that should be "...starts out when cold at about half way..."

"God Bless Texas"location: Houston,TX

Daniel.  You’ll have to refresh my memory on that 390.  How many miles on it?  What weight oil is being used?  Plenty of oil in the pan?  How long since the last oil change?  Beyond all that, the first order of business would be to check the factory electric gauge against a known good mechanical gauge.  This could be as simple as an electric oil pressure sending unit giving a false reading which gives you a little hope for a cheap fix.
  
If the electric gauge checks out as being correct, then here’s more.  The factory oil pumps are marginal on those engines when they are in good condition so with a little bearing wear, the oil pressure suffers.  The oil pumps are also prone to wear which will also cause a drop in ‘hot’ oil pressure.  I’ve found that a high volume pump is a quick fix for those FE’s that are either worn or built on the loose side in regards to bearing clearances.  In this case, it may be a solution for correcting the hot oil pressure and would be much less expensive than a complete engine rebuild.

Lorena, Texas (South of Waco)

Ted, as always, great advice! Thanks!
mileage is 170K+ on Daniel's 390. Presently has 10-30 oil in it. We have changed the oil several times since he got the car. There is a leak at the back of the passenger side head-block area... at least that's where it seem to be coming from.
as I'm trying to still sell it, the cheapest fix is my preference, so I'll check out the gauge accuracy first.
it's a love-hate matter at the moment... Daniel and I still love the car and hate the thought of having to sell it, but the reliability issue is still the big problem.  He goes to school in Abilene this fall or perhaps to Searcy, AR, so reliability is a must.  I'd love to have a "famous" engine builder handle a rebuild on the engine, but that's a distant dream at the moment.
Thanks again for your interest and advice!
Mark

"God Bless Texas"location: Houston,TX

Quickest and easiest is tack weld a stock lug onto the lock nut

I'm not sure how the sale option is going on Daniel's car but I wish you both the best of luck with it. After following the rebuild here I've come to realize that no matter what happens a lot of valuable lessons have been learned along with the father son bonding time. One of the things that I think plagues many of us, especially when younger, is our attachment to the cars we own and build. I've had many cars come and go and still wish I had been able to keep most of them. That's the problem, we can't keep them all! I've also known a number of car guys that are every bit as passionate about their cars but don't have the tendency to hang on to them too long. Re-building and flipping is a good way to broaden your experience. The people that can do that seem to be ahead. That doesn't take away my admiration for the ones that still have their first or their High School car. But, looking back, I realize I kept several of them way past their due date. Partially due to my career in the military and not having a fixed location for storage I just could not keep them once age started showing its affects. So I usually ended up buying at market and selling as a "quick sale". Always a losing proposition. Maybe he'll gain some insight and passion for the rebuild/own/sell part of our hobby. Chuck

Y's guys rule!
Looking for McCullouch VS57 brackets and parts. Also looking for 28 Chrysler series 72 parts. And early Hemi parts.

MoonShadow, 292 w/McCulloch, 28 Chrysler Roadster, 354 Hemi)
Manchester, New Hampshire

Update: Daniel's car is being sold via CL to a German couple who just happened to be visiting friends in the Houston area, looked at CL, called me and came over and decided they liked the car!  Selling for less than I wanted (naturally) but the sale will fund a newer vehicle for Daniel to use during his college years.  Delivery is scheduled for the next couple of weeks. The buyer has a friend in Houston who buys, sells, restores, etc cars...plus he imports/exports as well so he'll make the arrangements for overseas transportation.
I just need to put the front end back together after installing new ball joints, control arm bushings, shocks and springs.  Speaking of the springs, I'm having a hard time compressing the new ones enough to get them installed.  Rented a compressor tool from Advance Auto but it's hard to manhandle the springs down short enough to get them in place.  Does anyone have any suggestions or advice on getting this done SAFELY??
Again, thanks to all who have kindly responded with ideas, suggestions and encouragement during this journey!
Mark


"God Bless Texas"location: Houston,TX

I have chained the frame to the floor jack base and raised the lower control arm up with the spring in place. sort-of a poor mans press.

Gary Ryan San Antonio.TX.

Gary,
In the good service manual, Helm, for my '88 Firebird, that is pretty much exactly what is used.  No spring compressor.  It's a trolley jack with a special adapter to hold the a-arm and you just jack the a-arm up to the chassis, compressing the spring at the same time.  Might be a good tool to make some day.  I'd feel a lot safer doing it that way than using a spring compressor - that was not at all a comfortable job.  Lowering springs are apparently much easier, but it is low enough for me with stock springs.



Lawrenceville, GA

front end rebuild complete! borrowed a real spring compressor from a local alignment shop and got the final spring done this a.m.  all that's left before its off to Germany is bleeding the brakes and packing a few extra parts in the trunk for the new owner.

thanks again to all who have enjoyed the last 3 or so years with us as Daniel and I have made many memories and to those whose helpful advice and donated parts confirmed that there good people who love old cars!
now maybe I can get my Fairlane finished!
Mark

"God Bless Texas"location: Houston,TX