Hey guys, I have a 72 skylark custom with the numbers matching 350 2bbl. It's my first car and building and after driving it for about a year and a half, some of the bolt holes in the timing cover have been stripped really bad. So I have bought a new timing cover to put on, and I want to put a new oil pump in as well. I know TA performance makes a stock pump replacement kit for it. But I wanted to add a booster plate to it as well. My question is what would work best for a more stock application? Any and all help is appreciated. Greg
It doesn't matter whether your engine is stock or modified, why not optimize your oil pump to be the best it can be? There are no downsides to doing so unless you count the cost. Yes, put the booster plate on. The most important thing to realize is that you must check and set the end clearance. The end clearance is the clearance between the gear faces and the oil pump cover surface. The timing cover is aluminum, and it expands around the steel gears. You want to set the clearances tight, so that when the timing cover expands, the clearances are not excessive. That can allow oil to bypass the gears and results in lower hot oil pressure. When you place the gears in the cover, the gear faces will actually be above the gasket surface. Using the correct gasket will set the end clearance. Preferred end clearance is .002. TA Performance actually markets a gasket assortment to dial in the end clearance. http://www.taperformance.com/proddetail.asp?prod=TA_1704 The Buick chassis manual shows you how to measure for end clearance. As you can see, the gear faces are above the gasket surface. Spec is .002-.006. Lets say you measure .004. If you use a gasket that is .006, your end clearance will be .002. You can assemble the pump before putting on the timing cover. You want the pump to be as tight as possible but not bind. You can also measure the end clearance with a dial indicator. The other important thing to remember is that ANYTIME you remove the timing cover, you can lose oil pump prime. The best thing to do is to spin the oil pump with an electric drill until you see oil pressure. The chassis manual tells you to pack the pump with vaseline to ensure prime when you start the engine. I believe the consensus is that you don't need to do that as long as you spin the pump with a drill to prime the pump, and that you verify that you have oil pressure.
If you have pump together in timing cover before installing on block I fill with oil thru the suction side rather then packing with vasoline. Fill filter , and pump gears . Helps form suction. Don't overfill as it just makes a mess when you turn upright to install. . Booster plate and stock gears are fine. If kit comes with new relief spring use the 60 psi (White I believe)
Thanks for all the help guys! This has helped me out quite a bit. I can't wait to put everything together soon.
So all things equal....0.002" clearance is better than 0.006"? Do you have to allow anything for gasket "crush"?
The paper type gaskets aren't going to crush enough to matter, or even measure. The picture above is really all the info you need. be sure to use the longer screws that come with the kit. I also suggest the adjustable oil pressure regulator too.
