Less weight = more speed!! lol:unibrow: :lol:

Hi Todd how did it go yesterday? Sorry didn't see the other post until I posted this.

Todd did you look into Hotchkis end links for C5, Maybe Im wrong but I do believe there shorter. If your looking into an offset type let me know.

From the video it looks like you had a blast over the holiday. Next time Im there for the International Builders Show Ill have to look you up.

I did notice the hotchkis ends but won't know what I need length wise until I get my bracket mounted. I bet they end up working just fine. Give me a hollar next time you're in town.

It went really well. I ended up 15th out of 64 cars. http://lvrscca.org/race-results/auto...ound14_raw.htm My last run was clean and I verified it with the director at a 42.5xx. That put me ahead of the street prepared champion for 2009 in his 98 Z28 with 315 A6's on all for corners. I also ran within .6 of a previous Super Street Modified champion in his Corvette and A6's. I have room for improvement and the car does as well. I'll never be the fastest but feel I can pick up a little more time on the field. It's a great bunch of racers.

I made some changes to the car that really seemed to help. I changed the front sway bar and made some major shock adjustments. I also changed air pressure.The car felt more nimble from the minute I left the driveway. The new axles didn't fix my brake knockback. However, it has improved it. I'm much happier with my street pedal and brake performance. I also had brakes without a double pump on the track. I still did when I had time just for a high pedal. I'm glad I made the change.

Builders show is 2nd week in Jan already. Considering I was just out that way it may not happen unless the little lady is looking for a mini vac.

Whats up with the knock back issues. Seems like you have tried to correct a ton of items already and it still isnt all good. What were Paytons suggestions.

articleID=15103http://evolution.skf.com/zino.aspx?articleID=15103

Just lucky I guess. :D It's not as rare are you think. There are 4 fixed calipers and 275mm/335mm of R compound that will pull more G's than most sports cars. It stresses everything. I bet a 10 psi residual out back will fix it, I'm just worried about excess heat. I've also considered doing springs behind the caliper pistons like they did in the old days. Wilwood claims it won't work, but I don't think they want the liability of telling me to mod my calipers. The other alternative is a floating rear end. Power brakes with a larger piston would help dramatically but I don't make enough vaccum. A hydraboost unit would also allow a bigger piston and would help dramtically but I like manual brakes on the race track. I know how to fix it, it's just at what compromise and how much money I want to spend. :lol:

Well I decided the engine needed torn down and inspected after an oil filter examination. For those of you that have been following along, I lost a bronze distributor gear at around 1800 miles on the engine. The engine builder made a mistake. The camshaft has a cast gear and you can't use a bronze gear.....Anyway, all that debris went through the motor from day 1. I changed the oil twice within 500 miles and found bronze and silver metallics. I've put about 1500 miles on the car since the last oil change. This time it was no different. The engine clearly was slowly hurting itself. Every pleet had some bronze and silver.
http://i200.photobucket.com/albums/a...eDebris001.jpg
http://i200.photobucket.com/albums/a...eDebris007.jpg
http://i200.photobucket.com/albums/a...eDebris008.jpg

I started at about 9 and Aj showed up at around 10:30. We had it on the stand by 1:30 or so. Thanks for the help.:cheers: You talk about a flippin mess!!!!!
http://i200.photobucket.com/albums/a...rdown09001.jpg
http://i200.photobucket.com/albums/a...rdown09002.jpg

I ripped into it yesterday afternoon but ran out of steam and needed a 7/16 12 point 3/8 to loosen the rod bolts. I have done a brief inspection and here are some of the biggest findings.
http://i200.photobucket.com/albums/a...rdown09006.jpg
http://i200.photobucket.com/albums/a...rdown09013.jpg
http://i200.photobucket.com/albums/a...rdown09016.jpg
http://i200.photobucket.com/albums/a...rdown09020.jpg
http://i200.photobucket.com/albums/a...rdown09024.jpg
http://i200.photobucket.com/albums/a...rdown09025.jpg

Most bearings had distributor gear debris embedded. The worst were the bearings that had actually started coming apart and had deep pits. Number 3 main and number 4 cam bearing were the worst. I also found 2 pushrods with excess wear.

