use this oil pump(link below) in most stock SBC builds, as it produces a 10% increase in oil volume and standard pressure which is just fine , but obviously check your bearing clearances and oil pump to oil pan floor clearances and braze the CORRECT MATCHING pick-up to the pump, and I,d also suggest if you have the room, for clearance that you look into one of the less expensive 7 quart baffled oil pans as they provide a good deal more potential protection and durability to your bearings longevity. be very sure you verify the oil pump pick-up to oil pan floor clearance, and braze the pick-up to the pump body.
yes theres less expensive oil pumps that will work, but thats a good value, in a well made pump.
WATCH VIDEO, get the oil pump pick-up to oil pan floor clearance correct and for darn sure braze or tig weld the pick-up to the pump once the clearance is verified
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6_ZDWjPvDiA
first choice
http://www.summitracing.com/parts/mel-10552/overview/ SBC
or
http://www.jegs.com/i/Melling/689/10778C/10002/-1 BBC
second choice
http://www.summitracing.com/parts/mil-18750/overview/ SBC
related threads you should read
viewtopic.php?f=54&t=2376
viewtopic.php?f=54&t=64
viewtopic.php?f=54&t=206&p=390#p390
http://www.enginebuildermag.com/Article ... pumps.aspx
viewtopic.php?f=54&t=3536
viewtopic.php?f=54&t=2187
http://www.aa1car.com/library/2005/us020516.htm
http://www.moroso.com/catalog/pdf/Oil_Pumps_106.pdf
http://www.milodon.com/oil-system/oil-pumps.asp
http://www.melling.com/Info/TechTipVideos.aspx
the idea that you can 'pump the pan dry" with a high volume oil pump, in a properly set up chevy engine has been proven false dozens of times, thats a myth that myth been repeated for decades and the reason its gained its supposed verification as fact is simply that guys install a high voluum oil pump in the same engine that they just removed a stock oil pump from and find that they reve the engine and the oil pressure starts to go up then tops out or even drops off , the instant and wrong conclusion drawn is that the high voluum oil pump sucked the oil pan dry, but what really happened in almost every case was a bit simpler.
high volume oil pumps have a longer body that moves the oil pump pick-up closer to the oil pan floor and if the clearance is not checked and corrected to maintain the required 3/8"-1/2" minimum clearance it severely restricts the flow into the oil pump and pressure drops of as a result of the restriction on the intake side of the oil pump pick-up.
this is a fairly easy to problem too prevent ,during assembly with careful measuring, and a bit of clay,to check clearance, before you braze the pick-up to the oil pump, especially if you braze a 1/2" nut to the lower surface of the oil pump pick up to prevent it from vibrating down close to the oil pan floor should it come loose and if you weld braces to prevent its movement after carefully measuring the correct clearance.





ADDING A WELL DESIGNED WINDAGE SCREEN SPEEDS OIL RETURN SPEEDS . AND EFFICIENCY TO THE ENGINE SUMP
your typical small block oil pump has a 4 bolt cover, a 5/8" pick-up tube diameter and the pick-up presses into the cover , it has the smaller 7 tooth gears, and because the pick-up tube presses into the cover swapping from a standard to a high volume pump, with its longer impeller and hoseing casting, tends to move the pick-up about 1/4" closer to the oil pan floor
http://www.mellingselectperformance.com ... -Oil-Pumps
while your checking put some modeling clay under both pick-ups and see the effective clearance difference then see if the old pump clears the problem, in an ideal world the pick-up to pan floor clearance is a minimum of 3/8" and 1/2" is ideal

OIL PUMP MODS
http://www.corvette-restoration.com/res ... ancing.htm
http://www.corvette-restoration.com/res ... lation.htm


small block pumps have 7 tooth gears and 4 bolt covers and don,t provide the smooth oil flow rates the 12 tooth, and 5 bolt cover big block gear pumps provide



big block vs small block chevy oil pump

your typical small block oil pump has a 4 bolt cover, a 5/8" pick-up tube diameter and the pick-up presses into the cover , it has the smaller 7 tooth gears, and because the pick-up tube presses into the cover swapping from a standard to a high volume pump, with its longer impeller and hoseing casting, tends to move the pick-up about 1/4" closer to the oil pan floor

your typical big block oil pump has a 5 bolt cover, a 3/4" pick-up tube diameter and the pick-up presses into the pump body , it has the larger more efficient 12 tooth gears and in many cases can be mounted on a small block, but its usually not required
BIG BLOCK CHEVY 5 BOLT cover pump

