Below are a few pics of a project that started in my mind about 20 years ago. It was an effort to change the outward profile of SBF's with regards to early car swaps. I wanted to design a system that removed all the perceived problems with swapping front oil pumped SBF's into mainly early Fords with transverse spring front suspension. There is an interference problem with oil pump to crossmember clearance in stock frames/chassis mainly with `35- `40 Fords. Today the easier solution is simply modifying the crossmember by moving it down slightly and using a de-arched spring to maintain proper ride height. Back then I was trying to remove the excuses that people used as reasons why some form of brand x engine was used to repower their early Ford. This is a crank driven Gerotor oil pump, integral with the front timing cover. It eliminates the stock oil pump, driveshaft and front sump/bump oil pan. I don't have any video of it running because at the time I did not have a digital camera or video machine. I did have it running and it performed very well. A few individuals with an interest in early hot rods at Ford Motorsports (called that at the time) were quite interested in the outcome of this thing. Unfortunately I was not able to secure enough funds to bring this to fruition. One might notice that the current V8's coming out of Detroit employ a similar oil pump configuration. I got the idea while thinking of the front pump assembly in an automatic transmission and the crank driven P/S pumps of the mid 60's Lincolns. This was an attempt to meld the two together to pump engine oil and thereby creating an even more compact and tidy profile for the small block Ford. So here we go with some pics. prototype of assembly front view and from the inside from the front cover off close up of gears exploded view drive hub gear on hub fairly good packaging assembly pickup and delivery plumbing all together
May I say that I had plenty of help from a person with real engineering background. It certainly would not have been possible without him. I learned much and was a attentive student of his during the process of conception to working prototype. Great experience!
I think I have one or two scans of small photos of it all installed on my test engine. I gotta dig around for them. As far as supply pressure goes we had it arranged to be adjustable on the prototype. I think we dialed 20lbs hot at idle and only tested up to about 3500 rpm with the engine freewheeling. Never did get it on a true dyno. If memory serves me correctly she went right up to 50lbs + at speed. Final pumping pressures and volume was one of the expensive steps to be learned in dyno testing. I came close a couple times with interested parties but never could tie the knot.
Wow. Very nice work. The first engine I ever laid hands on with a snout-mounted gerotor pump was the 1981 Saab B201. I'm sure it must have been done somewhere before that, and it's certainly very common now. Of course, it didn't help that Saab in those days (and the next decade thereafter...) was using an elastomer in their dampers that de-bonded at the first whiff of oil, so a little spill, a leaky cam-cover gasket or oil filter seal, and the ring would start to work its way in and grind the heads off the oil-pump mounting bolts...the engines were in the car backward, with the damper at the back, so any oil anywhere would end up on the damper...
Interesting idea. Years ago I solved the dilemma with a Moroso Dry Sump pump but ran it to a rear sump pan - worked great.
Wow! thanks Phil that's incredible. So cool to see the concept in finished form. I'm gonna have to check that out. Thankyou very much!
Just the other night I was looking at photos of a real nice '36 Ford coupe in a mid-seventies street rodder that used a single stage weaver pump. Neat idea, cool thread. When I was opening it, I half-expected to see Y-block valve cover adapters or something silly, glad I took a look.
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