1970 Triumph TR6 Restoration

I’d like to say that this is the best low-cost upgrade money can buy, but I’m withholding judgment until I get the car on the road and put some miles on it.  That said, so long as this thing doesn’t leak or give me problems, it will be worth every penny.

For those of you who have never experienced the joy of a TR6 oil change, let me show you what you are missing.

This is the original canister style filter housing and element:

I actually think they look pretty cool.  The problem lies in how this sucker is mounted.

This is where it attaches, to the SIDE of the block:

I’m guessing the engineer who came up with this design also owned a shop towel or kitty litter company, because there is no way to remove the filter without dumping oil over everything below it.  In addition to this, if you actually want to remove the housing from the engine compartment you need to unbolt the clutch thingy (the one with the red hose coming out of it in the picture) and swing it out of the way first.  I couldn’t find an easier way to get the damn thing out.

Here’s the new spin-on adapter (Moss Motor’s version anyway):

The spin-on adapter basically adds a 90° bend so that a more common oil filter can be installed vertically from below, the way all cars should have their filters installed in my opinion.  95% of the oil stays in the filter as you take it off (unless you tip it), and all you need to deal with are a few drips from where it was screwed on.

Here’s the adapter and filter installed:

Remember the clutch thingy I mentioned earlier?  If your car has one of those you won’t have to remove it to screw on and off the new filter, but it interferes enough so that you won’t be able to mount the adapter perfectly vertically.  It has to be angled slightly towards the front of the car.  Here’s a shot from below showing how close it is:

As with many things TR6, there is controversy as to what the best filters and oil to use are.  There is also some variation between spin-on adaptors made by different manufacturers.  I’ll probably change this Fram to something else the next time I do a change, but I doubt it will have any negative effect for now.

The general consensus seems to be that the following filters are good (again, see what fits your spin-on, they differ):
NAPA Gold 1516
WIX 51516
K&N HP2009

I haven’t refilled my engine yet as I still need to put the sump back on, but for oil, I’m using Valvoline VR-1 20W-50 (most recommended)

These are also suggested:
Redline 20W-50
Rotella-T 20W-50
Brad Penn 20W-50
Castrol GTX 20W-50 + Blue STP (for ZDDP aka zinc)

I think 10W-50 is recommended for winter driving.

As for quantity, I’ve been told 9.64 Pints for 1968 through 1972, and 10.8 pints for later years.