We took a couple of test and tune runs on Thursday, and the car ran OK. Not great, but the air here in Vegas is not really conducive to running great. So we were only a little dissapointed with the run.
Today, Friday, we were scheduled for a run about 5-6 PM.
Then the schedule changed to about 4 PM, and we met the Divisional Tech Director, who said we should tear down this morning. Tear downs are usually reserved for cars who go really fast, and either win a big National Race, or those who go for a record... We have not even gotten in a run yet, so what is the deal?
I guess word had gotten out that we might run for a record. And the way the schedule exists for the next couple of days, getting a tear down accomplished would be next to impossible. There was just no good time to do one, except for this morning.
So, we started around 11:00AM and off came the throttle body and intake manifold. Next were the headers, then the coil packs, valve cover, rocker assemblies, and the head.
Then we got the head tested to make sure our combustion chamber was the right size. Next the intake runner was measured, and then the exhaust runner measured, then we had to remove an intake valve which means removing valve spring keeps, retainer, and spring. Next was the exhaust valve. All was measured, and all was found to be well within required limits. The head casting number was also checked and found to be good.
The throttle body bores were measured, and the intake manifold number checked. Again, all good.
Then cylinder bore checked, and piston dome checked, and stroke checked, and all were good.
The we had to put solid lifters in one intake and one exhaust and check cam lift. That meant putting the head back on the engine, and measuring the lift on intake and exhaust, and then taking he head back off, putting our hydraulic lifters back in to replace the solid lifters used for testing, and putting the head back on. All measured, and as we knew was the case, all measured to be completely legal.
Just as we were starting to put things back to gether, we got word that Stock would run earlier than the modified schedule. We would now run at 3:00PM which was less than two hours from now. It will be close, but Keith and I have put this engine together, and ones like it, enough times to know that we could do it.
We started to put it all back together, and there are plenty of things that two people can work on at the same time that we went after it big time.
Stock was called to the staging lanes. We were still a ways from finished, but Super stock has about 80 cars, and they were before Stock and hadn't started yet, so we had a cushion. And we just continued, no need for panic, it wouldn't help, and might cause a problem. So we just kept at it.
Close now, still need to put the header back on, but everything on top is good, so the motor was sealed. We got the header on, and it began to sprinkle. We didn't put the cowl support on the car yet, and the rain started coming down, so we tossed the support in the truck, and all of the tools, threw the hood back on the car, and drove back to our pit space.
We only lost one one exhaust header bolt, and if necessary could have run without it. We did pick up one later at Lowe's. And it will only take a few minutes in he morning to get it tighten up.
What I didn't mention was the number of trips we made from the Tech teardown area back to our pit, for a variety of items from, tools, to water, to a funnel. I would guess there were about seven of these trips total in the golf cart, the our Drooze Mobile pit vehicle by either Tonya, Keith's wife, or me.
The rains came hard now, and the whole day of racing was canceled. So, although we would have been ready, we now race tomorrow.
Our first run tomorrow will be about 8:00 am and next run will be about 12 noon.
More information on our runs tomorrow, tomorrow.
Anything we do tomorrow, and no matter how fast we go, we won't have to tear down, because the motor is legal, and sealed.
God Bless and Race Safely!
David
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