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I am restoring a 1954 Cavalier. I finally got the engine started today which was a major accomplishment! Except I have no oil pressure! I guess I'll tackle the oil pump next but before I do does anyone have any words of advice?

If the pan has not been dropped and cleaned, several have found a considerable amount of sludge in the bottom of the pan. In a couple of cases enough to cover and clog the pickup screen. If you have confirmed no oil pressure then it would almost have to be pump, pickup or else a catastrophic internal leak somewhere.

If you are relying on the idiot light a possibility is the oil sender is bad or the wrong one. If you are using the light, I would suggest getting a mechanical gauge and see exactly what is happening now and in the future. Plumb it into one of the ports on the main gallery which runs the length of the block just above the pump. You could mount or even hide it in the engine compartment leaving it connected so you can refer to it if any issues arise.

Thanks Howard. I'm going to drop and clean it next week. See what I find in there. Thanks again for the great info!

To illustrate what Howard says, here's a pic of the sludge in my oil pan. About 3/4" thick, partially plugging the floating pickup for the oil pump.

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