Hi,
Well I want to thank everyone for their input in trying to solve my problem. I originally post a topic regarding a bypass hose from the oil galley on the driver side of my 57 tbird to the oil pan. I had never seen one before and apparently no one else had either. I removed this hose and plugged the block and welded the oil pan shut during the rebuild and figured that was that. Well I was way wrong.
Before we started the motor after the rebuild, I installed a mechanical oil pressure gage, cuz I don't trust the electric ones that are original equipment. When we started the motor, the oil pressure went to 110psi and blew out the oil seals on the canister filter. Well here we go, that's why there was a bypass installed on this motor, but why is the pressure so high.
Pulled the oil pump, a gerotor type, which had been rebuilt by myself, new gear and a new spring in the oil relief valve assembly. The pump was taken apart by me and photographed as it was, cuz sometimes things happen and things don't go together the same way as they came out.
Well after 3 days of picking everyone's brain, and getting nowhere, I finally decided to buy a new pump, if only to see how that one was put together. Well lo and behold the new pump oil relief valve assembly was put together differently than the original one I had. The new pump had the plunger installed 180 from the way my original pump was. When we started to check the original pump we could then see that by having the plunger in backwards, it could not move, too much pressure from the spring and it also blocked off the bypass ports. The plunger has a cupped end and a spindle end, and when you are looking at the pump from the top, you should be able to see the spindle in the bypass hole.
Well I reversed the plunger in the original pump and reinstalled it and it was giving me good pressure sometimes and low pressure other times, so I installed the new pump, which is a spur gear type and the pressure is 65psi when cold and a minimum of 40psi when warm.
Well I hope this will help somebody out there, save them from pulling their hair out like me.
Also the 57 Tbird manual shows the oil pump plunger, but doesn't show it with the spindle.
Well good luck to everyone
guido