lowest oil pressure for engine to survive

[G.M.]

Originally Posted by rockfla

I'm fighting sort of the "same" issue.......I'm running straight 40 here in Florida and this is strictly going by the pressure gauge on the car as I have not plumbed in a manual gauge at the block YET!!! SO that would be my first suggestion is to plumb a manual gauge at the block for a more confirmation and possibly accurate information. My next move is on the "next" oil change, drop the pan and maybe work the spring in the oil pump to see IF it will increase the pressure any OR possibly go to a higher pressure pump!!! Mine starts out at around 20lbs but once warm and running I get about 7ish going around 45 -50mph and "0" at idle!!! It runs spectacular!!! We have a "long time" friend who has been an engine mechanic going on 60 years now and as he told us a long time ago...."IF" its running good and has oil pressure when you are "rolling" down the road, run it till you either "have" to pull it OR until you can afford to pull it and rebuild it!!" SO following others comments and or suggestions here!!!

Look up a couple posts I did a few years ago that describe how to
build a little test fixture and using a 1/2 inch electric drill and a
mechanical gauge test the oil pump and relief valve to see where
it dumps. Some will slowly drop and not come back up until the
engine is increased. This way when you install the pump you know
it works. I wouldn't put any pump in without testing first. G.M.