Nailhead oil priming

[Guest PunkRivi63]

So im getting ready to fire up my 401 from a 63 Riviera and had some questions on how to prime the oil. Maybe someone has pictures or a write up on how to do this?

[Don McClair]

I was able to use a large flat screw driver bit that I put into a quarter inch socket. I attached the socket to a long quarter inch extension and then to an adapter that I could chuck into my electric drill. I put duck tape around all of the joints so nothing would come apart and using a flash light I got the flat blade bit into the oil pump shaft. You need the valve covers off for the next step. Gently squeeze the trigger and once you feel comfortable with it let your drill run wide open. Once the oil pump starts to pump oil through the engine the drill will slow down quite a bit from the load on it. Keep going until you see oil start to squirt out around the rocker arms and the drivers side should be the last to receive oil. That's all there is to it.

Good luck,

[RivNut]

Here's a link to a video on YouTube by the Mellings Pump people. It shows what Don just described. The guy in the video has a tool made specifically for priming where Don uses a screw driver bit on an extension. Note how the guy in the video uses an aftermarket oil pressure gauge connected directly to the port where the sender goes. Not a bad idea to see what kind of pressure you have before firing the engine.

Ed

[Guest Rob J]

Which direction, counter clockwise, correct?

[Don McClair]

Clockwise is what I remember doing on my engine. As Ed said once the pump starts pumping oil you will know real quick because the drill really has to work at turning that shaft.

[Bill Stoneberg]

And of you forget the plugs on the back of the engine, you will soon have a pool of oil on your floor. Dont ask me how I know.

But now, I do it on the stand before I put it in the car.

[Guest Rob J]

Yes, it is clockwise. Got the motor primed up. Yep, drill was working when it loaded up.

[rocky5517]

Don't know

if this helps or not, but when we rebuilt the oil pump on my 67 430, the manual said to be sure to stuff vasoline into the oil pump so there's no chance of losing the suction during start-up. I hope I expalined that correctly.Never heard of that before.

[Guest Rob J]

Yes, did stuff it with petroleum jelly. That's so it primes properly, otherwise your sucking air, and the pump may not prime, or catch initially. No pool of oil on the floor, luckily.

[Guest Rivit]

Nothing beats the sound of Newly installed Big ends and Mains Screaming their lungs out, and that clunkity clunk sound like a Massey Ferguson from the crank that's usually followed by a large cloud of smoke.. Gotta love it..!! hahaha