The best thing about competition is that it breeds excellence. The more parties competing for superiority, the better the product from each brand needs to be. Ultimately, the winners in this competition are us! Walking the isles of this year’s PRI event, one could think, “Man, everything there is to be built for a big block Chevrolet has been made five or six times over.” Chances are you’d be right, but nevertheless, you’ll come out a winner.

We happened by Melling Select Performance and scoped out their wicked billet aluminum high-volume big block Chevrolet oil pump. Designed for street/strip service, the Performance Oil Pump’s body is hewn from 6061-T6 billet aluminum and coated in a protective anodized hardcoat, while the innards are made from high volume billet steel gears with an extended chrome moly drive shaft. Melling went ahead and integrated the pickup screen, as well as multiple pressure settings.

While the pump isn’t brand-spankin’-new, their retro-fit roller lifters and camshafts are. We handled a set of their BBC lifters and were impressed – as always – with Melling’s attention to detail. Be it hydraulic or mechanical, these retro-fit lifters work great for the enthusiast looking to eke out a bit more performance from their big block bowtie without breaking the bank or having to reengineer their top end.