283 Oil System

[Bill Darnaby]

My 1955 Continental has a 283 engine (not original). What is the purpose of the plate on the starboard side (left side of engine) of the oil pan?
Thanks, Bill

[drrot]

Hard to tell without a photo but my guess is to dis-connect the oil pump pickup from the bottom of the oil pan

[Bill Darnaby]

That is what the cast letters on the plate seem to indicate but I was wondering if anybody had any direct experience with that process. Anyway, it has no oil pressure and spinning the pump through the distributor drive hole with a priming tool yields no oil out of the pressure line hole in the top of the block. It appears that engine removal is becoming unavoidable. Has anybody had this experience before?