Ok thanks for the input. I wanted to also add that their is, only when warmed up, and idling 550rpm, not a ticking sound but more like a deep clunk, idk im gonna guess with the bearing issue, but wouldnt it continue once i hit the gas??? It goes right away as soon as its revved up a bit.
Every old vehicle i have ever driven does the low at idle and goes up as you hit the gas, wouldnt it make sense for pressure to increase as rpms increase??? Im not saying that its not the case here because with that noise it most likely could be, but if the oil pressure is supposed to stay constant, your saying all these older motors are shot??? Idk if i can buy that. My van does the same thing and that thing runs amazing. No rough idle, doesnt burn a drop of oil, tons of power for a 350.
I guess ill just have to treat her nice till summer gets here and i can get old red out of the barn and start lookin into this thing more. 350/260 crate motors on summit for $1500. SHould be gettin tax money soon lol. I would love to drop a brand new engine in a truck. Never done it before.
If it dies it dies i guess and ill find a new motor. I would rebuild one if i had the time and some help from somebody who knows what their doing. If i hadnt been lookin for one of these for so long and finally found one that wasnt a rust bucket for a decent price i would just sell it now. But i like it and wanna see what i can do with it.
That my friend sounds like a thrust bearing issue. Thrust bearing bad will make noise at idle and go away as the rpm's go up. A bad thrust bearing will also drop oil pressure. With the engine off get yourself a pry bar and gently pry the harmonic balancer forward and backward to see how much movement you get (should be no more than .010", typically between .005"-.008").
