So after throwing a valve into the top of my #3 piston head i am currently undergoing an aftermarket rebuild... Although it is not a budget build i was wondering if i could somehow find a cheap oil pump or is it okay to reuse the old one?, it had 72k on it when it blew.

 

dropping a valve wasn't related to a bad oil pump correct ?, chances are your old pump is fine. You could always measure the clearances and inspect it prior to being re-used.

When I blew my ap1 motor last year I put in a new ap2 oil pump as I wasn't sure what caused my oil system failure so I did it for peace of mind and insurance. It never hurts to put in a new ap2 oil pump if you could swing one. I wouldn't be crazy about a used oil pump, it probably wouldn't be much of a benefit over your old one.

 

While nothing to do with an S, I'm paranoid about oil pumps. I had a '98 Prelude, and the motor seized during a redline blast through the gears; cause determined during motor swap (ended up putting a JDM H22 into it) to be oil pump failure. For my 280Z with LS1 swap, I bought a ported and shimmed LS6 oil pump for the build; it gives about 10 psi more oil pressure than stock. I'm not suggesting that stock isn't alright, but I would definitely get a new one. It hurts too much when they go.