blueprinted oil pump
Thread Starter
Racer
Joined: Sep 2012
Posts: 491
Likes: 40
From: Mardi Gras City
St. Jude Donor '19
blueprinted oil pump
my LT4 has 90k miles on it and i plan to change oil pump and time chain/ gears as PM. car is only street driven, should i go with standard or hi pressure pump ? change pump drive shaft at same time ?
Team Owner
Joined: Sep 2003
Posts: 25,373
Likes: 2,734
Where did the "blueprinted" in your post title generate from? You intend to disassemble and confirm OR ???????????
Last edited by WVZR-1; Jul 7, 2017 at 12:18 PM.
Safety Car
Joined: Jun 2006
Posts: 4,008
Likes: 1,487
From: Ashland, OH
Unless you are tracking the car every weekend a standard pump is more than fine. Lol a standard pump lasted 21 years and 90k miles right?
Safety Car
Joined: Jun 2006
Posts: 4,008
Likes: 1,487
From: Ashland, OH
Well I cant answer that honestly, I haven't seen or driven the car, don't know anything about the cars past life.
My 1986 L98 Vette has 89k on it and isnt near needing a TC/gears or an oil pump. IF I had to do the job and your car is a driver/cruiser not a dedicated track car I would use a standard OEM TC/gears and oil pump.
My 1986 L98 Vette has 89k on it and isnt near needing a TC/gears or an oil pump. IF I had to do the job and your car is a driver/cruiser not a dedicated track car I would use a standard OEM TC/gears and oil pump.
Melting Slicks
Joined: Jul 2005
Posts: 2,649
Likes: 863
Ok - for all intents and purposes a LT1/LT4 has the same basic oil system as any Gen 1 Small Block Chevy. There are three types of oil pumps available for a SBC - the standard pump, the high volume pump, and the high pressure pump.
The standard pump seems to work fine for literally tens of millions of engines. The high volume pump is supposedly an adaptation of the Big Block Chevy pump - it supposedly has somewhat longer gears, so at any given pump RPM it will pump a higher volume of oil. (Of course if the engine can't flow any extra oil - the oil pressure goes up - up to the point that the bypass valve opens to keep the pressure in line, and the extra oil returns to the pan). This extra volume pump was supposedly necessary as racing engines were build with larger clearances, and standard volume pumps were having problems keeping pressure up with thinner oils when they got hot. Most high volume pumps have larger inlets, and require pump pickups that have larger tubes coming from them. The high pressure pumps are basically designed to be used on cars with oil coolers, and lots of hose that oil flows through - all of which can contribute to pressure drop. Most of the time they are really high volume pumps with a shimmed or stiffer pressure relief spring.
So - if your oil pressure on a hot day is fine, you can probably use the stock pump. If you're not sure - the high volume pump won't hurt, but it does take more power to drive - so the OE pump driveshaft may become an issue - particularly on a cold start with thick oil.
A "blueprinted pump" is supposedly a pump that has been gone though and had oil holes chamfered for better flow, and has had the cover ground to better control clearance between the pump gears and the cover. How much that process is worth is a purely subjective call; in $25,000 racing motor - it's probably money well spent - on a daily driver - let's just say that it's the owners call....
Pulling the pan and replacing the pump is not a horrible job - but it's hardly a fun way to spend a Saturday either. So - whatever variety of oil pump you choose to buy - buy an oil pump you feel confident in - oil pumps and brake pads are not good places to try to save a buck.
Two last things - 1) I have seem a pressed in pump pickup come off a standard SBC oil pump. NOT GOOD !!! After you set the height of the pump pickup - I would suggest either tack welding the pickup to the pump or using a bracket to connect the pickup tube to the pump body (there are pickups that have these brackets already installed - Canton Racing is one source. 2) The only thing holding the oil pump onto the motor is the one bolt - consider replacing that bolt with an ARP stud - it's less than $10 and it's at least twice as strong as the factory bolt....
The standard pump seems to work fine for literally tens of millions of engines. The high volume pump is supposedly an adaptation of the Big Block Chevy pump - it supposedly has somewhat longer gears, so at any given pump RPM it will pump a higher volume of oil. (Of course if the engine can't flow any extra oil - the oil pressure goes up - up to the point that the bypass valve opens to keep the pressure in line, and the extra oil returns to the pan). This extra volume pump was supposedly necessary as racing engines were build with larger clearances, and standard volume pumps were having problems keeping pressure up with thinner oils when they got hot. Most high volume pumps have larger inlets, and require pump pickups that have larger tubes coming from them. The high pressure pumps are basically designed to be used on cars with oil coolers, and lots of hose that oil flows through - all of which can contribute to pressure drop. Most of the time they are really high volume pumps with a shimmed or stiffer pressure relief spring.
