10/17/2026
Came in for a fan belt, staying for an engine rebuild
Had a 1959 Triumph TR3A come in earlier this week on appointment to replace a "squeaking fan belt". Owner is very sweet, very old, very rich, and doesn't know much about cars. The squeaking fan belt, also accompanied by a deep ticking noise elsewhere, turned out to be a seized water pump. The engine itself was shaking violently in its mounts at idle, smoking thick white clouds out of the exhaust manifold, and making a deep ticking noise.
Replacing the water pump (which we had already ordered) revealed that the car was very low on coolant. Many coolant lines were found to be leaking. The temp gauge did not function when started back up. On top of this, the engine bay was covered in a black sticky film.
The vehicle overheated on a brief test drive with the new pump, at which point we got permission from the owner to further diagnose the engine. Compression came back 95, 115, 60, 145. Oil and coolant both had such a horrible smell that I got dizzy. Preparing to do a head gasket, I took the head off to check warpage on the block. Before I cleaned it, the entire block surface, head surface, and valves were covered in soot.
After cleaning, I discovered the pitting to the block surface in the photos, and serious warpage. We're pretty sure the ticking noise is a rod or two, damn impressed the thing is still running. Our current theory is the temp gauge didn't work when the owner bought the car, and didn't notice the leaking lines and eventually ran low enough to overheat. By the state the engine was in, this was probably done again and again every so often for months.
On top of the rebuild which the customer approved, we found every joint and bushing failed on the front suspension and steering, and a 150 degree dead zone in the steering wheel. Customer has also approved a refresh of the front end.
I wish I had that kind of money.
