Wretched Roadster - Surprise #2 in a Series of ?
 

After removing the pedals and pedal shaft as covered in Surprise #1, we pulled the engine. It had been leaking oil from the flywheel housing past the cotter pin, dropping a quart per 20 miles or so. Also it was making a disturbing clanking sound. When we removed the pan and dipper tray, there were, as expected, bits of the chewed up fiber timing gear, lots of sparkly silver bits of babbit, and a healthy dose of grit. And also a surprise mystery: a nearly-complete circle about the diameter of a quarter, made of heavy wire. A retaining ring? A stray scrap that fell onto the engine unnoticed? Or worse, noticed but not retrieved?

The Answer:
A bit of head scratching and finally identified it. The bottom of the oil pump spring had snapped off. I wonder how long it had been sitting there, and sure glad it broke off below the dipper tray.

Also a bonus surprise, though not a big one: the serial number on the block indicates it’s from 1928.

Stay tuned for more surprises.
(I tried to upload the photo but could only get it as an attachment.)

Re: Wretched Roadster - Surprise #2 in a Series of ?
 

Was this the roadster owned by Russell Gerritt in Chicago?
Marshall

Re: Wretched Roadster - Surprise #2 in a Series of ?
 

It was owned by the Santmyer family of Pittsburgh, PA from 1957 until I bought it in 2022. In 1957 it was recovered in West Virginia where it had been used for mail delivery. I imagine the rugged frame and high ground clearance served it well covering the hills and hollers. It was completely disassembled and rebuilt in Pittsburgh over a period of two years. Then in 1959 it was driven from Pittsburgh to the MARC National meeting in Dearborn Michigan. In the ensuing years it was driven around the Indianapolis Motor Speedway on two separate occasions years apart. It spent time in California and its current home in Texas. A good rebuild every 65 years seems reasonable.