I had a 355 built years ago for my 1969 vette. Went out to start it the other day and oil pressure gauge read 0, and sounded like it had spun a bearing. Immediatly turned it off and checked oil. It looked ok. Decided to try to start again, and it started and ran pefectly smooth. Still reading no oil pressure. Turned off quickly again.

So Questions are:

Where is the oil pressure gauge tapped from? There is a small line running from the back of the intake through the firewall which i would guess to be it, but want to make sure. Figured i would rule the gauge out first.

Next, what else could cause issues (Oil pickup falling off and hitting crank a few times?) I seriously doubt it spun the main bearings, but never out of the question. It only has 10-15k since the rebuild.

 

At the very back where the intake valley meets up with the block, there is usually a oil pressure sensor unit screwed into the block. Could be a broke or melted wire, or a bad sensor altogether.

I guess you could pop off a valve cover and see if oil is coming up. Should be able to tell pretty much right away if your oil pressure is indeed zero.

 

Josh thats a good idea about valve covers, never thought about that. Are the old gaskets reuseable like the new ones?

 

I don't think that they are. I would try to take off the valvecover carefully and try to reuse the gasket anyway. If it leaks, then buy a new one!