[beertracker]

How do I instaall the oil pickup in the oil pump. without breaking something? I have tried vise, vise grip and hammer. No luck getting the oil pickup started.

[b-man]

I made this tool to do the pickup installation.

Just find a piece of tubing that has the same inside diameter dimension as the outside diameter of the pickup tube.

The hose clamp keeps the tool tight to the pickup tube as you hammer it home.

[tjs72lemans]

Or improvise and use a crescent wrench opened above the bulb of pick up tube and hammer away.

[PontiacJim1959]

Or take it to an engine machine shop and let them use their tool to knock it in.

[Schurkey]

Or buy the "special tool" sold by Melling, and others for exactly that purpose.

For 3/4 pickup tubes:
The good one
https://www.summitracing.com/parts/mel-mcat-75
Or the cheapie:
https://www.summitracing.com/parts/pro-66480

For 5/8 pickup tubes
The good one
https://www.amazon.com/Melling-MCAT-.../dp/B004A69QI2
Cheapie
https://www.summitracing.com/parts/pro-66491

[b-man]

For those of you who would like to fabricate your own tool for next to nothing you can find a piece of scrap tubing and then use a hacksaw and file to modify it.

I happened to be working in a shop where we did a lot of fabrication so there was a huge variety of material in various sizes to choose from. I used a piece of stainless tubing that was .875” OD and .750” ID which matches up with the most commonly used aftermarket Melling oil pump. I’m sure most any steel supplier would likely give you a 6” long piece of scrap tubing from their scrap pile.

I won’t invest in an expensive or even a cheap tool that I’m likely to use only a very few times if I can help it.

[getmygoat]

One machinist told me he dipped the tube in liquid nitrogen and then it slides right in. Once it heats up its apparently very tight. Not sure why he had a steady supply of that stuff. I forget the details.

[beertracker]

Great idea and thank you. bt

Originally Posted by b-man

For those of you who would like to fabricate your own tool for next to nothing you can find a piece of scrap tubing and then use a hacksaw and file to modify it.

I happened to be working in a shop where we did a lot of fabrication so there was a huge variety of material in various sizes to choose from. I used a piece of stainless tubing that was .875” OD and .750” ID which matches up with the most commonly used aftermarket Melling oil pump. I’m sure most any steel supplier would likely give you a 6” long piece of scrap tubing from their scrap pile.

I won’t invest in an expensive or even a cheap tool that I’m likely to use only a very few times if I can help it.

[Dragncar]

Pretty easy to make out of a 3/4" split collar. Common in what I do.
I am making a custom larger oil pump pickup for a Melling pump. The machinist bored it a tad big, not much of a press fit. I will high temp silver solder it in place. And have a strap coming over to the Nightmare bottom plate.

[Scott Stoneburg]

Put the pick up in the freezer for a couple hours. Then used a cresent wrench or vise grips on the tube just above the stop on the tube to tap it in.

[Cliff R]

No matter how well your installation goes make sure to retain the pick-up tube with a machine screw or make a strap for it going back to one of the pump cover bolts. The material they are made of does NOT have good memory and they will fall out and end up in the assembly.......FWIW.......

[tooski]

I read a post on oil pump pickup install. It may have come from Paul Carter. It said in the casting process the pump inlet entrance is 'rolled' over and a slightly less diameter than the rest of the channel. It would distort the pick up tube resulting in the tube being held in only at this pinch point instead along the full length of the inserted tube. Chamfering the inlet entrance alleviates this and also makes it a bit easier to install the pickup.

[beertracker]

Originally Posted by b-man

I made this tool to do the pickup installation.

Just find a piece of tubing that has the same inside diameter dimension as the outside diameter of the pickup tube.

The hose clamp keeps the tool tight to the pickup tube as you hammer it home.

I made the tool you described and it works perfectly. Before install I drilled and tapped a set screw hole 1/4" 20 TPI in the oil pump casting. A set screw with blue thread lock prevents the oil pickup tube from backing out.

[b-man]

Originally Posted by beertracker

I made the tool you described and it works perfectly. Before install I drilled and tapped a set screw hole 1/4" 20 TPI in the oil pump casting. A set screw with blue thread lock prevents the oil pickup tube from backing out.

Great, glad it worked well for you.