Well the motor is out of the car and about 90% apart.

Guess what.... VERY GOOD NEWS!

Nothing serious is really broke.

So far the worst damage appears to be, that the 2 cyls where the compression was under 100lbs, seems the top rings tension is completely nill.

Here is the thing about the rings. The Wiesco pistons I currently have came in a package with Hastings Powerflex moly rings.

Now I had to replace 2 of the top rings... because I broke one when I accidently set a rod on top of it in a box when I was weighing everything to figure up my bob-weight and I then stupidly over cut another top ring file fitting.

Not wanting to break a new set, needing 2 top rings right then and since Summit is a short driving distance from dads shop, I went over there and bought 2 single sets... Summit Brand of course because they looked like real Hastings rings upon inspection and the counter guy assured me the they were real Hastings rings re boxed for Summit....

I'm now guessing they are really some more Chinese crap because the 6 other top rings are fine. Lesson learned.

There is no color on the bottom side of the piston, no signs of detonation on the rod brgs or the piston crown or in the ring lands. Top ring did not butt. The top ring is just completely flat... practically no tension what-so-ever, it's like those 2 top rings were annealed with a torch.

Cly walls look good but haven't measured them yet.

All brgs (King HP series) are spic and span. If it wern't for my fear of re-crushing brgs I'd reused them.

So what I'm looking at replacing in the motor is:
1. New Rod and Main brgs (King HP)

2. Set of pistons to get the compression ratio up to 11.7SCR (Manley)

3. New set of rings (Perfect Circle which utilize a Napier second ring for better oil control and less friction)

4. New Gaskets.

I'm also going full hog on my Victor 2925 intake manifold this time and it's going to a long time friend, Denny Schmidt (JDS Induction) over in Fayetville GA for full port work.

I'm hoping the addition 1+pt of compression, Napier second rings, Denny fully porting the intake manifold and of course a re-tune at Eds will get me the 22RWHP I'm short.

Some parts are already on order and the rest will be ordered once I can verify with a dial bore gauge that the block is going to clean up with just a re-hone.
Will

"I'm hoping the addition 1+pt of compression, Napier second rings, Denny fully porting the intake manifold and of course a re-tune at Eds will get me the 22RWHP I'm short."

I think those numbers are in the bag.

Glad your problems are minor.....well, as minor as can be considering a major teardown to get to the minor problems!

So the broken rings spared the cylinder walls?

Quote:

They didn't break. There is just no longer any radial tension. It's like sticking a 4" ring in a 4.030" bore. Almost constant gap (.018 compressed) and very little friction.

Cyl walls do look OK but I'll know more once the dial bore gauge is properly employed.
Will

Looks like things may be starting to go my way.

Bore is going to clean up fine with a hone. I have one cyl that is about .0005 out of round with .0003 taper. The other 7 cyls are like .0002 out of round and .0002 taper.

I'd like to add, wasn't measure with plates bolted to it - so some of that out of round is liable to go away once we bolt the plates on it and fire up the hone... if not, it will once the hone starts turning.

Something else good (for the rebuild anyway). I noticed the bore was kinda small at only 4.028... I had to go re-check my set mic.... then I measuered the old Wiseco pistons, then I went on the shop computer and dug up my spec sheet just to be positive. Sure enough I'd set the dial bore gauge up correctly and I'd also orginally put the piston to wall clearance on the low limit @.004

This may work out perfect because Manley specifies .005 to .006 piston to wall clearance on the new pistons. If God smiles on me this time, I'm quite positive I can make the the block perfect again - without ANY extra clearance in the bore.

80% of the parts to fix the motor are already here. 100% are on order and should be here by the middle of next week. Denny said 2 weeks for the intake port work. We are tentivly shooting to have the car back running by Memorial day.

I also spent some extra $$$ on needed but non engine releated stuff.

315/35R17 M/T ET Drag Radials. I already have a set of 335/30R17 Hoosiers Drag Radials but they won't drive in the rain... actually they won't drive on a damp road. My normal street tires 315/35R17 Sumitomos are a joke with this kind of power. I'm actully hoping I can drive the M/T's on the street MOST days (most days you'd drive a car like this). The M/T and Hoosier Drag Radials are the 2 top Drag Radials out right now and I'm looking forward to being able to compare them at the track and on the road for everyone here.

I'm also finally putting my Yukon 4.11 gear set in the D44 rear. Currently the car will top 86MPH in second gear and it spins street tires uncontrollably past that point well into 3rd gear. The Hoosiers will spin up to that point. Ever driven nearly 100MPH sideways? It's a scary feeling and you look very cool when you pull it off. I prefer not to keep risking the car getting away from me at that kind of speed. The 4.11's will knock down the wheel speed in the lower gears as well as gear me perfectly for 130ish MPH at the top of 4th -Which I'm hoping to hit in the 1/4 mile.

ZF Doc C-Beam plates. I emaled Bill and have a set on the way. They flat work and I honestly didn't think they really would (hence why I didn't put a set on when I orginally built my car) but after driving Nolands car I am a beliver. His car has 383.2RWHP@5400RPM and spins the tires pretty easily and at least it tracks straight.

A shift light. I did have my tack sent out and refaced/recalibrated to a ZR1 8K. It's painfully slow and with this kind of power it's next to useless. If anyone's wired and mounted a shift light before on an LT1 Corvette and would like to save me a few mins figuring out the cleanest way to hide it and easiest way to wire it -Please PM me.

Another long time friend, oval track racer and chassis builder Doug Stevens has agreed to build me a 4pt roll bar. It's going to be 1 3/4 .120 DOM seamless tubing with a lower brace off the shoulder bar down to the floor pan (between the storage compartments) -So I can fabricate a "pinion snubber" on the lower floor pan, similar to what CF member "MrCrowley" had on his mid 10sec ZR1 down in LA. I wanted to use 1 5/8 .120 DOM for the roll bar because it's lighter but after looking at my new 2009 IHRA rule book I see they did away with the different requirements they used to have for DOM v/s seame welded tubing and now require all mild steel "Roll Bars" to be 1 3/4" .118.... If I put an 8pt "Roll Cage" in the car - It says I can use 1 5/8" .118 but I'm just not going to do that to my street car.

I keep you guys informed and post a few pics here and there of the progress.
Will

Shift-light install.

http://www.hashmarks.com/ShiftLight/

I can't wait to see the pics on this!

Matthew