Enjoying the sunshine

Got the timing set and the cat is purring. However some bad news. I decided to do a compression test and we have as low as 100psi on some of the cylinders. Wet test was much more than the dry. Conventional wisdom then states the piston rings are worn out.

When I first saw this car, it had been sitting for 10 years. The fuel looked like muddy water. There were no thermostats, no vacuum hoses, no electrics. But simply with new fuel, 12 new spark plugs and a new battery, the thing started. And I even drove it home, some 20km away. It stalled right in the middle of the first traffic light I got to, but it started again and kept going.

Considering the results of the compression test and my generally low oil pressure, there should be something seriously wrong with this car. But it keeps going. It doesn't overheat, doesn't backfire, doesn't misfire (anymore) and its not hesitant. There should be clouds of smoke coming out of the exhaust but there isn't. It just seems fine. There is no oil mixing in the coolant and there is no oil consumption. It just seems perfectly fine.

Today I took the Jag out and gave it a good belting and almost like magic, I have oil pressure again. I'm getting a strong 40psi at about 40mph.

I'm just going to forget about the test results and enjoy the car. Given the car's history of continuously "surprising" me, I think we're going to be just fine.