ive heard all these storys about these gears so i dont know, it took me 2 yrs 2 get the money 2 build my 440 i mean im a high school student i dont have the funds 2 rebuild this engine again if it did went so better 2 ask now b4 somethin happen ya know ha. thank u very much for the info

[elacruze]

I think thats when you have a billet steel cam  (roller) that you need a bronze gear. For a flat tappet hyd.(Edelbrock RPM) cam the normal gear wears the best.

Right, the cam and distributor gear have to have material properties that prevent galling, and roller cams are made of billet steel, not forgings.
If you don't have it, I'd consider the distributor drive with a hardened tip, especially if you have high pressure or high volume oil pump. The stock tip can shear or round off under severe service.

[72charger440]

ok yeah im not sure i bought a rebuild kit from summit when i rebuilt the engine so im not sure what oil pump i got in the kit, but i think its just a stock one basically or a mild one im not sure the compression ratio is 9.1 is what the kit said when i bought it so i dont think it a high performance one tho

[72charger440]

i just remembered i have an aftermarket oil pressure gauge on my 440 i do not kno what a big block should be runin at factory wise but mine in park runs in the range between 70-75 psi  and in gear at a stop sign 60-65 psi so im not sure if its a high volume or not

[elacruze]

That's pretty high pressure, which is more critical to the pump shaft than the volume. I'd swap in the hardened one when I could, but if you keep regular watch on your gauge (particularly after high RPM) and let the engine oil warm up plenty before you romp on it you should be fine. You can swap the shafts from underhood by just pulling the distributor, no disassembly necessary. You will have to have the engine at TDC and note the distributor slot position before you pull the old one, it rotates slightly as it disengages the cam gear.

[moparmoynihan]

I agree with elacruze, its cheap insurance. I have sheered one off in a stock 440 and lost oil pressure. Replace it ASAP. The bushing should have been replaced when you rebuilt the engine. They can cause all kinds of timing problems if there worn out. My buddy had a 340 in a 1970 Challenger some time back. The car would rip when timed in the garage, then after time, get slower and slower. We could never figure out what the problem was. Finally when we installed a 440 in the car, we looked deeper in the motor and saw the bushing all worn out. We replaced it, and it has been in my other buddys 1973 'Cuda for years now. No problems.  Johnny 

[72charger440]

oh thats not good if the pressure is high where could i get a shaft with a harden tip from summit possibly?

[elacruze]

Summit, $66.95

http://www.summitracing.com/parts/DCC-3571071/

[flyinlow]

Todays Karma: Buy a new hardened tip drive and put it in you glove box. That way the one you have in there now will never brake.   

Use multi grade oil  and warm the engine at low rpms a few minutes. Synthetic flows better when cold too.
You probably wont have any problems. We dont drive these cars in sub zero weather often . Thats when the one I have seen brake failed.

If you think the oil preasure is too high ,try a lighter weight oil . 10w-40 instead of 20w-50 or 10w-30 instead of 10w-40. The by pass spring preasure could be reduced also.  Old rule of thumb is 10psi per 1000 rpm minimum.

[72charger440]

well i went down 2 the machine shop in town and talked 2 the engine builder in town and he thinks that i should replace my oil pump totally because off my app he said since its not a radical engine just a mild rebuild i should run almost a stock pump becasue my psi is way 2 high but if i can reduce the spring pressure in the pump how do i do that?  here ill put my engine build so u guys can help/ think what i should do.
72 440 block .30 over
edelbrock perfomer rpm cam and intake manifold
holley double pumper 750 cfm
sealed power pistons 9.1 compression ratio
cast crank and factory rods
heads ported and polished
facotry pushrods and rocker arm assembly
and i found out from summit that the oil pump  its a sealed power high volume pump

so should i replace the pump or  can i turn down the spring pressue if so how do i do that?

[72charger440]

ok i just thought of something im not sure if it would work but i thought ill ask and see if its will work or not. well i have part of an old factory 440 oil pump in my garage i was wondering could i take the spring out of it and put the factory spring in the sealed power high volume pump 2 replace the high volume spring so basically id just make a factory pump kinda  out of it so the psi isnt so high?  

[flyinlow]

Don't know about swapping parts between the stock pump and the sealed power. The relief spring is under the cap bolt on the back of the pump. Some times you can shim them for higher pressure if desired. If the are shims under the spring already you could remove some to reduce the pressure.

I have a melling high volume pump on my mild build 446. Warm with 15w-50 Mobil1  it has about 40 psi at idle and 65-70 psi above 2000rpm. Slightly looser then stock bearing clearences, chamfered oil holes in the crank. Never checked the gauge against a calabrated one.  I Did put a hardened drive in when I assembled it.

[72charger440]

so if there is shims in that particular pump r they on the back side of the bolt or do i have 2 remove the spring 2 get 2 the shims? because above 2000 rpms my car is above 80 psi i dont want 2 b driven my car on the high way and the pump the pan dry and all the oil is up in my heads. so doe any body kno if the sealed power pump has shims in it or should i just replace the pump toatally?

[RD]

what oil are you running?  i personally think you are worrying over nothing.

[72charger440]

well the machine shop told me 2 run rotella 15w-40 with the lucas add for the cam unitl the engine is brokin in i only have mayb 10 miles on the engine but it has atleast 6 hrs of run time just idlein in my drive way. well if u think so i might be im not sure it just my dad has a 454 in his old truck and he had a high volume pump and it made the pan go dry and all the oil went 2 the heads so i just dont want that 2 happen 2 my engine ya kno ha so i might b worried over nothing but its always good 2 b on the safe side just 2 b sure and ask ha

[RD]

i am saying you are worrying over nothing because i ran the same setup you did, albeit different cam (summit big cam), in my 400 with a HV oil pump and I had exactly no issues regarding oil starvation.  i ran 20w-50 oil, with a stock distributor shaft, and had 75-80 psi pressure at 60 mph.  I drove the truck on a 600 mile trip and had no issues (let alone the thousands of miles i drove it altogether).

so, when i say you are worrying over nothing, i really mean it.  15-40 rotella and lucas do NOT provide you with the flat tappet protection you require in your engine.  go with valvoline VR-1 and you do not need lucas.  lucas is a shitty substitute on a new engine.

[72charger440]

ok cool that a relief thank u oh one more thing did u run a widage tray and a stock pan on ur 400? i dont have a windage tray and im run in the stock pan .yeah i kno the rotella stuff with the lucas add is juck i did run on the first stat up joe gibbs then after a few runs the shop i got the gibbs from went under and my machine shop suggested that since they said it was an ok thing 2 run for awhile until i got somethin better

[RD]

yes i ran a windage tray and stock pan.

[72charger440]

even tho i dont have a windage tray i should still b ok i think. well thanks for the info on the pump its just been buggin me im takin the car on a trip about 300 or so miles 2 and back in the next few months so i wasnt sure if that pump was gonna do what my dads did ha

[flyinlow]

How accurate is you oil preasure guage? If it is reading high ,you might be concerned over a guage error.

Like RD said, Your oil presure is not that high.

I am not familar with the Lucas addative . Is it thick stuff like STP? This could raise you oil preasure. You do need more ZDP then the Rotella oil provides by itself. I use Comp Cam's breakin lube with every oil change.

I would try to avoid extended idling with a new engine and cam.

I doubt you will pump all the oil into the top of the engine starving the pump. The large slots in the lifter valley let the oil back to the pan fast.