So a 95% owner restored TR-3 owner makes an appointment to get some details done before it goes back to the trim shop for completion.
A couple door seals, washer squirter nozzles, check a couple instruments, 1 horn is weak, toe-in adjustment, and a valve adjustment since the engine has just been rebuilt.
OK so this pretty red TR-3 comes in on a rollback, I go over the list with the owner, and we start it up.
It had great indicated oil pressure & was blowing off properly,and sounded pretty good except for the valve clatter.
When I got the rocker cover off, the valves were very loose but it was obvious that it wasn't getting top-end oil.
Thinking that since the engine was rebuilt, the rear cam bearing could possibly be fitted incorrectly, cutting off the oil supply to the head, a somewhat common problem, I added an external oiler, and barely any oil came up, tapped right off the mains.
Uh oh, logic suggested a restriction between the oil pump out port and the inlet to the mains.
The filter has a blow-off, and although this car was fitted with an external cooler, a near complete restriction is unlikely because it was plumbed with -10 hose and there were no obvious bad kinks etc.
At that time we decided it was engine out time, the photos below tell the rest of the story...
(Note the 3 ports on the filter housing mating face, forward lower is pump out, next back is blow-off return to sump, above it is in to mains)
Glen
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