By Bernie Potash
The AMC oiling system is adequate for a stock motor and is a near copy of the Buick V6 with a front mounted oil pump integrated in an aluminum front motor cover. Several modifications can be performed on the AMC motor to improve the lubrication performance of any AMC motor from mild to wild. I’d like to focus on the front cover in part I. As in any motor you want the motor oil in the sump of the oil pan ready do be drawn into the pick up and not in non-critical areas of the motor. One area that needs attention is the bottom of the front cover. The cover is positioned very close to the front main bearing saddle as seen in the photo below. This tends to trap oil in the front cover cavity were it doesn’t lubricate anything. The photo on the right shows an easy modification that allows oil to drain out but does not compromise the integrity of the cover.
What you basically want to do is copy the small “D” shape onto the drilled side. Use the small side as a template, mount it on a long nail or rod, and mark on top of the drilled side of the hole. The blue is masking tape so you don’t scratch the pump surface. A long carbide burr can be used to carefully open the hole up to the correct size.
This is the before and after shots of this mod. Be careful when enlarging the final hole not to extend the “D” shape into the machined surface of the pump. If you look closely at the final hole it is slightly smaller than the output hole but considerable larger than the stock drilled hole. Leave about a 1/16” from both sides of the machined surface. This mod will help equalize the oil pump pressure on both sides of the gear and increase output flow.