Zephyr-related query (attn: BS6 in particular)

[wuvvum]

I've had a request from a mate to post this query. He's the one who ended up with my Mk3 Zephyr after it turned out that it had been bodged to high heaven and was way beyond my abilities and those of my tools to sort out (the inner wings and suspension turrets were made out of aluminium which the chap had somehow managed to weld to steel - at least in places; in other places it was helf on with sealant. The rest of the car was to a similar standard). He also bought the Zephr 4 which the same bloke was selling (the one with the 2-litre Pinto and autobox), but that ended up being broken for spares for the 6 after the bloke dragged it up from London on an A-frame with the propshaft still attached and buggered up the gearbox. Anyway, it appears that the previous owner's mechanical skills were no better than his bodywork (and trimming) skills. Hence the following:"Hello all. does anybody know where i can source a straight 6 engine for a 1962 Zephyr 6 ? , the engine in my car is not pumping oil to the top, is this a common fault on them? The chap i bought the car from [the original seller, not me, I hasten to add - wuvvum] said he rebuilt the engine, but not good enough, so unless i can cure the fault i will need another engine. It seems to pump oil up when it feels like it but the oil is clean and i have also blown the oil ways out with an air line. Any ideas ?"I'd appreciate any help you can give him too, as I'm hoping to buy the car back off him in the next couple of months...

[bigstraight6]

Oil pumps can be a problem with these engines with the drive shaft breaking, the shaft is driven from the camshaft via a skew gear on the end of the aforementioned shaft. There is also a pressure valve inside the pump which might have got sludged up. The owners club website might turn up an engine, indeed there is a Zephyr six one on there now, but unfortunately the site doesn't get updated as often as it should http://website.lineone.net/~zzoc3/parts_for_sale.htmIt would certainly be worth taking the pump out for a check over