SBC 4 BOLT COVER OIL PUMP

SBC pumps have 7 tooth gears and BBC pumps generally have 12 tooth gears making the flow more consistent
MORE USEFUL INFO

BE 100% SURE that the oil pump bolt or STUD doesn,t protrude past the inner main cap surface , because if it bears on the rear main bearing shell it will almost always result in a quickly failed rear bearing


http://www.islandblue.com/store/product ... -ASSORTED/
TO FUNCTION CORRECTLY THE OIL PUMP PICK UP MUST BE MOUNTED AT BETWEEN 3/8" and 1/2" FROM THE OIL PAN FLOOR,CHECK CAREFULLY WITH CLAY and a DIAL CALIPER ,BEFORE BRAZING OR TIG WELDING THE PUMP PICK-UP TO THE PUMP BODY , ONE OF THE MOST COMMON MISTAKES IS INSTALLING A HIGH VOLUME OIL PUMP AND NOT CAREFULLY VERIFYING THE OIL PUMP PICK-UP TO OIL PAN FLOOR CLEARANCE IS IN TH 3/8"-1/2" RANGE WITH THE PAN INSTALLED OR FORGETTING TO BRAZE THE PICK-UP AND ADDING A BRACE TO KEEP IT FROM MOVING, FAILURE TO DO THAT CAN FREQUENTLY RESULT IN LOWER OIL PRESSURE AS THE RPMS INCREASE BECAUSE THE OIL PUMP CAN,T GET ENOUGH OIL INTO THE PUMP THRU THE RESTRICTED OPEN AREA BELOW THE OIL PUMP PICK-UP...FREQUENT WRONGLY DIAGNOSED AS THE PUMP, PUMPING THE PAN DRY, WHICH IS NOT THE CAUSE

place the clay under the pick-up and temporarily mount the oil pan, then remove it and check the compressed clay, get this correct or youll have oil pressure and flow issues
THIS LOOKS like it might be exactly what I buy at my local miller welding supply dealer for brazing/silver soldering, oil pump pick-up tubes to oil pumps, I doubt youll have any issues using it for that application,
but the last time I purchased it it was priced at $6 a stick, or just over $107 for a pack of 20 sticks
and IM fairly sure it said #15 on the package...luckily you seldom require more than about 1/2 a stick to braze an oil pump pick-up onto an oil pump
http://www.harrisproductsgroup.com/en/P ... lv-15.aspx
http://store.cyberweld.com/tubrrodsi15s ... productads
http://www.harrisproductsgroup.com/en/P ... azing.aspx
and I have used a propane torch in the past but my ox-acetolene torch works much better
HARRIS AND VICTOR are the torch brands I prefer






Ive always found the best results from keeping the low rpm pressure , in the 15psi-20psi at hot idle and no more than 65psi at high rpms,is really useful, the voluum required depends on the way the engines clearances and oil systems designed or modified ,voluum/viscosity/clearances in the approximately stock range works fine in most .
I like high voluum pumps but I certainly don,t use them IF the engines nearly stock as the standard Z28 SBC pump works fine
"the standard volume pump gears are about 1.2" long the high volume pump gears are about 1.5 inches long (depends on manufacturer)
heres the discriptions right from chevy
12555884
SBC Oil Pump, High Pressure Z28/LT1. Production high-pressure oil pump with 1.20" gears.Will produce 60-70 psi oil pressure. Does not include screen. The pickup tube dia. is 5/8" for this pump.
62.17
the true high voluum pumps like this below are not necessary UNTILL youve done extensive mods that require the expra oil flow voluum
14044872
SBC Oil Pump, High-Volume. This high-volume pump has1.50" long gears.It has approximately 25% more capacity than a production pump at standard pressure. Does not include screen."
viewtopic.php?f=54&t=2187
keep in mind, most bbc pumps have 5 bolts in the cover and the pump body is where the pick-up tube installs
keep in mind, most sbc pumps have 4 bolts in the cover and the pump cover is where the pick-up tube installs
http://www.speedwaymotors.com/Oil-Pump- ... GoogleBase
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KOIhaI3e ... r_embedded
http://books.google.com/books?id=GUC52- ... t&resnum=3

