ok lets see if someone smarter than me can help with this, the engine is a 73 440 cast crank, rebuilt previously 30 over flat tops 0 deck 452 heads roller rockers basically a little better than a stock hp engine...the rest is unknown. I got it from a friend, I regasketted it and a couple caps to theck bearings, hipo pan and windage tray installed:

the isue I have is occasionally if i stop hard the oil light will come on for a few seconds, when hot. I also get a what sounds like a lifter tick occasionally but will go away, like im losing oil pressure. I bust out the snap on mechanical oil pressure gauge and throw it on there.

the cars got 15 40 rotella t in it with a wix filter. cold i have about 70 psi pressure, but the needle on the gauge flutters (this is a new unit, never used so the gauge might flutter) hot ive got 40-50 psi... these are numbers at idle. my question is whats causing the tick and winky light? at 40 psi i would think the light should come on as thats a 3-5 psi switch iirc. today im changing the oil filter and oil, was wondering if a sticky bypass in the pump would cause this or is the engine short for this world? any ideas?

Got enough oil in it? Pickup screen close enough to bottom of pan?

If it just does it when you stop hard I'd say you need some baffles in your oil pan. The sump is uncovered as all the oil goes to the front of the pan when you stop hard.

its a baffled pan, it will tick under cruise, its also a recent development, didnt do it last year or earlier this year, and yes there is oil in it...that was the first thing i checked

Well the tick and the winking light are two indicators of very low pressure so I don't think I'd trust your gauge if it reads 40# at the same time. Has the bottom of the pan been scraped on anything lately that may have bent it against the pick up? I think you're on the right track, you could remove the plug on the oil pump where the bypass valve is and check that out, probably wouldn't hurt to just remove the whole pump and check it out.

im kinda feeling the pumps bypassing, it will come on usually after a long cruise when its hot, im going to see if i can drive it with the gauge hooked up and watch it... after i change the oil...

Since the problem is recent I would suspect a faulty pump or a blockage in the pick-up,smashed pan? 1st I would just change the pump,then if still occurs would check pick-up in pan, then lifters,more than likely a new pump will eliminate most of the problem,ran into this a couple times with 440's and a 318 or two,very frustrating,but pumps are cheap,while its apart check oil pump drive gear for wear or breakage and replace if necessary. with the pump off you could blow thru pick up to remove any obstruction, remove oil plug in pan and force with air some kerosene/diesal/solvant down pick up tube to help remove derbis or build up on/in pick up, just make sure to drain it all very well before you add new oil, I have done all this in the past with no problems,as a last resort you could drop the pan and inspect...

Not to change the subject but what is iirc ? I keep seeing it in posts but can't figure out what it means

IIRC, it's If I Remember Correctly.

im gonna drop the oil and see what it looks like, then start over, im glad big blocks have external pumps, so if it needs to come off its not a huge deal, just not into it...its sunny and id rather drive the vert than work on it!

Thank you build another I would have never guessed that

By chance is the pump a HV???

what kind of oil-pan capacity ?

it is a hv pump...its a 6 quart pan...its hiot enough out time to change the oil and see if anything changes...right after a samich!

This is in a baffled pan so very unlikely even in braking.
Only time that I have seen a HV pump a pan out and it really didn't is in a dirt car wiothout the proper pick up so that the oil was pulled away from the sump from inertia of the turns on the oval. would have happened with any pump. I know that there are many here that 'think' that a HV pump can pump out a pan but it is very unlikely and will have other contributing causes like blocked or in some way restricted oil return - not the pump over pumping. If you thinkk it does that is up to you .

I'm going to jump in here and say that I ran heavy weight oil for the first 2-3 years after my motor was built (440 similar to yours with a melling high pressure pump, 6qt hemi pan, pickup drilled out and tapped for 1/2" pickup). I wasn't exactly up on the smaller details like what clearances he built the motor unfortunately. I switched to synthetic. I forget the weight, but it was not the same as the heavy weight oil I was using. I would get lifter noise under hard deceleration..ie floor it in first and left it slow itself down without shifting. I switched back to the heavy stuff and haven't had a problem since.

are you sure you have enough oil in it? maybe someone put an aftermarket dipstick in it and it's not the right length? I had one of those milidon ones once, the steel braided one, and I could never tell how much oil was in the darn thing.