1971 Firebird Build ("The Other Woman", a.k.a. Project "T.O.W.")

[carbuff]

Originally Posted by GregWeld

Bryan ---


Without coming off like a jerk - because that's not my intention AT ALL..... I'd be looking for a different engine builder/tuner..... et al. I know a ton of people that are running track events over and over and over - with their LS motors and aren't having issues at all.

I'm pretty sure you have an Accusump -- and that SHOULD take care of the occasional pick up / cornering issue... I would assume you have a baffled "race" pan...

After having motor issues myself 3 or 4 times in a row.... It was the best thing I ever did just going to a new builder and problems solved. The very same motor has been flawless since. Go figure.

Greg,

No offense taken. I completely agree with you...

I had Texas Speed rebuild the motor last year when I dropped the valve. I don't blame the dropped valve on the original engine builder, I think it was moreso due to having sat for 5 years. But I don't want to go back to Texas Speed for another rebuild.

So I went on a hunt for another builder. I didn't find anyone in Austin that has much of a reputation for LS engines, but there are several shops in Houston that have good reps. After speaking with a few of them, I've decided to have H-Squared Racing do the rebuild. We've had multiple discussions about what I'm doing with the car, what I want in the engine, and the level of details that should be discussed during a build. Today we talked about piston options and deck height options and compression ratio options, as an example.

To make things even better, he has offered to help me pull and reinstall the engine, as Eric's shop is full so he doesn't have space to do it right now. I didn't ask, he offered. So I'm towing TOW down to Houston on Friday to start the process.

Regarding the Accusump, I'm definitely not happy that it didn't help (assuming that it didn't). I figured out during my second day at COTA that my Accusump wasn't working. It didn't prime when I flipped the switch on at some point during the day. I used my multimeter to determine that the pressure switch in the block wasn't working. WTF, how did that die? Anyway, I bypassed it and had the Holley controlling the Accusump valve. But it's likely that any damage was done before I figured that out.

Once I get the engine out, I'll pull the sensor and contact Canton about it. I may leave the sensor out and just use the Holley for the control.