So - if your oil pressure on a hot day is fine, you can probably use the stock pump. If you're not sure - the high volume pump won't hurt, but it does take more power to drive - so the OE pump driveshaft may become an issue - particularly on a cold start with thick oil.
A "blueprinted pump" is supposedly a pump that has been gone though and had oil holes chamfered for better flow, and has had the cover ground to better control clearance between the pump gears and the cover. How much that process is worth is a purely subjective call; in $25,000 racing motor - it's probably money well spent - on a daily driver - let's just say that it's the owners call....
Pulling the pan and replacing the pump is not a horrible job - but it's hardly a fun way to spend a Saturday either. So - whatever variety of oil pump you choose to buy - buy an oil pump you feel confident in - oil pumps and brake pads are not good places to try to save a buck.
Two last things - 1) I have seem a pressed in pump pickup come off a standard SBC oil pump. NOT GOOD !!! After you set the height of the pump pickup - I would suggest either tack welding the pickup to the pump or using a bracket to connect the pickup tube to the pump body (there are pickups that have these brackets already installed - Canton Racing is one source. 2) The only thing holding the oil pump onto the motor is the one bolt - consider replacing that bolt with an ARP stud - it's less than $10 and it's at least twice as strong as the factory bolt....
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THAT'S an answer, thanks
Supporting Vendor
Joined: Oct 2004
Posts: 761
Likes: 68
Ok - for all intents and purposes a LT1/LT4 has the same basic oil system as any Gen 1 Small Block Chevy. There are three types of oil pumps available for a SBC - the standard pump, the high volume pump, and the high pressure pump.
The standard pump seems to work fine for literally tens of millions of engines. The high volume pump is supposedly an adaptation of the Big Block Chevy pump - it supposedly has somewhat longer gears, so at any given pump RPM it will pump a higher volume of oil. (Of course if the engine can't flow any extra oil - the oil pressure goes up - up to the point that the bypass valve opens to keep the pressure in line, and the extra oil returns to the pan). This extra volume pump was supposedly necessary as racing engines were build with larger clearances, and standard volume pumps were having problems keeping pressure up with thinner oils when they got hot. Most high volume pumps have larger inlets, and require pump pickups that have larger tubes coming from them. The high pressure pumps are basically designed to be used on cars with oil coolers, and lots of hose that oil flows through - all of which can contribute to pressure drop. Most of the time they are really high volume pumps with a shimmed or stiffer pressure relief spring.
So - if your oil pressure on a hot day is fine, you can probably use the stock pump. If you're not sure - the high volume pump won't hurt, but it does take more power to drive - so the OE pump driveshaft may become an issue - particularly on a cold start with thick oil.
A "blueprinted pump" is supposedly a pump that has been gone though and had oil holes chamfered for better flow, and has had the cover ground to better control clearance between the pump gears and the cover. How much that process is worth is a purely subjective call; in $25,000 racing motor - it's probably money well spent - on a daily driver - let's just say that it's the owners call....
Pulling the pan and replacing the pump is not a horrible job - but it's hardly a fun way to spend a Saturday either. So - whatever variety of oil pump you choose to buy - buy an oil pump you feel confident in - oil pumps and brake pads are not good places to try to save a buck.
Two last things - 1) I have seem a pressed in pump pickup come off a standard SBC oil pump. NOT GOOD !!! After you set the height of the pump pickup - I would suggest either tack welding the pickup to the pump or using a bracket to connect the pickup tube to the pump body (there are pickups that have these brackets already installed - Canton Racing is one source. 2) The only thing holding the oil pump onto the motor is the one bolt - consider replacing that bolt with an ARP stud - it's less than $10 and it's at least twice as strong as the factory bolt....
The standard pump seems to work fine for literally tens of millions of engines. The high volume pump is supposedly an adaptation of the Big Block Chevy pump - it supposedly has somewhat longer gears, so at any given pump RPM it will pump a higher volume of oil. (Of course if the engine can't flow any extra oil - the oil pressure goes up - up to the point that the bypass valve opens to keep the pressure in line, and the extra oil returns to the pan). This extra volume pump was supposedly necessary as racing engines were build with larger clearances, and standard volume pumps were having problems keeping pressure up with thinner oils when they got hot. Most high volume pumps have larger inlets, and require pump pickups that have larger tubes coming from them. The high pressure pumps are basically designed to be used on cars with oil coolers, and lots of hose that oil flows through - all of which can contribute to pressure drop. Most of the time they are really high volume pumps with a shimmed or stiffer pressure relief spring.
