quote:OK, since I now know that the high volume/pressure oil pumps put a lot of stress on the distributor gear shaft pin, and they have tendency to shear, I assume that start-up is what puts the most stress on the pin, (cold oil at it's thickest) correct?
SO, when I start the car, I always let the engine idle and warm up, but not for the 10-15 minutes it takes to heat the oil up, but should i let her warm up more than I have been, so at least the oil is thinner and hotter, putting less force on the pin.
Usually after a couple minutes of warmup, I take off and drive REALLY easy (under 2k rpms until I see the oil temps get above 180, then it's Go-Time.
Now I'm wondering if i should warm the car up more completely before taking off?
Your current warm up procedure is fine. Driving it easy/normally while the thing warms up the rest of the way won't put any unnecessary stress on the engine or distributor shear pin. And for that matter, if you're using a multi-viscosity oil, it's likely not thicker when cold and doesn't put additional stress on the dizzy shear pin anyway.
Remember, this is a Ford 351 Cleveland! The same basic architecture that's been powering trucks and sedans, not to mention bad-ass Panteras, for decades. It's not a high strung temperamental piece of Eye-talian exotica made of unobtanium tuned to the breaking point in need of constant attention.
Just drive and enjoy your car!