Bummer man... where do you go from here? Anything happening with the engine builder about this?

OUCH!! That sucks Todd! But at least you caught it before it went south on you and tossed a rod into orbit.:willy:

What is the rebuild plan? No time like the present to make a little more power right?:unibrow:

Oh man that sucks! At least you had Aj there to lend a hand. That guy doesn't mess around when it comes to taking stuff apart! :yes:

So anyway, would the engine have lasted a while? Maybe..... but I wasn't taking any chances of grenading the motor on the road course etc. Now I need to find a reputable engine shop that can blueprint, re balance the crank, hot tank the block, etc. Any recomendations will be appreciated.

Now for the fun part, more compression and a mechanical cam. :D :D :D I'll put it together and make sure it's done right. It will be better. Here is where I stand.
http://i200.photobucket.com/albums/a...rdown09026.jpg
http://i200.photobucket.com/albums/a...rdown09028.jpg

Man, it's always something huh, Todd? Sucks about the engine, but at least no major damage. Now you can rebuild it yourself and KNOW FOR A FACT that it is good to go!:thumbsup:
GOOD LUCK BUD & cool of AJ to come over and help out!:thumbsup: :cheers:

What is maximum capacity for your block? (CID) I forgot what it's based on.

Sorry to hear about this Todd. I bought a Filter Magnet for mine because its been sitting so long, just incase.

I won't even bother to make that call. He said he'd own up to it but I don't believe him and if he did, I'd see my parts in 6 months. It's really not a huge deal. Crank is probably polishable and the cylinders are in good shape. I could redo it fairly inexpensively. If I need new pistons to raise the compression, I may just punch it out to 496. I'm happy with the parts. Most seem high quality. The timing chain was really loose for 3500 miles. It will need to be replaced. If it wasn't for the distributor gear, I think the engine would've lived a long life. I can make a ton more power with what I have in mind and be just as streetable. Stay tuned....

NICE!:unibrow:any thing under 750 will be too low!lol

Todd --

Now you've managed to ruin my Hawaiian vacation! OUCH!

Want to haul it to Phoenix call Bob Ream at Imagine Injection tell him I sent ya...

I've had at least TWO motors built by dickheads - one was Dougs Racing Stables -- the shims under the valve springs didn't have pockets - so that motor was junk before it made it off the dyno... Been there done that!

Todd 10 lbs residue valves & springs behind the pistons will not help your knock back issue.. I worked for Wilwood in the research & development dept for 10 yrs!!!

I have asked you to send me in all your specs on your whole complete brake system.. Pics :question: I am pretty sure I can help you resolve your issue!

You will create brake drag with residue valves or springs behind your pistons!

Residue valves were built into OE master cylinders when drums were standard equipment on cars.. they consists of a one way valve.. which held pressure when drum brakes retacted back from when pedal was released.. They are also heavily used when a master cylinder reservoir sits below level of the calipers @ the wheels.. When the reservoir sits below level of calipers the brake fluid will drain back into the master cylinder reservoir.. 10 lbs for drums & 2 lbs for disc brakes..

Springs behind pistons have not been used for a long time in production OE cars.. The caliper designs of today do not require them.. I remember when Wilwood used to use them on Winston Cup calipers 15 yrs ago for the same purpose that you are stating of eliminating piston knock back or when the caliper that were used from 65 to 81 Corvettes(J52 option if I remember correctly).. Cup seals with a piston design that would float in piston bore.. Piston to seal design has come a long way since then..

Steve Rupps Bad Penny ran Wilwoods for some time... He has never complained about piston knock back to me!! He is running Baers on Penny now but not cause they were a bad brake system with issues!!

Come on Greg, it didn't even ruin my day. ;) The thought of more power excites me. Pretty sure I've now touched every bolt on this car. :rofl: That's a good thing. I'm going to start calling some engine builders tomorrow sometime.

More Power!! :unibrow: :D
Sorry it had to happen this way, but the end result will be awesome!! :thumbsup:

I like this talk! :thumbsup:

It can only get better now!

I'd be a little more pissed at the engine builder, just shouldn't be.

