So, after a week or so of slowly re-assembling everything. The first start was successful a few weeks ago. Had a few hiccups along the way, but managed to push through it all. The first time I was bleeding the coolant, after I shut the car off...my battery was dead. Alternator wasn't charging it. Long story short, a plug under the dash where my harnesss connects to my fuse box got unplugged (likely when I re-installed the dash). So that was an easy fix. A few days later, I noticed a massive puddle of coolant under the car. For whatever reason, one of my coolant lines for my turbo was leaking. I switched out the fitting with no avail, so I just replaced all the lines and fittings last weekend.
After doing some more coolant bleeding (lets just say after this I invested in a Lisle funnel kit) I decided I was going to change the oil as it had all the assembly lube in it, and take the car for the shake down drive. Change the oil and filter, start the car..0 oil pressure.
So this is where I'm at now.
I pulled the filter off to confirm if it was the filter or not. No oil is going to the filter.
So I pulled the pan off. Figuring that since the pan was dented, if I un-dented it my results would change. Cleaned and inspected the pick up. Re-assembled everything, and still no oil pressure.
Pulled the pan off AGAIN, and this time with the front cover as well. Disassemble the pump, pick up, and cannot see anything visual. Drive to the dealer and order a new pick up (s13 is discontinued, so I purchased s14) a new oil pump cover, and a gasket for between the cover and the pick up.
While waiting for the parts to come in, I brought my cover and pick up to work and sat with our Level 3 to review the x-ray images. Can't see anything detremental except tons of porosity in the casting and some strange surface cracks.
Travis took the pump drive spacer from the crank for my KA coffee table and made me a tool to bench test the new setup with my drill.
Last night I got the rest of the parts from the dealer, and assembled my existing (rockauto) front timing cover with gears, and new OEM pump cover, gasket and pick up and stuck it in my oil drain pan.
Still did not pump oil.
I had already pulled my old cover out of the scrap pile. OEM cover, OEM Pump gears, Rock auto cover, used gasket/o-ring, and s13 pick up. And it fucking pumped oil. By this point, I could narrow it down to the front timing cover or the pump gears. I swapped out the pump gears after extensively cleaning them, and boom. Got the set up for my car to function properly and pump oil. I will be going to the dealer tomorrow to order brand new pump gears, as well as bringing the rock auto ones to work to x-ray and see if we can find anything.