http://www.chevyhiperformance.com/techa ... index.html
viewtopic.php?f=60&t=1948
viewtopic.php?f=60&t=2194&p=5905#p5905
viewtopic.php?f=54&t=2080
viewtopic.php?f=54&t=1837
heres some decent designed oil pans for bbc and SBC, naturally you need to verify if they work in your application
http://www.moroso.com/catalog/categoryd ... code=11330
viewtopic.php?f=54&t=2187
btw, Ive built SBC engine with standard oil pumps, and big block oil pumps, in the past, and while I have experience doing it both ways and setting engines up with clearances both on the tighter side of the range with the standard oil pumps and a bit looser with the 5 bolt big block pumps, theres a system that needs to be used , not just an oil pump you stick in an engine, generally if you opt to install the larger big block 5 bolt oil pump theres a reason, and you do mods that require the extra oil flow rates., things like larger auxiliary outside mount oil coolers,come to mind.





or lets go the cheaper route,
you clamp the oil pump body minus the gears and base plate (which you remove temporarily) in a vise with the tube entrance facing vertically, and a short section of soft pine 2x4 under the pump body , if you support the pump body underneath with a section of soft wood 2 x 4 and cushion the vise jaws and clamped between two sections of 1/2" plywood to cushion the vice jaws you find a crows foot open end wrench, or the correct tool, that clamps to the pick-up, that slides over the oil pump pick-up tube but not over the ridge, in the tube that in theory prevents you from inserting the tube too deeply into the pump body. can be use to efficiently tap the tube into the pump body.
failure to use the wood as a vise jaw cushion, binding the drive shaft, marring the mount surface or over tightening the vise will sometimes damage the pump, so be cautious, use your common sense, and treat the pump as the fairly fragile piece of precision casting that it is!
be aware that some pick-ups will extent too far into the pump body if inserted up to the full depth so verify internal pump gear clearance and smooth function,before brazing the pick-up tube into place
use a 8" extension and the crows foot wrench and a rubber mallet to seat the pick-up tube into the pump body, then temporarily mount the oil pump and place a lump of modeling clay on the pick-up body lower surface and install the oil pan for a second to compress the clay giving you the distance between the oil pump pick-up and the oil pan floor, adjust it until the distance is approximately 3/8"-1/2"
once that distance is correct BRAZE the pickup to the pump body AFTER temporarily removing the bye-pass spring so it won,t get annealed, and its a very good idea to use the type of pick-up that has both the feed tube and the screened suction section braced to the pump body, so they don,t crack from vibration and metal fatigue.
Id also point out that a few of the oil pump pick up designs available , have tubes that can be pressed into the pump body far enough to contact the gears, if pounded into the pump to the swagged ring on the mount tube, it makes a good deal more sense to radias the exit port and insert the pick-up only to the point the exit tort radias reaches it and after careful measuring and removing the spring assembly to BRAZE the pick up to the pump body. It also helps to weld in a vibration brace.
LIKE THESE


if you use a non-supported pick-up like this one below, its far more likely to break

once that's done you clean lube and re-install the pump components and verify clearances, and the gears spin freely with out binding, don,t forget to use some MOLY assembly lube, or VASOLINE on the gears to assure it primes quickly.
BTW if you have a sudden drop in oil pressure on any engine with no other symptoms, you might want to replace the oil filter and check oil levels before you panic as its not uncommon for some brands of oil filters to fail internally
YOU NEVER want to bolt the pump body to the rear main cap and beat the pick-up into the pump body as that will result in un- acceptable stress on the cast pump body which CAN RESULT IN A TOTAL PUMP FAILURE
viewtopic.php?f=54&t=52&p=61&hilit=+braze#p61

brazing the oil pump pick-up tube to the pump body after carefully checking clearances will usually prevent the oil pump pick-up from vibrating loose over time
BRAZING the pick-up to the pump is a good idea but remember to remove the pressure regulator valve first and oil and replace it after the pumps cooled
viewtopic.php?f=50&t=4306&p=11353#p11353

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KOIhaI3e ... r_embedded
this is a factory produced hamberger oil pan but its a decent example of what can be fabricated



TEL: (562) 921-0404
http://www.hamburgersperformance.com/
other options
viewtopic.php?f=54&t=206&p=242&hilit=+gasket+synthetic#p242
http://www.stefs.com/products/oilpans/supergascompstreetpans.htm
http://www.kevkoracing.com/wetsump_chevy.htm
http://www.moroso.com/catalog/categorydisplay.asp?catcode=11330