Ok guys, I know its been a while since I posted last but summer got a little busy. I was working on the first round of modifications after driving it for the winter. Those pictures will come later, but first I have to finish posting the pics from the initial build.
As far as the sump being too low there is nothing to fear. It is hard to tell in that last pic but the cross member in front of and behind the pan are just a little lower than the pan, so it is protected.
And yes the oil pump chain does still sit in oil. vtpsd was correct with his explanation. The only real reason I put in the hose that connects the two sumps was so that when I do an oil change I would not need a second drain plug. the front sump would be very hard to get at. With the jig in place in the engine bay I test filled the pan with water and found that the full level does sit high enough to connect both sumps across the top. When I would go to drain it there would be 1/2 a liter of oil left in the front sump so that is what the hose is for.
Also even though the oil pickup is much longer the oil pump still primes just fine. The full level of the oil is just higher than the horizontal section of the pickup so the oil pump always has oil in it when it starts spinning.
Back to the pics, engine is in so now I can finish the exhaust.
Just got to connect them now
A little bit of wrap to keep the engine bay temps down