DANG!! And i felt bad for leaving my little oil spot on your floor!!:lol:

Good catch though.... I remember you chattin about a .... twin turbo big block??:_paranoid

750 Horse...twin turbo....:rofl: I'd have to redesign my fuel system and go to a 540. I don't want to go to radical. I need the low end power for autocross and street driving. I'm hoping for 650/650 out of the new motor.

I got over being pissed at that engine builder a long time ago. I was just out looking at the pistons. Not one has a drill mark. Nice balance job. :mad: The good news is I have some quality parts. SRP forged pistons, all arp hardware, Dart pro 1 heads, k1 rods, etc. I'm going to have every single thing checked before it goes back together. It will be top notch.

I'll take you up on that. PM sent.

The upgrades sound like a good plan. Are you going to do any head work or just a bigger cam?

Good luck with this Todd and as stated IT WILL BE BETTER Up here we call that winter work. But considering where your from there's no such thing I guess.

Dang I fell way behind on this thread. Had to spend the last couple hours catching up, guess I never subscribed. It's great to see the story continue and get to learn from the problems you are running into and the adjustments you make. Thanks for all the good info:thumbsup:

Dude!
 

You are pretty resilient. How may times can a person rebuild a new car? I like you attitude.

The way most balance a motor is put the lightest piston with the heaviest rod and take material off the balance pad of the rod and add or subtract weight at the crank.

Have a friend that has one of GM's ZL-1 blocks punched out to 496. His motor made 603 at the flywheel. Not sure the specs, but I can get them for you if you like as it would be a good starting point to try and squeeze out another 50 hp.

Are you happy with your rear suspension choice?

Todd, thanks a million for documenting so many of your real world experiences during your build. This thread gives a true depiction of what a lot of us go through to get or keep our high-performance rides 'working right' and how unreliable or incorrectly built many of these aftermarket parts are. I too have had quite a number of noteworthy aftermarket parts or systems not work as their suppose to or simply fail. Seeing your thread helps me realize that it's not just me and my typical bad luck. Also, seeing your determination and persistence helps me a lot also. So thank you for documenting all that you do. I really appreciate it. :thumbsup:

I also really look forward to your engine rebuild. I have a ZZ454 that I may 'enhance' one day and I was looking to get the same numbers out of mine that you're looking to get out of yours, so I definitely will keep my eyes glued to what you end up doing to your engine. Being a big block fan also, your ride and build thread have always been of huge interest to me. Keep up the great work! Loved your racing video clips also! :hail:

What about an aluminum block before you go back in with the engine.
YEAH.. YEAH..YEAH

Now that I've modified the lower shock mounts and changed end links I'm happy with the handling and bite. Rear sway bar is in the works. I'm already at 593/587 so your buddies build is probably about identical since I'm down 7 cubes. I'm a car junkie. Nothing excites me more that building an engine and racing. Well maybe one thing.:D

Chris, shop owners should just send there customers my thread and tell them to read it when they start whining about how long it takes. I really feel building these cars is just like GM building a new car. It has to be put through the paces and fixed and tweaked and etc.... to get it really good. As the old saying goes, you put a bunch of bastard parts together........ I feel like the car is really getting there. This engine change will be a huge positive factor. I always thought the engine made good power but there were some things I would do different today.

Rodger.....you read my mind, can I borrow 5k? :D I just don't think I can convince myself to spend the money. If I find a deal maybe.:D

Keep us posted Todd.
Just like Penny, Payback keeps on getting better! Good luck bud!:cheers:

Engine work is one of the best parts of the build. I'd punch it out if I were you Todd. Good excuse to get more power. :yes:

BTW I like your bedsheets covering the hood. :lol:

Old lady was pissed. :rofl:

Racing junk. There are new unused blocks out there. Is a dart block that much? I had a customer just buy an aluminum block for his 540 in his 56 chevy. I thought he said 3500.00

How much will the machine work be on a new block. The last on I did it was $3000.00 that was on cast bowtie small block.:cool: :cool:

I'll have to start looking for some deals, I've talked to two reputable engine builders today. They are going to want to redo the machining anyway. A new dart block is about 5k new on a big block. That only includes rough machining. There are some chinese knock offs for quite a bit less but I won't go there. There is one thing for sure, it's not going to happen very fast unless I decide to deal local and put it together. I want it done 100% right this time.