In the Pontiac world, oil pump choice is almost as controversial as what oil to put in it. I will simply post this for perspective. The Pontiac oil pump is a very simple device. 2 spur gears and a relief ball. That's it. All the "designer " pumps came about because the basic, perfectly good oil pump was cheapened up over the decades and the quality control went to hell. The old, HP pumps had a cast or thick bottom plate, ground flat. The check ball seat was lapped, machined properly and didn't leak. The surface top and bottom where the bolt heads go to attach to the block was machined flat on both sides. Short cuts were taken by the aftermarket in all these areas to save money and this introduced trouble areas on an otherwise bullet proof component. The "designer" pumps you buy for double the cost of a basic pump simply return it to the way a basic pump was made in the 1960's. You can fix or check all this stuff yourself easily or buy one that has been checked for you.
We ran regular M54F, (80 lb. relief), pumps in the Grocery Getter drag race car for 15+ years @ 8000 RPM's, and made 1500 HP with it. Never hurt a main or rod bearing in those engines. The only modifications were a welded pick-up tube and a thick bottom plate.
Being somewhat cheap, I start with a basic pump and check the items mentioned above and call it a day. We ran a factory hardened drive shaft in our pumps. Heat treated aftermarket ones look nice. Awfully hard to justify super fancy, gun drilled centerless ground, hardened drive shafts for a car going to the cruise in a dozen times a year. If it were a Ford driving the oil pump with a 1/4" Allen hex drive, that's a different story. Good luck with your build.
|