<VV> Re: High Volume Oil pump

[Chris & Bill Strickland]

A couple of things about the "high volume" oil pump

1)  If someone actually had to cut these gears the price would keep them 
from being so common, but since the gears themselves were originally GM 
inventory, they are pretty cheap and retail sales being what it is, it 
is a marketable product that can be sold at a profit.  Using this 
gearset to increase pump volume was not a new concept when the Corvair 
came along, just adapted to fit the Corvair, too -- wonder 
who/what/when/where first came up with this idea of non-oem use?  
Originally, these gears were an option used to increase oil pressure in 
348/409's from 25-40 to 36-55 psi , if I have my facts correct, and in a 
409 that may have been a good thing -- I really don't know.

2)  A lot of folks on here say there is no need for it.  Well, I don't 
know if there is a need for it in a Corvair motor, but on the other 
hand, in the vein of 'do no harm', in a stock-ish motor, does it hurt 
anything?  I ran one for many years, and don't believe that it hurt 
anything I could identify. I suppose, if'n one broke a rear engine mount 
and continued driving, things could get messy, but that really wouldn't 
be the fault of the pump ...

3)  It's a quick, cheap, and easy item to add to the list of engine 
modifications (especially if it is a mostly stock engine) to 'wow' the 
judges at  a car show -- "a high-volume oil pump using Chevrolet 409 
pump gears" sounds impressive if you don't  know what it really means.

Bill Strickland