psfracer
billy badass
So as I detailed in my other thread, on my 3rd qualifying pass at SCSN9 in Las Vegas, I lost the motor at the 1,000 foot mark going roughly 140-145mph. Thankfully the belly pan kept oil off of the tires and I was able to stop without going into the wall. The car is fine, just the engine is damaged.
So, on to the engine. At the track I pulled all of the plugs, all looked fine except one had oil on it, but none showed any signs of damage. I also removed the valve covers and found 2 bent pushrods.
Got home on Sunday, and decided to start pulling it apart on Tuesday to see what I would find. So far I am pleasantly surprised.
^^^^the autopsy table.
No water in oil, indicating the head gaskets were fine and didn't fail. The head gaskets themselves looked good. Everything on the top end was in order except for two bent pushrods. 7 pairs of roller lifters in great shape, however 1 pair will not come out on #7.
I was really worried that a piston might have come apart and really screwed up the cylinder head(s). That is not what I found. Cylinder heads look good except for some minor pitting in one chamber, which will clean up when the heads are resurfaced. I did the water trick on the ports and chambers, all held water overnight, but I still suspect a couple valves may be bent and need replacement. However nothing obvious with a visual inspection.
Titanium retainers and intake valves all look good. Valve springs look great also.
I was surprised and relieved that all the pistons were in one peace, and the cylinder walls all looked good. In the picture below, you can see it looks as though the exhaust valve left a pattern on the rear two pistons on the driver side. I was shocked that the engine turns over when I put a wrench on the crank. However the #7 piston does not move at all, while all the other pistons do. So it seems to be obvious I lost the rod on #7. This weekend I am going to pull the short block and disassemble. I am hoping the block can be reused. So far it looks like it can be, but won't know for sure until Saturday. No cracks or damage visible on the block anywhere, however the oil pan is shot. I am also expecting the crank to be shot and unrepairable, but we will see.
More to follow this weekend.
So, on to the engine. At the track I pulled all of the plugs, all looked fine except one had oil on it, but none showed any signs of damage. I also removed the valve covers and found 2 bent pushrods.
Got home on Sunday, and decided to start pulling it apart on Tuesday to see what I would find. So far I am pleasantly surprised.
^^^^the autopsy table.
No water in oil, indicating the head gaskets were fine and didn't fail. The head gaskets themselves looked good. Everything on the top end was in order except for two bent pushrods. 7 pairs of roller lifters in great shape, however 1 pair will not come out on #7.
I was really worried that a piston might have come apart and really screwed up the cylinder head(s). That is not what I found. Cylinder heads look good except for some minor pitting in one chamber, which will clean up when the heads are resurfaced. I did the water trick on the ports and chambers, all held water overnight, but I still suspect a couple valves may be bent and need replacement. However nothing obvious with a visual inspection.
Titanium retainers and intake valves all look good. Valve springs look great also.
I was surprised and relieved that all the pistons were in one peace, and the cylinder walls all looked good. In the picture below, you can see it looks as though the exhaust valve left a pattern on the rear two pistons on the driver side. I was shocked that the engine turns over when I put a wrench on the crank. However the #7 piston does not move at all, while all the other pistons do. So it seems to be obvious I lost the rod on #7. This weekend I am going to pull the short block and disassemble. I am hoping the block can be reused. So far it looks like it can be, but won't know for sure until Saturday. No cracks or damage visible on the block anywhere, however the oil pan is shot. I am also expecting the crank to be shot and unrepairable, but we will see.
More to follow this weekend.
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