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Bracket Talk Bracket Talk Forum Tech Talk - by Abruzzi What would cause Bbc cam to break.Go | New | Find | Notify | Tools | Reply | |
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DRR S/Pro |
 272" Spitzer 540 Chevy The Blower Shop XR1 FTI XPM Series Converter FTI Level 6 Powerglide 3.69@199 .916 60' 2017 Bradenton Heads Up Madness Open Outlaw Champ 2018 PDRA T/D #5 2019 PDRA T/D #2 2020 Retired From T/D Competition.... 2020 Bradenton NMCA Hemi Shootout Winner 2021 getting back into bracket racing with a Gen3 Hemi powered 87 Cutlass. | |||
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| DRR Top Comp |
Why I build my own engine, if it blows up I have no one to blame but myself. Right? If I re-use a timing chain, I have no one to blame but myself. Right? Right. How do you know when there's a good possibility the timing chain will fail? When it's not a Rollmaster. | |||
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DRR S/Pro |
This past year I fixed a 400 SB for a friend... It had 7 runs on it and was put together by an engine shop that I don't know a lot about... Broke an exhaust valve head off and trashed the head and piston but miraculously nothing much else. I replaced a ton of parts including the heads and rotating assembly The cost was probably close to $10G's for parts, machine work and my work Every piston had "drag" marks where the exhaust valves dug into the notches. It was what I blamed the blow up on. Pistons hitting exhaust valves doesn't usually end well..... I had to make some added clearance on the pistons for the exhaust valves..... The block was never decked and the crank was a chit show of nasty balance work and probably was weld repaired.... My opinion was the original engine was just slapped together without checking anything and this engine had some kind of similar failure right before this one and the same shop put that together too!!! Some engine shop !!! Ya just can't trust anyone..... | |||
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| DRR Top Comp |
How much piston to exhaust valve clearance did it have, when you got it? | |||
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| DRR Elite |
Rich, I didn’t know the heads had to be replaced, what head is on it now? | |||
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| DRR S/Pro |
Same heads Ed but not spread exhaust ports. They don’t make them anymore according to the supplier. Took probably 3 months to get new heads. I would have opted for a pair of AFR’s myself rather than wait. The new heads were not angle milled and I opted to keep them larger on CC’s to allow some room in the future to mill them if needed. It went 9.98 135+ with the restrictor plate on it on the second run. Repairing the old heads certainly was a possibility but it would cost a lot and they were pretty small CC wise with no where to go. I did not feel those heads were anything special. I’d bet a similar sized AFR or Brodix head would be comparable. I’ve used AFR 220’s and they made real good power on a 375 cube engine. 9.05 150 in a liteweight first gen Camaro with a Toilet and that was probably 20 years ago! | |||
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| DRR S/Pro |
“How much piston to exhaust valve clearance did it have, when you got it? “ The problem was notch location not depth. Valves hit one side of notch Made zero sense because pistons and heads should have had ample radial clearance but they did not. Top of the line JE liteweight narrow pin boss pistons Old pistons and heads and new pistons and new heads, same deal. I enlarged the notches where necessary, not deeper. The old pistons had NO marks indicating location was checked. Typically doing a clay check and using a razor blade to cut the clay will always leave marks just like a dial bore gauge does on bearings. I clay checked EVERY piston more than once. The engine owner is a long time friend and had real bad luck with this engine once it got into other people’s hands. It made hundreds of runs when new and rebuilt by me around 2010-2011 | |||
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| DRR Top Comp |
Extra gratifying, when you can grab a guys hand and pull him out of a fire like that one. | |||
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| DRR Elite |
They were the best out of the box, 23 degree heads when I ordered them 14 years ago back in 2007 when pauley originally built this engine and it ran a best of 9.72 @ 138 | |||
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| DRR S/Pro |
Larry told me he thought it was right there with the old engine, the few runs he made. I was not trying to do anything but give him something that would stay together and run what he wanted which is 10.00's in any weather....with his restrictor when needed. I have no doubt whatsoever I could have made 700+ hp with that size engine but it would not really fit his style of driving or racing. Supposedly the engine WAS dyno'ed and made around 650 I think. The head supplier told Larry he rarely sells that head anymore.......Everyone buys the larger intake port and that's totally understandable.... | |||
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| DRR S/Pro |
"Extra gratifying, when you can grab a guys hand and pull him out of a fire like that one." Yes it is and I spent many years doing exactly that with a high degree of success. I started doing engines in the 1960's Spent well over 10 years doing machine work and engines professionally.....and that included work for very BIG name other engine shops... My life is and always was primarily driven by my addiction to cars, racing......like lots of others.... Right now my life took a very big hit but I'm recovering as best I can.... Probably never race again but I'm ok with it....I've had some pretty good days and nights..... | |||
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| DRR Elite |
Rich, sorry to hear that, hopefully your recovery goes better than you think and you’ll be back out racing at the divisionals. Call on me anytime you need help/to crew chief for you.
That was my target when I spec’d it back in ‘07. The criteria was 10.0s in the heat which is 9.70s in good air which we achieved. He also insisted on using his then current carb and converter back then, both of which were hurting ET/mph. No doubt you could have it making 700+ | |||
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| DRR S/Pro |
Thanks a lot Ed. If I could drive like Kyle we’d win ! Had many opportunities over the years but wins don’t come easy ! Maybe I’m not done yet. I walked a mile and a half today with very little problem. A few months of working on getting better and my outlook may be different ! | |||
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| DRR Elite |
That’s good to hear, You’ll be back out. | |||
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| DRR Top Comp |
Get well, I hope you make it back out with the dragster. Did you have problems with your heart after taking the vax? There's a bunch of that going on, why I ask. | |||
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| DRR S/Pro |
Nothing to do with vaccines Coronary artery disease, age, genetics, diet. Blocked arteries. Walked miles everyday and jogged miles and miles when I was younger. None of that stopped the problems in my heart from developing and going critical one night a month ago. With emergency care and luck or the man above’s help, I’m still here. | |||
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DRR S/Pro |
I’m sorry to hear that, Rich, but glad you’re still here and improving. Sure hope you make it back into the c0ckpit. Your passion for the sport is obvious, and you’ve been one of “the good guys” on this and other message boards for many years. Tony Leonard | |||
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| DRR Trophy |
Sorry to hear Rich glad you’re recovering hope to meet you someday you’re a great asset to this board and the sport | |||
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| DRR Top Comp |
Prayers sent Rich, get better! I did my own engine assembly and all that fun stuff for years but now I just let the “true” professionals do it. For not a whole lot more money they assemble it and dyno it. I have other things I would rather do with my time. Life is about choices, if you want to assemble your own stuff, more power to you. At my age there is still plenty of maintenance and other related crap that keeps me busy. And on a completely unrelated note how bout the Tide rolling over undefeated Georgia? Great game, one of the best I’ve seen in awhile. Roll Tide, Roll Clowns to the left of me, Jokers to the right. Here I am....... | |||
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DRR Pro |
Hang in there Rich. Sorry to hear about this.. "Just Shut Up and Race" Brian Martin Martin Racing 5.66 @121.55 | |||
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Bracket Talk Bracket Talk Forum Tech Talk - by Abruzzi What would cause Bbc cam to break.
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