The Stovebolt Site Forums The Shop Area Engine Shop oil pressure/circulation 235

I have a 1954 with a 235 engine. I got the engine overhauled 3-4 years ago when a couple valves finally burned up. Since then my oil pressure is low. (It's a long story so bear with me).
I worried about it for a while, then after watching the meter drop to "0" after a 20 minute drive I dropped the pan and found the oil pump gasket in parts in the bottom and the oil pump base only loosely attached to the body(held on with a couple threads). I thought I'd found the oil pressure problem. So I fixed that and put in a filter(after market, hung on the firewall, plumbed from the oil pressure fitting and dumping back in at the plug on the front left of the engine.) But the pressure was only a little better. When hot it still dropped to near "0". I started to worry that the year of low pressure hard burned up bearings and that was why my pressure was low.
Now it has started making a scraping noise in the engine, a high pitched click, grating. So I checked the valve rockers and they weren't getting oil. There's only a tiny drip coming up to the rocker shaft. Is this right? I have no idea if this is the source of the new noise or not.
I was thinking I could just return the oil from the oil filter to the plug on the head that leads to the top end lubrication. Would this work? Should I be worried that this has fried bearings?
I have tried to check passages with compessed air and I get almost no flow of air from the back plug under the lifter cover into the block. And there was almost no oil coming out of there when I ran the oil pump with an electric drill. I'd appreciate anyone's experience on this.
I took it back to the machinist who did the engine overhaul and he thought the oil pressure was just fine. But he's a young guy. Am I just a nervous nell?

Sounds like something ain't right. There were full pressure and low pressure engines in '54, which is yours?

Did you replace the pump or just the gasket? Did you try the pump with a drill and it didn't work?

If its full pressure, check your gauge and try a different one...

If you still don't have pressure drain the oil and check it out for chunks of metal and pieces of babbit. You might drop the pan and check a bearing or two, and replace the pump.

You should use the holes on the driverside of the block for the filter.

If the pressure is good and you aren't getting oil to the rockers sumtin' wrong.

'54 should all be full pressure. I agree with MN51, pull the pan and check the lower end. Sounds like you may also have a blockage in the passage to the rocker arm supply line.

Well, I've got oil on my hat and the oil pan off. Oil pump works great. It pushed pressure on the dash gauge to 30 with a drill. But no oil to the lifter side of the engine. I used some compressed air and it seems to be coming out at the rear bearing of the camshaft. Air just bairly came out the oil supply line,(where I took it off the pump)
I'm going to put in a thinner gasket in the pump to make ther be less clearance around the impellers(I'm really stretching the hope here). I'm afraid the guy that did the overhaul somehow plugged the oil holes aat that back camshaft bearing. Would that cause this?

the camshaft bearings have oil holes in them and must be put in the right position to oil properly.

Pull the side pan behind the distributer and check the line going from the rear cam bearing to the rocker arm assy. It is a small 1/4 in. copper line about 6 in. long. It is probably plugged up and not feeding oil to the rocker arm assy. Also check the fittings on this line for obstructions.
Tom