1st post, and hi to everyone.

recently purchased a C3 for the wife as its been a dream car of hers for sometime. budget was tight so i had to go for one that needed some work.

its a 76 with the usual issues from everything i have read and seen when viewing 20 different vettes before jumping on this one.

my problem is this, the factory engine is long gone and in its place is a 75 C10 truck block that some looks to have done some engine work on it at some point. sounds good, but they also stripped out the oil pan's drain plug. i decided to order up a replacement oil pan for the truck block (turns out the generic replacement is listed as being the same for the 76 vette also).

however once i removed it tonight i noticed a large difference. the oil pan that came off is considerably longer in the sump and as a result the oil pump/pickup that's installed won't clear the replacement oil pan. not only due to the location of the windage tray but also its shorter sump.

when they built the motor they also look to have welded the pickup to the pump as is often done. so i can't simply change the pickup to another.

does anyone recognize what this sump (looks factory) came from so i could order another, or am i better off replacing the oil pump and pickup to a std vette/c10 truck one to fit the pan?

thoughts and recommendations needed. thanks.

here are some pics of the pan that came off.




this is the std replacement unit

 

better to get the right pump and pickup for your new pan , might see a little better oil pressure also

 

Welcome
I would put a new pump in while I had it all apart.

 

looking at your old setup, you might be ahead to pull the bearings , mic them, and roll correct sized new ones in, save wishin you had in 20,000 miles or so

 

Why not just repair the pan you have?

 

thanks for the feedback so far.

in digging around it looks like its an 63-65 327 oil pan, http://forums.corvetteforum.com/c1-a...t-oil-pan.html

i'd rather not do the insert on the oil pan if i can avoid it, will always be wondering how long it will last, i guess i could tap out the nut thats welded to the inside and go larger, but i think in reality the cost of the inserts or tap etc is going to not be far off of a new pump and pickup. i guess since if i replace the oil pump i'll be taking it off, i could look at cutting the weld on the pickup and see if i new correct pickup for this pan will fit snugly and not replace the pump. but again for the cost of a HV pump, why not replace it anyway.

As for shells, etc. i have looked at these and the motor and its in great shape. looks like it was built only a short time ago (miles).

guessing i could sell the pan and come out ahead in this deal based on what i have seen them going for.

 

Be very careful that the new oil pan (sump) doesn't interfere with your steering arms! Not all 350 oil pans will fit a 350 corvette.

 

good point i need to pull the current oil pump and see if once its the pan in place does the idle arm still fit into place.

i would hope so since the oil pan part number for the 75 c10 and the 76 vette is the same, but we all know how that goes in reality.

 

I had the same issue. New oil pump = peace of mind.

 

Agreed, thanks everyone for the feedback.

I took the current pump out (55A) and test fitted the replacement sump to check clearance with the steering. was fine.
I purchased a new pump (55HV) pickup and shaft(steel colar) and will be installing those tonights so it should resolve the issue and give me some peace of mind that its in good shape for sometime to come.

now once thats done, of to find the next issue