A pinched or improperly seated oil pickup tube O-ring can allow the oil pump to suck up air, resulting in oil pressure drops and oil starvation. This is common a occurrence in the GM LS engine family, as the pickup tube is secured on only one side by a single screw.

Improved Racing now has a brace available that uses the extra screw hole on the oil pump to ensure an equal clamping force is exerted on both sides of the pickup tube flange. Priced at only $24.00, the billet aluminum brace provides low-cost assurance that your oil pickup tube will stay in place and leak-free lap after lap.

More info and purchase here: http://www.improvedracing.com/oil-pumps/ls...rdle-p-642.html

NICE!

If I decide to rebuild this engine, I will be ordering this along with your updated baffle and crank scraper.

I bought another vendor's version of this back in 2010. Their's looks more like a C girdle, with bolt holes in each end. Mine seemed like a good idea when the motor was on a stand, but it seems as if it would be a pain to swap the pickup tube o-ring with the motor installed and the pan just dropped a little at the front.

Nice part. If I ever drop the pan again I'll be sure to add this so I have the full Improved Racing setup for my oiling system. Already have your scraper/baffle/oil cooler adapter combo. All awesome products.

Yeah, we are familiar with that one as well. However since the other side is already bolted down, we thought it made more sense to make something that applies even force to both sides of the unbolted end of the flange, instead of to one side only.

If you can get to the pickup tube and unbolt it, you should be able to unbolt the girdle as well.