So - if your oil pressure on a hot day is fine, you can probably use the stock pump. If you're not sure - the high volume pump won't hurt, but it does take more power to drive - so the OE pump driveshaft may become an issue - particularly on a cold start with thick oil.
A "blueprinted pump" is supposedly a pump that has been gone though and had oil holes chamfered for better flow, and has had the cover ground to better control clearance between the pump gears and the cover. How much that process is worth is a purely subjective call; in $25,000 racing motor - it's probably money well spent - on a daily driver - let's just say that it's the owners call....
Pulling the pan and replacing the pump is not a horrible job - but it's hardly a fun way to spend a Saturday either. So - whatever variety of oil pump you choose to buy - buy an oil pump you feel confident in - oil pumps and brake pads are not good places to try to save a buck.
Two last things - 1) I have seem a pressed in pump pickup come off a standard SBC oil pump. NOT GOOD !!! After you set the height of the pump pickup - I would suggest either tack welding the pickup to the pump or using a bracket to connect the pickup tube to the pump body (there are pickups that have these brackets already installed - Canton Racing is one source. 2) The only thing holding the oil pump onto the motor is the one bolt - consider replacing that bolt with an ARP stud - it's less than $10 and it's at least twice as strong as the factory bolt....
Team Owner
Joined: Sep 2003
Posts: 25,373
Likes: 2,734
There's no doubt that the description of "theoretical" differences mentioned by Puple92 is valid but you need to be able to confirm or trust the vendor.
I don't know that Schumann was ever sold and ain't interested but how do you validate a "vendor"? A "buy & try" that results in an engine failure maybe? Blame the pump if it fails and claim the pump gave it "super extended life" if you end up happy.
It's pretty difficult to "evaluate" I'd think the claims.
http://www.enginebuildermag.com/2014...-pending-sale/
Last edited by WVZR-1; Jul 8, 2017 at 10:24 AM.
Thread Starter
Racer
Joined: Sep 2012
Posts: 491
Likes: 40
From: Mardi Gras City
St. Jude Donor '19
Cruisinfanatic, stop thinking like a peasant. not all of us have money issues. i plan to donate the car to St.Jude . i wont be taking the car or the money with me.
Le Mans Master
Joined: Jul 2004
Posts: 6,224
Likes: 697
From: Clifton Park, NY ............Clearwater, FL ... 85 Original Owner
I don't have money issues, but to add some value to my car, the last thing I'd be doing is changing a perfectly fine oil pump for a "blueprinted" one. How freaking ridiculous!
Last edited by Cruisinfanatic; Jul 8, 2017 at 03:31 PM.
Melting Slicks
Joined: Jan 2009
Posts: 3,482
Likes: 196
From: folsom california
Ok - for all intents and purposes a LT1/LT4 has the same basic oil system as any Gen 1 Small Block Chevy. There are three types of oil pumps available for a SBC - the standard pump, the high volume pump, and the high pressure pump.
The standard pump seems to work fine for literally tens of millions of engines. The high volume pump is supposedly an adaptation of the Big Block Chevy pump -
no, a big block oil pump is a different animal entirely; they will fit on a small block but not in as shallow a pan as an corvette which is 7 inches deep...most small block pans are 8 inches or more deep
it supposedly has somewhat longer gears, yes it is the same as any small block high volume pump, but again, in a shallow corvette oil pan not all will fit, for instance those that have the gear shaft extended into the bottom plate of the pump are just a bit too big
so at any given pump RPM it will pump a higher volume of oil. (Of course if the engine can't flow any extra oil - the oil pressure goes up - up to the point that the bypass valve opens to keep the pressure in line, and the extra oil returns to the pan). This extra volume pump was supposedly necessary as racing engines were build with larger clearances, and standard volume pumps were having problems keeping pressure up with thinner oils when they got hot. Most high volume pumps have larger inlets, and require pump pickups that have larger tubes coming from them.
the difference between an LT oil pump and any other small block oil pump is that the LT pump inlet tube is .75 inch (same as a big block pump) and all other small block pumps use a smaller o.d. inlet tube
The high pressure pumps are basically designed to be used on cars with oil coolers, and lots of hose that oil flows through - all of which can contribute to pressure drop. Most of the time they are really high volume pumps with a shimmed or stiffer pressure relief spring.
