I know you guys have been dying for updates on Yelcamino, so here they are!
I've had an open car trailer for a while and though it gets the job done, I‘ve always wanted an enclosed car trailer, but a nice one is pretty pricey so I haven’t bothered. A few weeks ago I found a used one with all the bells and whistles for a decent price and I had a buyer for my open trailer, so I jumped on it. It’s a 2012 model, it has AC, roll out awning, ceiling vents, a Warn winch, and a finished interior.
April 1st rolls around and Yelcamino is loaded in the new trailer ready to go to Putnam Park for some road course time with the 10/10ths group. My first session out the car was feeling good, the track was fun, and I was getting familiar with the track…
Fast forward to my second session… The first four or five laps were a repeat of the first session, then coming down the front straight around 110 mph, there was a huge “boom” that was loud enough for my wife to hear it from where she was standing taking pictures! Following the boom was the tell tale sign of a drive shaft coming apart. This wasn’t how I wanted to end my track day, but it wasn’t the worst thing that could happen, or so I thought.
Fortunately, my new trailer came equipped with a nice Warn winch so getting Yelcamino loaded wasn’t too big of an issue. After I got it home and up on the lift, I expected to see a blown u-joint, but instead I was greeted with this:
If you’re not sure what that is, it’s the passenger side of the block where the starter used to mount but now the starter is laying on the header with pieces of the block still attached to it. This explains why when I turned the key, I could hear the starter spin, but it wasn’t engaging the flywheel. My first thought was the clutch and/or flywheel exploded, but after seeing the starter laying there, I realized why the starter wasn’t engaging the flywheel.
Looking at the drive shaft revealed the culprit was one of those little 15 cent spiral locks that hold the u-joint cap in place.
I don’t know if the spiral lock failed or just came out of the groove, but when it did, it must have rocked the transmission pretty hard. Hard enough that the side of the block broke off or maybe the Quicktime bell housing hit the nose of the starter with enough force to break it off the side of the block!!!
Looking at this picture, the casting appears to be pretty thin. But how many millions of these blocks are in service on and off the track? At this point, what actually happened is anyone’s guess.
I spent the last week being pissed off, but now it’s time to get up, dust myself off, and get this thing fixed!
With my attitude fixed, I got on the phone with the Driveshaft Shop and ordered a dual CV joint shaft. After they shipped a rear CV flange for the Currie 9”, I reinstalled the T56 and measured for the new shaft. No more spiral locks for me! Step one done.
So now that you are up to date, my next issue is what to do with the engine. Obviously I need a new block. Checking with Summit, a new LS3 block, part # 12623967, is a little over $1500. However, since I have to tear the engine down, I can’t help but think of what I can do to make it better. I happen to have a virgin 6.0L block sitting in my shop so I was thinking I could get an all forged stroker kit for a little more money than a new LS3 block, have some machine work done on the 6.0L block, bolt all the LS3 components on and have a stout 408 cid LS! You know, the silver lining and all that!
My concern is, will all the LS3 components fit on the 6.0L block? Maybe you LS experts can chime in? Does this sound like a good plan?
Brian Hobaugh SCCA National Tour June 2014
First Hemi 'Cuda Convertible Ever Built
Short clips: Goodguys Pleasanton autocross and pit videos
LS swap 
concrete slabs 
T56 install 
I might actually get the Chevelle back on the road one day!
Linear Mode
