Oil pump blues???

["Daegrigg (Don)" <daegrigg@domain.elided>]

Greetings Alfisti:

Just finished replacing the top and bottom of the oil sump on my 86 spider.  This after my son skidded into the curb duing a rain storm.  When I started the car, all seemed OK for the first 10-20 seconds as I kept an eye on the oil pressure gauge.  ( Julio, my sometimes mechanic, had told me when I called looking for a used pan, that almost to a certainty the oil pump was damaged and would need to be replaced.  I could see/detect no damage to the pump when I pulled the old pan, although I did not remove it for inspection)  At about, 30-sec to a minute, I heard  a slight "clanking" sound looked at the OP gauge and the pressure was near zero, although the idiot light was not on.   Shut down the engine.

Sounds like Julio was right.  I plan to pull the pump.  Anyone with similar experience?  How can I tell if the pump is shot?  

Thanks,

Don
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