"Lost Oil Pressure In Your Early Chev??
I had been having trouble knowing if I had oil pressure. I commonly had pressure when I first
started the car, then I lost pressure. The assumption was that the pump was still distributing oil to the
engine. I went with this assumption until last years corn maze when I had trouble coming up a hill on the way home. I thought maybe it was timing, but when I got home and the engine was cool, I started it and had no oil pressure. NOW I HAD A PROBLEM!!! I had to find a solution that gave me a pressure reading at all times OR I would risk ruining my engine.
On the recommendation of Bob Hughes, another VCCA member, I researched Billy Possum Oil Pumps and found they were made for 1927 though 1934 Chevs. The 1927 and 1928 Chevs require a modified screen kit. So I contacted Bill and he had no experience with this pump on a '26 Chev and could not guarantee it would work.  He suggested I take measurements and angles and send them to him. After measuring the angles of the '27 and '26 pumps and after measuring the depth of the pans and two oil pumps from '26 and '27, I felt comfortable that the new pump might work. I also cut  a template of the '26 pan from the base of the engine down to determine if a '27 pump would fit my '26.  I took the chance of ordering a pump and screen for a '27 from C&P Automotive (Bill's company) knowing that if it did not work, I had to eat the cost ($259.50 plus $60.). If it worked, it would be a small cost compared to ruining an engine by running it without oil. So I installed the pump. When I held up the screen, it was obvious the screen was not going to work. It interfered with the pan. So, rather than using their oblong screen, I made up a screen from a stainless steel sink screen and a tin can with flaps cut in the edges and each flap turned in alternating directions to hold the screen. It worked. The pan fit, but I was not comfortable leaving this flimsy screen in my pan for fear it might break with time and mess up my engine. Dan Johnson suggested just removing the screen since the engine is quite clean inside anyway. so I removed the screen. At some point I may have a base the size of a tin can turned so the SS screen will fit it, but for now I am happy with oil pressure showing at all time.

These Gear Type Oil Pumps patterned after the 6 cylinder oil pumps of the 1940s are also available for 1927 through 1934 Chevs. For more information go to "www.billypossum.com" for a C&P Automotive Catalog or contact them at (310) 454-0015, email: BJChestwood@aol.com. C&P Automotive also has other parts for these early Chevrolets.