[Grovlet]

Originally Posted by Bull

Thank you. In person, you'd have to downgrade your assessment of the TA's condition to "pretty decent" though.

The pressure goes way low, like maybe 5-10 psi. My guess, based on what the previous owner already did during the troubleshooting process, is that the bearing clearances are off. I've also read that there is a small plug near the distributor that is removed during the cleaning phase of the rebuilding process, and that, if not reinstalled, can cause a low pressure problem when hot. I am going to drain the oil and run some heavy weight stuff in the car and see if that keeps the pressure up when hot. A bandaid measure, I know, but with decent pressure and no noise, I should still be able to enjoy the car for a bit before taking the engine out.

It needs some other, minor stuff, too, like a functioning e-brake and for the reverse lights to be wired up.

Yup It's easy to leave out one of the 'Freeze Plugs' and have low oil pressure. I know when rebuilding my buddies 350 in his truck that happened, and once we popped one in, pressure problem was solved.

Hopefully it's the missing plug vs. bearing clearances