[Bob Carriere]

...do you think it is possible to install a dizzy in a Chev 6 and run the engine and not have oil pressure.....

Yep..... done that.....

CAUTION..... if you remove the distributor and re-install and do not carefully make sure it is deep enough you can actually start the engine and the tang on the distributor shaft not being engaged in the oil pump shaft you get no oiling.....

Thank God for a good mechanical oil pressure gauge.... we stopped the engine..... check everything around...oil level...is the gauge working.... Grant's logic was that the pump was not turning.

We removed the dizzy again..... and reprimed the oil pump using an electric drill and an old screwdriver shaft...presto... 42 pounds of pressure..... we measured the lenght of the screwdriver shaft and compared with the dizzy shaft..... came out about 5/16 short

It seems that the gear on the dizzy shaft engages the cam drive gear but if you dizzy shaft spade in not properly oriented it fails to engage in the pump recessed slot.......

Could be a costly mistakes....... got it corrected by my fiddling with the dizzy shaft from above while Grant underneath slowly rotated the flywheel with a large pry bar...... I felt a distinctive click as the dizzy drop in at least another quarter inch.

Eventually ran the engine..... now running at 42+ on oil pressure and steady vacuum at 19/20........ still have to use partial choke as it is running to lean....... could be a fuel pump problem.... or Dan suggested maybe using too large an aftermarket Rochester carb....... Got the engine to 180 degrees.... nice and smooth.... Grant notices some high frequency whistle from where he was standing on the carb side....... leaking intake manifold..... confirmed by spraying ether up close to manifold with resulting increase in rpm...... next time will use the propane torch and try to pin point exact location.

It seems that now that it has been ehated up at least one cycle we may need to loosen up all the intake bolts and retighten from the center out...... carefully.......

Sure glad I am working out these bugs before all the sheet metal gets installed.......

Any suggestions and comments or even strange incantations related to the re-tightening of the manifolds are welcomed......

One of these days will shoot a video of it running across the field
.....and me running behind!!!!

BooB