So - if your oil pressure on a hot day is fine, you can probably use the stock pump. If you're not sure - the high volume pump won't hurt, but it does take more power to drive - so the OE pump driveshaft may become an issue - particularly on a cold start with thick oil.
A "blueprinted pump" is supposedly a pump that has been gone though and had oil holes chamfered for better flow, and has had the cover ground to better control clearance between the pump gears and the cover. How much that process is worth is a purely subjective call; in $25,000 racing motor - it's probably money well spent - on a daily driver - let's just say that it's the owners call....
Pulling the pan and replacing the pump is not a horrible job - but it's hardly a fun way to spend a Saturday either. So - whatever variety of oil pump you choose to buy - buy an oil pump you feel confident in - oil pumps and brake pads are not good places to try to save a buck.
the most important thing whether high volume or regular volume (most corvette pumps will come with the high pressure spring already installed) is to ge a pump and a matching oil pickup tube designed for a LT corvette and corvette pan
Two last things - 1) I have seem a pressed in pump pickup come off a standard SBC oil pump. NOT GOOD !!!
I used to think this was an old wives tail...trust me, experience has shown me that its not...and don't let anyone scare you with "welding will get the relief spring too hot and it will loose it's tension; no way if all that's done is a couple of tack welds.
After you set the height of the pump pickup - I would suggest either tack welding the pickup to the pump or using a bracket to connect the pickup tube to the pump body (there are pickups that have these brackets already installed - Canton Racing is one source. 2) The only thing holding the oil pump onto the motor is the one bolt - consider replacing that bolt with an ARP stud - it's less than $10 and it's at least twice as strong as the factory bolt....
The standard pump seems to work fine for literally tens of millions of engines. The high volume pump is supposedly an adaptation of the Big Block Chevy pump -
no, a big block oil pump is a different animal entirely; they will fit on a small block but not in as shallow a pan as an corvette which is 7 inches deep...most small block pans are 8 inches or more deep
it supposedly has somewhat longer gears, yes it is the same as any small block high volume pump, but again, in a shallow corvette oil pan not all will fit, for instance those that have the gear shaft extended into the bottom plate of the pump are just a bit too big
so at any given pump RPM it will pump a higher volume of oil. (Of course if the engine can't flow any extra oil - the oil pressure goes up - up to the point that the bypass valve opens to keep the pressure in line, and the extra oil returns to the pan). This extra volume pump was supposedly necessary as racing engines were build with larger clearances, and standard volume pumps were having problems keeping pressure up with thinner oils when they got hot. Most high volume pumps have larger inlets, and require pump pickups that have larger tubes coming from them.
the difference between an LT oil pump and any other small block oil pump is that the LT pump inlet tube is .75 inch (same as a big block pump) and all other small block pumps use a smaller o.d. inlet tube
The high pressure pumps are basically designed to be used on cars with oil coolers, and lots of hose that oil flows through - all of which can contribute to pressure drop. Most of the time they are really high volume pumps with a shimmed or stiffer pressure relief spring.
So - if your oil pressure on a hot day is fine, you can probably use the stock pump. If you're not sure - the high volume pump won't hurt, but it does take more power to drive - so the OE pump driveshaft may become an issue - particularly on a cold start with thick oil.
A "blueprinted pump" is supposedly a pump that has been gone though and had oil holes chamfered for better flow, and has had the cover ground to better control clearance between the pump gears and the cover. How much that process is worth is a purely subjective call; in $25,000 racing motor - it's probably money well spent - on a daily driver - let's just say that it's the owners call....
Pulling the pan and replacing the pump is not a horrible job - but it's hardly a fun way to spend a Saturday either. So - whatever variety of oil pump you choose to buy - buy an oil pump you feel confident in - oil pumps and brake pads are not good places to try to save a buck.
the most important thing whether high volume or regular volume (most corvette pumps will come with the high pressure spring already installed) is to ge a pump and a matching oil pickup tube designed for a LT corvette and corvette pan
Two last things - 1) I have seem a pressed in pump pickup come off a standard SBC oil pump. NOT GOOD !!!
I used to think this was an old wives tail...trust me, experience has shown me that its not...and don't let anyone scare you with "welding will get the relief spring too hot and it will loose it's tension; no way if all that's done is a couple of tack welds.
After you set the height of the pump pickup - I would suggest either tack welding the pickup to the pump or using a bracket to connect the pickup tube to the pump body (there are pickups that have these brackets already installed - Canton Racing is one source. 2) The only thing holding the oil pump onto the motor is the one bolt - consider replacing that bolt with an ARP stud - it's less than $10 and it's at least twice as strong as the factory bolt....