The Stovebolt Site Forums The Shop Area Engine Shop Higher capacity oil pump in a 216

Here's some photos of adapting from the M11 oil pump in a 216 to a Melling M29 pump as recommended by Hotrod Lincoln. I'm doing this in conjunction with adapting a 235 crankshaft and insert bearing style rods in my engine after burning out a rod. That'll give me full pressure oiling. I found a 1958 235 and salvaged the crankshaft and a few other parts from it. The M45 pump in the 235 won't work because it would interfere with the side of the oil pan.

The first two pictures are of the stock setup with the M11 pump and the oil pickup attached to the #3 main bearing cap. I initially thought I would need to use the pickup from the 235 as the inlets on the two pumps are on the opposite side, but the pipe from the pickup to the pump inlet goes around the opposite side of the pump. I didn't actually connect the pump outlet at the block for the picture in case anyone noticed that. The third picture is of the inlet pipe that's sweated into the adapter that bolts to the main cap. I removed the pipe in order to use it to connect to the M29 pump inlet. Next picture shows the M29 pump in place with the 235 crankshaft set into the block and the outlet tube from the 235 that needed to be shortened just 1/2". With the crank in place i found the adapter interfered slightly with the counterbalance. Next couple pics show that interference and dealing with it with a little grinding. The last picture shows the inlet tube from the 216 (loose from the adapter.) It needs to be bent to shape as soon as I get a fitting. The one that connects to the original pump is too small to fit the M29 pump. I ran all over town looking for one. Finally ordered one from McMaster Carr LINK. When it gets here, I'll bend the tubing and finish the connection.

Well, I ran into a snag. The original pump uses a 1/2" OD inlet tube. Apparently the M29 pump used in the '53-'54 235's use a 9/16" inlet tube. If anyone can confirm that for me I would appreciate it. I ordered what I thought was a correct fitting, but I messed up on the thread size and wound up with the exact same sleeve style fitting that was on the original 1/2" inlet tube. Did a little casting around and found that a 1/2" flare fitting will screw into the M29 pump inlet, but need to figure out some way to connect the 1/2" OD tube to it. One place said the pump connection was a "bump tube" fitting that uses an o-ring seal. Those were apparently used for power steering pumps. I did find one of those but there was no way to connect the tube, as it was too long (if adapter to compression.)

One possibility is to find a 9/16" tube sleeve fitting (see the attached screen shot from the part listing) and some 9/16 tubing and sweat it to the 1/2" tube that the 216 uses.

Another option is to hit up one of my friends with a lathe and turn the flare fitting into one that uses a compression ferrule for the 1/2" tube.

Or try to find a power steering tube and adapt that to the 216 pickup connector.

I believe I'd make the pump fit the tubing, instead of the other way around. It's not chiseled in stone that what's there, thread-wise, has to stay that way. On the race engines, we made our own pickup assemblies, and silver soldered everything together, even where the inlet tube went into the pump. We also made one-way oil pan baffles with swinging doors to trap oil at the pickup in hard left turns.
Jerry

Adapting the pump isn't turning out to be that easy, but I'll get it done.

Nothing worth doing is ever easy, but I'm willing to bet you'll like the end result.

Pics of a 54 style 261 pump if it will help.

Thanks Greg, that looks like the same pump. I assume the inlet tube connects somehow to the pickup screen assembly. Is the tube OD 9/16"?

Could you disconnect the inlet tube and post a picture of the fitting. Should be 3/4"x16 thread with a crimp on the pump end.

Inlet tube pushes into the bushing on top of the pickup. More pics and measurements to come. Hope this helps. let me know if you need more or different shots.

Thanks, Greg

That confirms that the tube is 9/16" which my searching tells me is now unobtainium, as is the fitting that goes into the pump. I have a plan to modify a 1/2" flare adapter by drilling it out and machining the pump end for a compression ferrule. I'll let everyone know how that works out.

It is pretty much a bent tube with a ferrule and the other end is cut at an angle I suppose to make it easier to slide into the grommet of the pickup. I was hoping the ruler was visible enough to guide you on measurements.

I like to drill out a compression fitting so the tubing can slide all the way through it, then slip the pickup screen over the tube. The modified fitting is silver soldered to the top of the pickup.
Jerry

I don't have a pickup like Greg has pictured where the tube slides into it. The 216 pickup cover has the oil running thru the adapter that bolts to the main cap. The tube will be resoldered into the adapter or stand for the pickup housing as it was originally.
I'm adapting the 1/2" tube to the pump with the flare fitting. Standard compression fittings have threads that are too fine to screw into the pump. Soldering the ferrule to the tube will probably help keep it in place, rather than just depending on the ferrule to compress on to the tube. Arriving today are some 1/2" groove pulleys to bend the tube around so it fits into the pump and the adapter. I'll build a bending jig with the pulleys.

So I got the plumbing for the M29 pump nearly finished. I needed to build a tubing bender for the 1/2" OD inlet tube, as I wasn't going to buy one for $100+ for one job. The pulleys I bought weren't going to work, so I got a rope eye splice thimble and used that as a guide for bending. Welded that to some scrap steel and got 'er done. For the fitting at the pump I drilled out the flare fitting that threaded into the pump inlet, dressed the end and chamfered it to use a 1/2" compression ferrule. I was thinking I'd need a lathe, but just used a chamfer bit in a hand drill. I still need to resolder the inlet tube into the adapter that bolts to the main cap. Last bit was finding a 7/16 ferrule for the discharge tube at the pump fitting. Finally found one at NAPA after checking two hardware stores. Seems that 7/16" OD tube is pretty rare now as the hardware places had only 3/8" and 1/2" sizes.
Here's a couple pics of the completed piping. In case anyone is wondering, the crankshaft from the previous pics is out getting reground.

Good looking work! Wouldn't it have been simpler to just swap over to 1/2" OD tubing and fittings everywhere? That's what I'm planning on doing when I do a similar installation.
Jerry

I used the 7/16" discharge tube and fittings from the 235 I have. I just needed to shorten one end of it for it to fit. Then needed a new compression ferrule for the end of the tube. I'd have had to find some 1/2" OD tubing, fittings and bend that to fit.