After many hours in the garage with my 164, I have emerged with my findings. The sump had sludge that was blocking much of the oil pick-up foot. I cleaned out the sump, checked the pump and checked the bearings with Plastigage while I was in there. The bearings were mid-scale on tolerance, the wear was even and no damage, so I did not replace them.

The timing set had a plugged oiler, but the gears looked good. I reassembled all with new seals and gaskets and got rid of that Fram filter I found attached to the side of the block.

I am pleased to report that I now have good oil pressure, much-improved oiling of the top end and no more timing gear noise. I drove the car all day yesterday and it was nothing short of a pleasure.

Many thanks to all that contributed information that made this a success!

Jerry