Re-installed the manifold

Got the manifold back yesterday from M & M Head Service. They resurfaced the mating surface and it is nice and flat now. I am lucky to have a good machine shop in the area but they are super busy so it took two weeks to get this done. Worth it though!
It looks really nice. You can see some of the Dykum is still splattered on the manifold. I cleaned all that off with brake cleaner.
Gasket is in place and ready to go. Last time I used blue Locktite on the manifold studs. I wire brushed them to remove it. Time to install!
But first, a flashback. This picture is from just after I took off the valve covers. Those holes you see are machining holes that Studebaker drilled right though the lifter bores into the oil gallery behind. The purpose is to lubricate the lifters. These holes are covered by the valve cover gaskets and valve covers but that does not work very well and they leak. When I re-installed the valve covers I tried putting a little RTV in the holes to slow it down but I bet that does not work well. Since then I researched the problem. It turns out that in 1959 Studebaker (one year before they stopped using this engine!) Studebaker finally came up with a solution. Part number 1549330 is a little aluminum plug you tap into the hole. Those plugs are still available but I am not taking the valve covers off again just to put them in. If the covers leak too bad I will reconsider. Or just relax about it and wipe the oil off now and again.
I installed the carb on the bench. It does not make the manifold that much heavier and bolting it up is easier on the bench. Here the manifold is bolted up and the carb is reconnected to everything.
Here the air and oil filters are replaced and the exhaust pipe is bolted up. Now I just have to pick the car up and install the engine pans and exhaust bracket.
The side panel for the engine compartment is reinstalled and all the protective stuff put away. Finished! I took it for a shakedown cruise and it sounds and feels totally normal again. Whew! But when I got back to the garage…
Something on this fitting is leaking oil. The passenger side engine pan sits under here and it had a tablespoon or so of oil sitting on it. This fitting screws into the oil pump. The copper pipe goes to the oil pressure gauge and the steel pipe that loops off to the right feeds the oil filter. I can’t tell which fitting is leaking. I tried tightening the two flair fittings and they were both pretty snug already. It could be the NPT threads of the fitting into the pump. If it keeps leaking (and it will) maybe I will put the car on the rack with the engine running and see if I can spot the culprit. Worst case I will replace both pipes and the fitting, but I hope to avoid that.
Odometer before the shakedown.

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