I dug a little bit deeper into why my oil pump pickup had such a large gap to the bottom of my oil pan (I measured it at 0.650") when I ordered everything as a kit. I knew my engine would run fine with that clearance, but it was bugging me that it wasn't quite right and I wanted to do the job right since I had the engine out. I don't want to be worrying about my oil pump pickup when taking a sustained high-g corner, I have enough to worry about when out on the track!
I first double checked that all the parts I received were correct and confirmed that indeed they were. I then went about checking the measurements and here is where I ran into some issues.
The pan is listed as having an 8in deep sump and the pickup in the kit is correct for a pan of that depth. However, the pan is actually 8.25in deep:
When I spoke to someone from the Summit tech line, they said that these pans are hand welded which leads to some variances in pan depths sometimes. I understand that, but I can't see a pan depth tolerance of +/-0.25" being acceptable, especially since it's a critical part of getting the oiling system dialed in.
Fortunately though, I was able to speak with someone in customer service and have them send me a pickup designed for an 8.25" deep pan (part number MOR-24170) and a new oil pump free of charge.
So, it sucks I've lost some time on my project figuring this out, but a big thanks to Summit Racing for making it right. Maybe they can update their kits in the future so someone else doesn't experience the same problem.
Now, on to some actual progress... which unfortunately there is not much to report this week.
My biggest accomplishment was finally getting my engine painted. I used the Eastwood high-temp ceramic system for laying down the color. The kit was pricey (~$20/can) and seemed to leave a really nice durable finish.
The primer laid down nicely initially, but I found some small spots flaking and discolored in some areas. I tried to clean the block as best as I could before priming but I'm guessing this is due to some contamination:
There were no instructions on the can in terms of dry time so I called Eastwood for some instructions. Here is what they suggested in case someone else wanted to use the same system:
Primer Coat
Wait 10mins
Second Primer Coat
Wait 60mins
First Color Coat
Wait 10mins
Second Color Coat
All was going well into I got to my first color coat and something went wrong with the valve on the can... it started spraying all over the place and just dumping paint on the engine. Now, I'm not an expert painter, but I do know that thin coats are the way to go as opposed to big thick ones. However, I had no choice here as I had to go over to engine a bunch of times to cover everything with the irregular spray pattern. I was a little disappointed considering I paid $20/can. It seemed to dry OK though, I just hope it doesn't start chipping off when it gets hot.
My exploding red paint can:
Finished product:
That's all for tonight. My new oil pump and pickup should be here tomorrow so I button up the bottom end and move on to the top side.