Too bad it's gotta come right back off. The screws I ordered for the cam towers were a hair too long, and they cracked the head. I got long screws to prevent them from stripping out (as the OEM ones leave a lot of unused thread), but apparently they were too long.
Going to weld the cracked areas and hope for the best. Always something. I just need this engine to make over 600 whp and me be able to drive it for a while. I'm going to get a spare block ASAP and build that even stronger.
Dammit that sucks. Yes, weld and maybe drill and pin also? Looks like there might be enough material to set pins? Either way, should hold up. Thinking cam cover is gonna help keep that area rigid and stable and also don't think that there will be much lateral stress. Yes, weld and full send. Let's see what this engine is capable of
It ran, but unfortunately there's a leak where the cam tower meets the head for some reason. There's a gap. Hoping it's a simple fix, but need to remove the whole timing setup to remove and evaluate the exhaust cam tower seal situation.
Always something delaying things. Really want to achieve the goal on the dyno and get it back in my hands.
Lol. Most car forums are just gone unfortunately. People like the instant-action photo-centric Facebook groups. Honestly the search works decent on Facebook groups so I don't knock it anymore.
My car is still perpetually "almost done" - it's one thing after another. Oil leak, vacuum leak, etc. Still need to rebuild one of the axles that's leaking. I heard the new exhaust the other day which sounds great so far. Will have to determine whether it's what I want after the dyno and driving it. Might need to add a branch 1/4 wave resonator (to eliminate particular frequency drone like it usually has around 3000 RPM) and/or a vibrant ultra-quiet resonator.
Basically just some tidying up (ensure hoses are routed properly, configure the AEM dash, confirm all oil leaks are taken care of) and it's dyno time.
I did buy a spare engine and I have the Pauter rods. We're going to have custom heavy duty JE pistons made, and I'll get another set of the ARP $$$$ studs if everything holds up on the dyno.
It's just sitting there ready for the dyno for the most part. The axle boot still needs to be redone as it's throwing grease everywhere, but otherwise it should theoretically be ready for tuning...
2.5 years.
Not very excited to get it on the dyno, mostly because I don't think that will happen for a long time yet. There's always some little thing that for some reason is dragged out forever. Or even if it does go on the dyno, we'll sprout a huge boost/vacuum leak.
The new tech working on things unfortunately took off the intake manifold in an attempt to find a vacuum leak, and inadvertently caused a bunch when trying to re-seal it. The head even went through the machine shop with the manifold still attached because it was so hard to get it to seal. However, he did confirm that the flange is very curved. He was able to get it to seal with the Right Stuff that I recommended but only on the third try.
So I'm not confident it will hold. I'm going to order parts to make another manifold and have it milled flat. That will get the stupid previous fabricator's nameplate off things and give me a nice shiny new manifold that's flat.
All in all, the car just looks neglected, things aren't as pretty in the engine bay, everything is all scuffed up and exposed aluminum parts are getting surface corrosion, etc. I'm just not very happy with the whole situation taking forever and constantly worrying "Will the head-block stay sealed?" and spending a metric ton of money on things and still not having it prove whether it can stay sealed yet. All I want is to make 17 more wheel horsepower than last time and keep the head-block seal secure. That's it.
Then I need to clean everything up and do a ton of tidying and customization to make this damn car clean looking again. Meh.
Dyno sheet is cool and all but what about that time slip
would break the axles or something in the trans on the first launch lol
will probably try it though. i can just replace the trans/axles if they break and keep driving it for a bit til it's time to swap everything over to AWD
this would easily run somewhere in the mid-low 10s
would break the axles or something in the trans on the first launch lol
Precisely why I haven't taken mine to the track since I got it back 2+ years ago. I'm afraid to break something, and let's face it - parts are getting difficult to find (a replacement dual-mass flywheel for me is basically unobtanium at this point). I might still go to the track for fun someday, but any timeslip would be very unremarkable since I would need to launch it hard to get that number. Cars are no fun when you can't drive them.
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I drive slow.
Please don't tailgate me.
Yeah, I planned to take it easy while I acquire parts and built the AWD chassis. Haven't driven it in 2.5 years, don't really want to instantly break it. But once I have some spare parts handy and the built engine ready to drop in... maybe a quick strenuous 1/4 mile run is in order.
It was on the dyno yesterday, making around 560 ft-lb torque, lower than last year, and the torque comes on later and smoother. They adjusted the ignition timing, but they also think maybe I had a cam sprocket a tooth off, which is definitely possible - I remember it was super difficult to install the new chain last time.
The engine reportedly sounds and performs very healthy. But there's still a big issue with erratic boost control, so they're taking apart the wastegate to evaluate physical issues. After tuning so many cars over the years, they are confident something is physically wrong with the wastegate. They don't want to push it on the dyno while the boost is fluctuating since we don't want to lift the head again.
Hopefully an obvious flaw is found in the wastegate, a new part is installed, and it can safely and smoothly touch the 600 whp mark within the next week or so.
Spent a few hours on the dyno today fighting the persistent boost control issue and got it to behave (although it's still not the right way to do it). This run came out smooth but we run out of fuel up top and the clutch now slips. On this run we turned down the boost and let it rise slowly to keep it from slipping, and made 601 whp.
The car easily reached 612 whp at 5800 rpm (which is where fuel cut) and has plenty available, but I just want to keep it a little above 600 for now until the next engine (which will be built stronger) is ready, to be safe.
We're in the home stretch. Working on finding a stronger clutch (hard to do on this platform) and installing a fancy brushless fuel pump with massive capability.
Currently I have a Bully Stage 4 clutch (which everyone laughs and says they've never heard of, and also how soft my clutch petal is seems to indicate it's fairly weak on clamping). We're hoping ACT can make a clutch with a super strong pressure plate... or any other reputable manufacturer.
And then, a smooth dyno run and buttoning things up so I can finally drive it a little again.
Big numbers out of the 2.4!! Congrats Chris, can't wait to see some videos of it out on the streets!!!
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Misty: 3400, S&S headers, TCE 65mm TB, CAI, 180* TStat, Milzy motor & tranny mount, 18" BOSS 328 & much more... going osv!!
Silver: 2.4L, 5 speed, GAGT seats, front & rear STB's, all red tails, led headlights, Magnaflow muffler, Milzy Motor mount, WAI, Cosmo short shifter; sold n missed
Tequila: 2.4L, GA interior swap, scrapped...
Thanks guys! I ordered a Clutch Masters FX725 twin disc setup supposedly capable of holding 725 ft-lb. They said they could make one that holds 850 or something too.
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