[mikebaronehouston]

I've been building a clone of the Titus 1970 Trans Am series car for a few years. Good, but slow progress and rewarding results so far.

From the start, I planned on building to the end of the season--standard 400 block, 2.84" crank. It has been a fantastic research project in getting it all correct for 1970.

But, I found an unused 303 standard-deck block. Big change of plans and a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to build something interesting.

I am looking for dry sump parts and help. Although there is very little information out there, I think I have enough to reproduce the stub/bearing, sun gear (from a TH400) and the rear cover. I believe the scavenging pump is simply a stock oil pump without the spring/ball. And I have a picture from the Adams' Black Bird where you can see where Tom Nell used a dual remote filter to slow flow, a la Ferrari 1970.

Any help, pictures or recommendations on the internals would be greatly appreciated.

I have not seen any documentation on the remote pressure regulator (Tom Nell once reported it was 80#), the oil tank or where it was located. Help here would also be very big.

I suspect the oil tank was mounted where the cowl comes down to feed the foot vents. There is an nice picture where Jerry Schwartz removed these passages while constructing the Titus cars.

I am happy to share pictures or knowledge.

Thanks,

Mike
713-203-2483

[Tom Vaught]

I worked on Herb's 64 Tempest during the engine rebuild for the Spoerl (sp) family TA efforts. Two other Ford Trans Am Racers worked with Tom Nell and I on the rebuild.

The rebuild was done at one of the Ford TA racers garage/workshop in the Detroit Area.

Everything that you have posted fits with my memory as far as the way the covert oil pump worked, the hidden oil tank was located, etc.

There were 3 external lines from the engine:
1) One from the pan oil pump
2) One from the hidden tank to the Trans gear set oil pump
3) There should be a 3rd passage in the factory oil filter location that returned oil to the tank so I am assuming that that line fed the hidden bypass valve mounted on the dry sump tank. The tank obviously was hidded well.
4) It would have been possible to just bypass from a line on the oil filter back to the oil tank but if my memory serves me correctly many years later, look for that third drilling in the block area.

Tom V.

Can you send me pics of your 303 block? You have my e-mail info I believe.

[tom s]

Your welcome Mike!Tom