1985 Monte Carlo SS known as Barney

[glassman]

Nice Lance. About what i just did to the Camaro, pending wiring its ready to fire.

I thought you were running an LS for some reason.

Anyways, looking good, hope to see ya out there one of these daze...

[SSLance]

Thanks, I would love to get to an event with all of my left coast friends someday...maybe some day we'll meet in the middle or something (like Pikes Peak maybe? )

I'm one of the old SBC stalwarts hanging tough... Hopefully this upgrade gets me back into the ballpark with them LS boys anyway. The old truck engine has served me well for a long time, it put up with a ton of abuse over the years and kept on kicking...

[Che70velle]

Lance as much racing as you do, and the rpm's that you will constantly see on a road course, I'd recommend a scatter shield, or a steel bellhousing.
Lol on the "stock" LS2 I'm racing against comment. Who in their right mind, would leave their LS2 "stock"? I'm being sarcastic, of course.
Is your current camshaft a roller? Is not, then you'll want to change the gear on your distributer out. It will make a mess inside the engine before you know it.
I love following your thread...it's one of the more practical builds around here, not that the fancy high dollar builds aren't cool...

[SSLance]

This engine came with a roller cam and a roller is going back in. The dist gear has been changed already. You are the second person that mentioned a scattershield to me lately. I was always under the impression that was more of a drag race thing. I still don't plan on turning this thing over 6,000 RPM...I just plan on getting to 6,000 RPM faster is all.

[silver63c10]

SBC for life! Cool upgrades, should really wake it up. Any particular reason you're looking at more road course stuff now?

Also, on the issue of a scattershield, I will throw in a big time recommendation for picking one up as well. We exploded a clutch in ours at the drag strip, but it was when it was turning around 6-6,500 rpm just like it does multiple times per run on the autocross course. Lakewood saved my feet for sure - this was so violent we couldn't square the transmission afterward.

[SSLance]

Originally Posted by silver63c10

SBC for life! Cool upgrades, should really wake it up. Any particular reason you're looking at more road course stuff now?

Thanks! I think so too.

I just enjoy the seat time one gets with a track day more than the (4) 60 second runs during a full day at an autocross. Also it was going to take some major rear suspension upgrades along with new wheels and tires to get back to being competitive in Solo and I don't really need to make those changes to enjoy myself greatly on road courses. It just makes more sense for me at this time.

I'll still hit up local solo events and maybe some CAM events if the timing works out...but I'm not going to bust my budget trying to be competitive at them. This is purely a selfish move for Lance. I'm never happier than I am when driving my car on a road course...

[SSLance]

What better way to spend one's birthday...than wrenching out in the shop?

Disassembly just about complete...need to run up to O'Reillys and grab a balancer puller to finish up.



Everything looks good to me so far. Was surprised the pistons weren't further in the deck considering what everyone has said about these.



Oh yeah, iron heads weight 48.5# each, Aluminum Fastburns are 22.5# each. 52# savings... Woot!

[SSLance]

Cam is out...



Overall very pleased with what I found.

This is how far the piston is in the deck.



I never have figured out how to read this damn manual caliper... lol... One of these days I'll get me a digital set that tells me what I'm seeing.

Rods chamfered to clear pan rail



Just a couple of cylinder show just the slightest scuffing, this is the worst I saw.



Most cylinders still have the honing cross hatch visible, no wear edge at the top of the cylinders at all.

Freaking timing cover is plastic and has stamped on it "replace assembly if removed"... I hate the timing mark on it anyway...maybe an aftermarket one is in my future to go with my Canton pan?

[GregWeld]

Motors really can't be "visually" inspected.... What may appear to be little evidence of wear can be measured in .001".... Bores can be tapered or out of round... guides can be too loose or too tight... Ditto that on bearings and clearances.

The fact that there is no visual "damage" is a good thing....

The weak links will be the cast pistons - the powered metal rods... and the overall "factory" clearances. That motor probably came with a forged crank... a good thing. I always love the guys that tell me their motor is "blue printed" - as if though that is some speed secret... when, in fact, it means nothing more than someone has bothered to measure every spec and make sure that it is actually within spec.

Now you have to ask yourself if you want to push the RPM level.... which - if any - parts need to be improved upon. Maybe none, if you don't want to spin it more than 6,000 RPM's.

I personally short shift the motor in the Mustang - and it has nothing but the best of the best internals... but I figure nobody is paying me to "win" so what difference does it make if I shift at 6,500 vs 7,000....

[SSLance]

I think the same way Greg...only I shift at 5500 instead of 6000 RPM.

Main thing I was happy to see is no scoring of the cylinder walls, no sign of oil consumption, bottom of the oil pan very clean, everything very clean really. Only sign it has even been run is the little bit of carbon buildup on tops of the pistons.