This might be a good time to talk AMC timing cover. This particular part not only covers the timing set, but also houses the distributor, fuel pump and oil pump and has to work in unison with each other. The cam gear drives the distributor and actuates the fuel pump and then the distributor drives the oil pump which in turn delivers oil throughout the engine. Cam and distributor gears should be replaced as a matching set to eliminate wear. Never, say install a new distributor gear onto a used cam gear, your only asking for trouble. Also timing cover alignment (make sure the dowel pins are present), gasket thickness and the use of excessive sealer can cause alignment issues with the two gears. Oil pump gear cavity is another area of concern. AMC decided to put steel gears into an aluminum housing and expect longevity. All well and good as long as no contaminants like from self destructing cam and distributor gears get in there and chew up the oil pump housing, therefore reducing oil pressure and eventually catastrophic failure. Our timing cover was in really nice shape, but was not too happy with the oil pump gears which showed signs of nicks and burrs. They were replaced as mentioned in an earlier post with a Mellings set and completely deburred. It was then packed with vaseline to help during initial priming of the oil system. Vaseline will dissolve with the oil, so no need to worry about clogging the system. Oil filter housing was then installed, then cam gear, fuel pump eccentric and all related parts were lubed up and timing cover installed. Hopefully we will be rewarded with good oil pressure when we fill the crankcase with Brad-Penn break-in oil http://www.penngrade1.com/ and prime the system. Looks like he is enjoying that vaseline.