Any trick to installing a new OEM style pickup? How about making sure it's lined up?

-P
'88 IROC 5.7L

 

No not really.

 

even though it's a really tight fit they have a tendency to vibrate off if not welded on, temp install the pump/pickup on the engine with the pickup not all the on (tightly enough so it dosent fall off and it can be rotated, also so it faces allitle more toward the oil pan than it should) place the oil pan on the engine, making sure it is seated, it should push the pickup abit, remove the pan and ajust it up about .25"-.50" toward the engine, than remove the spring and weld the pickup to the pump, than re-install the spring (the heat from welding will damage the spring), the goal is to have the pickup .25"-.50" from the bottem of the pan, any less and it will suck the bottem of the pan to the pickup and starve the engine for oil, and any more and you'll oil starve the engine on hard breaking.

 

to add to the above post. Put some clay (that doesnt goop or anything, needs to stay solid, but be able to squish) right under where the oil pickup is. Make the clay about 1/3 -2/3 an inch (IIRC, might wanna double check w/ someone else) high. Then put the oil pan on it. You want to adjust the pick up until just barely squishes the clay.