i hate to even admit this but ,as ive been getting back to my 455 build I realized i never installed the oil pump drive shaft I found it going through a box of parts .The oil pump and pan is installed now and i was hoping not to tear it apart to install it .How critical is it to remove the retainer washer on the shaft and drop it in from the top? If its any issue at all i will bite the bullet and redo it. This what i get for stopping and going so many times on this motor my memory has alot to be desired.as always thanks

 

The only time it will become a problem is if you pull the distributor and the shaft comes along with it and falls down in the wrong place. I am not sure this can even happen in an Olds but I know it can in most Ford engines. If you aren't worried about that part then it wont hurt anything.

But ..... for the price of an oil pan gasket and an hour of your time, I would probably go ahead and fix it right

 

My retainer washer has been gone a long time. It hasn't been a problem when pulling the distributor.

 

Had that happen to me on a Mustang one time... pulled the distributor up & heard a clank as the shaft fell into the oil pan.
Took a few hours to get it back.

Maybe put a small amount of Permatex on the part that goes into the pump so it does not easily pull out in the future.

 

The driveshaft nearly always gets stuck in the distributor at some point, which means that you have to forcibly pull the distributor out, sliding the retainer down the shaft until the retainer drops into the oil pan. The only reason why that retainer is even on the shaft is so that on the engine assembly line, they could drop the shaft into the block while it was rolled over, before the distributor was installed. Otherwise, it would just fall out. Most of my motors don't have the retainer.

 

thank you guys for the replies