428 CJ with low oil pressure

[Carnut427]

Originally Posted by Coralsnake

...warmed up with 14 pounds (dropping) at 800 rpms, I am concerned. I would like to see a warm idle pressure twice that. Is that wrong?...

14 lbs or better at idle should be sufficient...10 is "theoretically OK", but I personally prefer more. 25-30 lbs at idle is more than you need, but can be done using heavier oil, which isn't always good because it takes so long to get pumped through the engine on startup.

A high volume pump will not fix your problem, but IMO anything but a stock rebuild should have one...they're cheap insurance.

Dan

[c6ae]

I think you have a problem…and suggest you do not cause further problems by running it until you find the source of trouble.
At 2500 rpms a fresh CJ engine should have at least 40 lbs and I would expect more. The CJ’s have a standard volume, high-pressure pump, limited to about 65 lbs. It should run at or near that pressure at cruise speed / operating temp. You have a clearance issue somewhere. A plug may be left out internally, or worse there is an assembly or machining error. I have seen several FE’s assembled with the cam bearings incorrectly installed and this will cause exactly the symptoms you describe.