1972Series4

First of all where did you get that tiny filter? I think it will work well on my tank. My leak problem is where the block, head and timing case all come together. Even 20 seconds of running (no cooling system) left enough oil that it was hard figuring out where it came from. My first thought on pulling the cam cover was WOW there's a lot of oil up top. Hence my decision to put in a restrictor. On teardown, the timing case gasket looks suspect. The vent on the front of the cam cover is a -10 AN base fitting welded on the back side by the previous owner. Since it has no evidence of oil flow I take that as a sign that there is good CC vacuum. He also welded a plate over the LR filler hole. My vent/drain at the RR corner of the head is a rubber assembly that connects the two. It's about 2 inches forward of yours and it looks like in the pic you may have one also. The extreme rear hole that you have used on my head goes nowhere as verified by shining a penlight in the hole and is plugged by a steel insert on the bottom of the head. Alternate drain? Since I don't have a drain with 90 degree vent pipe like you that fitting on my tank is capped. The Lotus cap is used to fill the tank.

Follow up to WDB. Annnd it's a right hand drive so everything including the steering shaft is in the way and can't be moved.

To WBD. The sump feeds to the oil pump. through a SHORT 6 inch -12 line. The feed from the pump to the tank goes rearward and across the bell housing. Oil then goes out the bottom of the tank back across the top of the BH to the pump inlet. These lines are about 2 to 2-1/2 feet long. From the pump, oil travels rear about a foot to a chassis mounted spin-on filter adapter through a -10 line. This is where I tapped the adapter for a 1/8 NPT sender for a Stewart Warner gauge sender. The hole for a sender in the block is covered by the right motor mount. From the adapter to the engine through another -10 line which necks down to a 3/8 NPT brass nipple and goes into the engine. It works In the pic of the engine above you can see a -10 vent on the center front of the cam cover and another one on the top of the tank at the rear. Needs a filter.

I'll give the history/specs of this engine that I should have included the first time. I bought the car from the estate of a long time friend who died in Dec 2022. We have known him for almost 40 years and I have driven the car in local San Diego autocrosses some 30 years ago. When I got the car it had no engine or transmission and was in VERY rough condition. It did have a very nice bare head however and all the stuff to assemble it. It also came with a dry sump pan, tank and Titan pump. Another mutual friend had a barely used short block (1660 cc) that he had pulled from his Elan to fit a class-legal engine. It was assembled by the same guy who did my head (Bill Schlossnagel). Now I had the makings of an engine. The combo has about 10 1/2 to 1 compression. The head was originally on a 2.0 liter aluminum block that got sold years ago. 145psi compression on all 4 cylinders. You ask why use the dry sump. 1, Because I already had it. 2, because a wet sump assembly would have to be procured. 3, because the sump would hang below the chassis about 3 inches. 4, because everyone I talked to said it was a good thing. 5, it has a "cool" factor! So, yes, the engine is not stock. It's sort of a detuned race engine that should be "peppy" on the street. I have not run it more that 20 seconds or so because I have no coolant in the it. I am going to put a restrictor in it after talking to Ken at Dave Bean. I have attached pics of the ca as-is when I got it, the rear fender and nose cone attached and the engine.

More info that I didn't think to include; the oil system is a dry sump with a Titan pump that puts out near 80 psi at idle with Torco 40w break-in oil. The pressure reading is taken at the oil filter adapter just before the oil enters the engine. The lines are all -10 and -12 aeroquip.

Looks like I need to call Dave Bean on Monday.

MoBoost, thanks for the link. I'll peruse it more fully tonight

I only have one. It's of my friends block with the aforementioned restrictor that I don't have. My passages, block and head, are a shade over .3 inches diameter. Looks like a jet of some kind with no threads in the block, a press fit. I could be wrong. If I have to I'll call Dave Bean Mon or Tues.

This is the first time I have worked on a Twin Cam and while chasing an oil leak discovered that my short block does not have an oil restrictor leading to the head which MAY be part of my leak problem. A friend who has a BDA block sent me a picture of his block with a restrictor that looks exactly like a carb jet or air corrector. None of my DHLA parts fit (all too small). Can someone enlighten me as to what the restrictor is and where I can acquire one?

Sorry I didn't get back sooner but I've been busy painting the car, then spent all day Wednesday cleaning up the mess (see picks) and Thursday mowing the yard, 1 acre plus. I finally got out this afternoon and sanded the paint off frame rails on both sides of the car thinking maybe there was an ID that was covered by paint. Nothing. It was on the upper rail, right?

I hope to do two things with this post; help myself out and add to the database of cars. I acquired a 1972 (?) Series 4 Twin Cam from the estate of a long time friend who passed away in December 2022. The car was I VERY dilapidated condition when I started working on it as the previous owner took it ALL apart and proceeded to modify it and never finished his dream of building the ultimate D-Mod autocross car. The engine and trans were gone and the ID plate was in an envelope which my wife found in a last ditch effort to find SOME documentation. We found no title or registration but I can take care of that with a "bonded" title in Arizona. The plate number is S4 3516 TC. The plate numerology is self explanatory but I have NO IDEA who built it (Lotus or Caterham) or what year it is. Any help as to an alternate from number or other info would be much appreciated. Bruce