After sitting for what I am told has been 25 or more years, today the engine
of the 20th Doretti every made started, also most by surprise! (The Doretti
is a British made cousin of the TR2, with chrome-moly steel tube frame and
aluminum body, using most of the TR2 drive train.) The car had been parked
in the previous owners garage without master cylinder and a few other minor
parts (NOS parts in boxes!) for over 25 years, waiting for "round tuits" I
guess.
The engine was never stuck, but I soaked the rings with penetrating oil
followed by lots of oil over a several month period. After changing the
"ink" (which is what it looked like) in the engine, I soaked the valve train
with oil, flushed out the old oil by pressurizing the oil system through the
oil pressure gauge pipe, the cranked the engine over without spark plugs to
check the oil pump and work the excess oil out of the rings. After putting
the plugs back in I put some fuel directly in the SUs and hit the starter -
it fired on the second try, with no throttle, choke or anything - it just
caught and came up to about 1200 rpm and stayed there without even
hesitating! Oil pressure at 60 pounds. Couldn't have ask for more than
that!
I shut it down, put some water in the radiator, fed it fuel directly from a
fuel can and ran it up to temperature with no problems what so ever. Wow.
I am glad though that the fuel pump didn't seem to work at first, because
after a minute it started pumping the most ugly brown junk out of the end of
the now detached fuel line! That would have really messed up the
carburetors!
Doretti only built 276 cars, in the years 1954-55. This one was owned by a
guy who raced it in the Denver area, then moved to southern California. It
was restored to concourse condition, shown at Pebble Beach, then driven.
The second owner acquired it in the very early 70's but never really drove
it much. It had been in his garage since about 1975. It is evidently one
of the most original Doretti's around, complete with original top. The
engine is '57 TR3 vintage (too much racing on the original engine I
suppose!)
It still needs the brakes redone and cleaned up, but at least I think the
engine is OK. I haven't had a lot of time to work on it, but hope to
eventually get it to where I can drive it, dents and all in the lacquer
finish.
I'm a happy camper!
Frank
Doretti #1020
TR3 TS55223L
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