[Skip Fix]

Guys just out of curiosity was there any baffling in the valve cover of the SDs for the PCV so it did not suck oil?

[locomotivebreath]

Was it sold at a dealership in the Cincy area ?

[MarkS57]

Originally Posted by jhein

No kidding. That is beautiful. Especially the lifter valley.

I'll say. Musta been a great job to be one of the guys hand assembling these things in the Pontiac engine shop.

[johnta1]

Another cool feature is the rear cam gear structure. You don't see that every day. (unless you have an SD, or RAV?)

[mgarblik]

Thought I would answer a couple questions. Skip: SD valve covers are regular production "dripper" covers used on all performance engines beginning in 1971? No baffles in the system. Good friend with a 74 SD reports no oil or smoke ever in the line from valve to the intake. Locomotivebreath: Car was sold at a small dealer in the Marion, OH area. That's around 50 miles north of Columbus. I would have to look up the PHS to get the dealer name. Johnta1: The rear of the block is extensively modified for the dry sump provision and large distributor. Looks like a huge amount of revision was done there. I honestly would love to hear the reasons behind WHY they were so sure all those changes were necessary back there. I have never seen an actual dry sump system as Pontiac intended installed on an SD engine. None pictured on-line either. Don't know how it all would even fit in the bellhousing? All very mysterious. Very cool though.

[Skip Fix]

Mike thanks! I asked because the motor in my 78 the Butler aluminum valley pan sucked oil so I tried one in the valve cover(It has about 15 holes in it for venting, my old KRE had only 3 and did not. Better in the valve cover but was still "fogging for mosquitoes" enough on my test drive a DPS guy pulled me over! Now it just has a breather in the valve cover and no PCV.

[PAUL K]

Originally Posted by Skip Fix

Guys just out of curiosity was there any baffling in the valve cover of the SDs for the PCV so it did not suck oil?

This is the factory PCV set up. I think the location of the valve keeps it from sucking oil.

I tried one of the aluminum valley pans with the provision for a PCV valve on an AP block... Even using a baffled grommet it was mosquito abatement.

[chuckies76ta]

Very nice Mike. Thanks for sharing.

[Big Bear]

This oil pump was posted on e-bay some time ago.

[mgarblik]

Thanks for those pictures. First I have ever seen. So that's the developmental part number on the gear. Would love to get my hands on the blueprints for all the pieces and modifications needed to the rear of the block. Kinda looks like they started with a wet sump pump from the little 1.8L Opel engine they were installing in Sunbirds and other small cars , Brazilian built 1.8L, later enlarged to 2.0L and turbocharged. Very similar style pump.

[sdbob]

A good friend got his 74 SD TA before me in 1974.Anyway he over the years made contact with someone who had a SD block with that oil pump installed. He told me he traded blocks to get that system. I never witnessed system. He sold the car when his wife became ill. My 2cts.

[johnta1]

I think we had a discussion on the gears and possibly someone had all the parts. Probably in the 455 SD section in the 70-73 Birds forum?

[mgarblik]

I am not interested in adding one to this engine. Just for Pontiac knowledge to see one machined and installed on an SD engine would be cool and interesting.

[Jack Gifford]

How were the SD block's oil passages able to serve either the dry sump pump or a normal wet sump pump?

[MarkS57]

Originally Posted by mgarblik

Thanks for those pictures. First I have ever seen. So that's the developmental part number on the gear. Would love to get my hands on the blueprints for all the pieces and modifications needed to the rear of the block. Kinda looks like they started with a wet sump pump from the little 1.8L Opel engine they were installing in Sunbirds and other small cars , Brazilian built 1.8L, later enlarged to 2.0L and turbocharged. Very similar style pump.

FWIW since 1986, the Buick FWD 3.8's / 3800's have that type pump along with the distributor-less waste spark ignition system.

[mgarblik]

Originally Posted by MarkS57

FWIW since 1986, the Buick FWD 3.8's / 3800's have that type pump along with the distributor-less waste spark ignition system.

Yes, that Magnavox ignition system was like rocket science at the time. I was at the Delco Remy plant in Anderson, IN at the time it was introduced. At Delco, they were frantically trying to get the Delco system in production for the anticipated wide spread use of of coil packs in most of GM's cars. The Oil pump likewise was a huge step forward from the external little gear pump Buick engines had. Those pumps often lost their prime during oil changes and had a hard time maintaining 5 PSI on hot summer days with the AC on idling in traffic. Oil light would often flicker. the Buick GN pump was crank driven and a wet sump. Seeing the entire SD-455 system installed would be very interesting.

[mgarblik]

I had a little time to bolt a torque plate on the block and get some preliminary cylinder bore measurements. I will post up a bore chart in a couple days. It appears this block was torque plate honed in 1980-81 when it was rebuilt. I measured one side with the plate on and then measured the other side without the plate. The SD-455 block is extremely stiff, nothing like ANY Pontiac stock block I have ever measured. The difference between plate on vs plate off was no more than .0005" difference anywhere I measured thrust or pin side. A typical Pontiac block will be .001-.0015 variation, plate on vs off and some that are near .060" over size can be .002-.0025 variation. Very impressed with the casting quality and stiffness. When I get it home I will weigh it empty and compare it to a 72 455 I have laying around here. It will be interesting to see how much heavier the SD block is. I will make a guess that it is 15 lbs heavier than a regular 455. We will see.

[sdbob]

I weighed a std bore SD455 block on a state certified scale, around 198 lbs with all the caps. I remember when I found that other SD block in 1975 I'm using, in the junkyard I tried to lift it into my 63 GP trunk.Geez I couldn't took all but 2 main caps off. Still heavy. At 25 yrs old I was still strong ,could lift a 428 bare block into my trunk.

[PAUL K]

Originally Posted by sdbob

I weighed a std bore SD455 block on a state certified scale, around 198 lbs with all the caps. I remember when I found that other SD block in 1975 I'm using, in the junkyard I tried to lift it into my 63 GP trunk.Geez I couldn't took all but 2 main caps off. Still heavy. At 25 yrs old I was still strong ,could lift a 428 bare block into my trunk.

I'm glad you weighed that. We have one on the shop now that has the water jackets filled and five billet caps. It seems every bit as heavy as an aftermarket iron block.

[PAUL K]

Originally Posted by mgarblik

I had a little time to bolt a torque plate on the block and get some preliminary cylinder bore measurements. I will post up a bore chart in a couple days. It appears this block was torque plate honed in 1980-81 when it was rebuilt. I measured one side with the plate on and then measured the other side without the plate. The SD-455 block is extremely stiff, nothing like ANY Pontiac stock block I have ever measured. The difference between plate on vs plate off was no more than .0005" difference anywhere I measured thrust or pin side. A typical Pontiac block will be .001-.0015 variation, plate on vs off and some that are near .060" over size can be .002-.0025 variation. Very impressed with the casting quality and stiffness. When I get it home I will weigh it empty and compare it to a 72 455 I have laying around here. It will be interesting to see how much heavier the SD block is. I will make a guess that it is 15 lbs heavier than a regular 455. We will see.

Any chance you could Sonic scan of the cylinders?

Unfortunately the SD blocks I've checked the thickness isn't very impressive. I've only scanned about a half dozen or so and all have been 1974's or SR blocks. I'm curious if the earlier cast blocks may have been different .