Benefits of a Vacuum Pump

[fourtenposi]

Just curious what benefits do you gain by running a vacuum pump? Why does it actually make better power? How does it help the ring seat?

Also I am curious to here hp/et gains that people have gained. I have one coming and I am hoping that it will help seal up a loss motor. Also any tips to using one will greatly be appreciated. I am new to running one. What vacuum should I be looking for. SBC 406, 11-1 compression, about 500hp

Thanks

[Mike Peters]

Check the Racing Articles column on the DragStuff home page where is says "The Pros and Cons of Racing Vacuum Pumps". That might be a good place to find the info you're seeking.

[John_Heard]

Here's a link to that article - http://www.dragstuff.com/techarticles/vacuum-pumps.html

On a side note, a lot of people overlook the articles we've been loading up in the tech section - http://www.dragstuff.com/techarticles/index.html
You might want to take a look, there's some good stuff in there...

[Stickshifter 55]

When I first built my car I used a Ford smog pump as my crank case vacuum pump. I drilled and tapped the housing for the intake and covered the original intake opening with epoxy. Later when I was forced to remove the pump, I did not notice any power loss or gain after however I had all typed of oil leaks. One at the distributor base, the valve covers, and the corner of the oil pan rings a bell. I added the electric smog pump but it didn’t stop any leaks.

[Stickshifter 55]

Very informative tech article on the vacuum pump. I like this part the best:
How does running a vacuum pump affect oil pressure?
I don't personally believe that a vacuum pump affects oil pressure that much from a physics point of view, because if you have atmospheric pressure in your pan or more or less pressure, it's still the same throughout the motor. It's a balance regardless of how you look at it on both intake and outlet sides of the oil pump. Normally racers won't experience any issues with oil pressure fluctuations or changes when using a vacuum pump on a wet sump engine.

I have had countless discussions on this subject with fellow internet racers. I agree with the above 100%.