[mmm]

Hello PY,
I just got the 455 back in my Firebird last week. The combo is the same as it was before, just a new shortblock. Anyway, what unfolded was this: just before my old shortblock ate the #6 rod bearing, I had installed a Delco stock fuel pump because I was sick of listening to the buzz of my Holley Red. It (the Delco) ran good, but not soon after, I noticed a slight knocking from the engine. I know it was coincidental, but I tried pulling the Delco and rigged the Holley onto the radiator support as a temporary test to see if for some reason the noise was eminating from the mechanical pump I had recently installed. No luck, so I found the real problem & swapped the shortblock. The maiden voyage after reassembly showed a major bog in the upper rpm's, and I think it is due to the fact that the Holley pump is mounted in a location that does not match the way it was engineered (pusher / puller, too high up etc...). I am going to put the Delco back in because I believe it will handle my fuel needs- but after this long winded intro I have this question: I have a Felpro fuel filter mounted on my passenger side fender well. Since it is higher than the stock pump location, would I be hurting performance by routing fuel "up" to the filter, then "down" to the pump, then back "up" to the engine? Also, is a stock pump more resilient to lack of a filter prior to its inlet? I was thinking of just going straight into the stock pump down low, then thru the filter on the way up to the carb. Isn't that basically how it was stock? That's funny to waste a bunch of time trying to route things all over only to return to the way it was designed over 30 years ago!
Thanks, Mike

I'm right at home in a filthy garage