Re: the bearings. Yes. Poston Enterprises, 1-800-635-9781 have a cam bearing that has a full circle groove on the back side and is much harder than stock. The factory front cam bearing has a tendency to get hot and actually melts over part or all of the oil feed hole. This melting covers the oil hole that feeds the 1-3-5-etc side lifters. All this is due to the load the oil pump and the distributor places on the front bearing. But, low oil pressure is most likely to be caused by wear in the the oil pump housing itself. I would seriously look into replacing the front cover assy. JC Whitney sells it for about $130. I bought mine on eBay for about $80.
While you have the engine apart, and prior to having the block tanked, you might want to do this mod.
After removing the front cam bearing, you grind a small groove about 1/8" X 1/8" from the oil feed hole to the hole that feeds the 1-3-5 bank. It is a simple redundant measure that really doesn't need to be done if you use the Poston bearing. But it is not a replacement for the hard cam bearing.
If I had to do one over the other, I'd invest in a new front cover and do the 1/8" groove in the block. A little oil pressure is lost past a soft front bearing, if or when is melts. But it's not a big deal if the driver's side lifters are getting oil and not rattling. Buick says 5-7 psi oil pressure at idle is OK. Can you believe that? ! Well, my 350 idles at somewhere around 15-20 psi. Also,it is suggested to not use a high pressure spring kit or a high volume oil pump kit. All this extra load is very hard on the front cover.....especially in the winter. The steel wear plate on the bottom side of the pump is OK and probably a good idea. Also, Fram is now carrying a new line of oil filters that have a special check valve that keeps oil wher it was when the engine last shut down........a great idea for Buick engines! They have a tendency to bleed down.
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