Another 9 second Hellion car/ now with “predator” 5.2/GT 350 heads

[Obsol3te]

She looks pretty man, too bad about the heads. I'm sure you'll be happy someday
It's only money right?!

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[olaosunt]

Thanks man.
I am running out .
Once they are back together I don't think I want to beat up on them again .
Can't afford break them anymore .

 

[F1scamp]

Nice! I can't wait to get mine back together as well.

 

[beefcake]

The motor in the KB car also developed a coolant leak ....
That turned out to be a cracked block in the valley .
The crack is not visible but when pressure tested you can see the coolant leaking .
That block was nonsleeved with water jacket supports.MMR said that may have contribute to the block cracking (said they have seen this before) .
It was making almost 1000 rwhp on the dyno with the 3.2 KB/3.5 pulley /20 percent lower.
Car also has GT 350 heads and stock cams .I was seeing 22-23 psi on the dyno which I thought was high for the pulley combo .

I had already planned on swapping the block with another sleeved 5.2 which I had built over the winter which is ready to ship . I already have a built Tremec to swap at the same time but I though I would have time to try for 9's with the old block and the MT82.
I think I have made up my mind to do the COMP "stage 2" blower cams with the new motor-will also be upgrading the valve springs which I did not do the first time around like I did with the heads in the Hellion car)

we've cracked the valley 3 times over the last 5 years, 2 times in the 2011 car and once in the yellow car.

mmr has a new brace to help with that.

cams are never a bad idea at higher boost level. you typically drop boost, but pic up power, which is def less stressful on the engine

 

[olaosunt]

Got the brace on new block.

New block is definitely going in to the Hellion car(sleeved block and heads out of the car is going to MMR to check and will go back in the KB car).

I am sure the KB manifold won't clear the brace but may be the low file one will.

Local guy is looking at cam journals on the heads off the KB car.It does not look too bad.Only the front ones ,rest look okay .He is going to check the cam clearance and if the others clear fine he says I may be able to just reuse the heads.

If not ,he is suggesting line boring them but not sure if he can get bearings.
If they need work I am probably going to send them to SCP-steve.

The pistons in the cracked block look pristine-you can see the water jacket supports.



Plan is to reuse the rotating assembly in an L$M sleeved block whenever I recover so I can have a spare block or just find roller to put the block in and build a dedicated drag car so I can and quit beating on "nice cars"(they keep turning around keep bitting me in the ass/wallet).

 

[olaosunt]

we've cracked the valley 3 times over the last 5 years, 2 times in the 2011 car and once in the yellow car.

mmr has a new brace to help with that.

cams are never a bad idea at higher boost level. you typically drop boost, but pic up power, which is def less stressful on the engine

Hey Beefcake
what issues did you have with the cam phasers when you did the COMP cams and GT 350 heads?

 

[Brian Z.]

ola how many engines have you blown now? Sorry for your string of bad luck but it seems like you average one a month Hope things hold together moving forward.

 

[olaosunt]

Thanks man.
It does feel like it.
I am on the third motor in both 15's.
Hopefully third time lucky .

 

[olaosunt]

I think I am done

Well my shitty luck continues .
Engine builder received the engine back with the heads for what I thought was going to be a quick inspection/redeck and at worse rebuild of the block using the same rotating assembly with may be new bearings/rings.

But when it rains in pours right ?
I was told engine looked "real beat up " and they found several bent rods on initial inspection .Off course no warranty as the tune is the cause .Sad thing new engine only saw 5-6 dyno pulls and not one pass.It was in storage all winter too.
Only good news is the block and sleeves look good .

Rebuild is going to need a brand new rotating assembly and with rebalancing /rehoning block I am looking at $6k($450 rush and $450 freight )if they reassemble the long block with the heads.
There goes my budget for new cams/porting of heads which would be another
$3000.
I don't really have a choice at this point(in too deep) so will at least have the engine rebuilt and long block reassembled with my old cams .

I am still considering doing the GT 350 cams (rather than their recommended cams) and porting as I feel at this point might as well get the most done now as I hope to be never here again.

This long block is going to end up back in the KB car as I am going to use the new block they built (originally destined for the KB) and delivered in the Hellion car with stock cams and GT 350 heads that came off that car.

When both cars are finally put back together I think I am truly done beating on them.They will both have potential to run 8's but don't think I will ever find out .

I will probably try sell them if I can get close to $60k for each otherwise I will just keep them and have bragging rights about how fast they could run if I dared. Lol
May be I will just wait and get rid of all 3 (including the GT 350 ) when the next GT 500 comes out .it will be nice to have a really fast car with a warranty!


I may put together a long block with all the "spare" stuff- I have good GT heads/good rods from the alluminator /rotating assembly from cracked block/and another block I could have sleeved- I have left over from all these failed engines and stuff it in a fox body or something I can beat on at the strip and won't be afraid to walk away from if it breaks .

.....end of rant !

 

[jhatley7]

Damnit man!! Welcome to the bent rod club.
Seriously tho sry for your luck. Hopefully this is the last motor.

 

[olaosunt]

Thanks bro .

Only way this won't hurt so much is to end up with a "badder" engine than I had before so I might as well port the heads and do cams at this point .

My installer and I were wondering how a bad tune would lead to "bent rods " especially the Oliver I beams .
May be you(or other resident gear heads)can explain this to me ?
Or could it have been caused by the head gasket failure (they said it was evident in all cylinders ).

"Hydro locking " as has been discussed in the other Hellion car head gasket failure thread ??

 

[jhatley7]

I'm not sold that the tuner lost your motor. But seems like coolant some how got into the cylinders.

 

[tsloms]

What kind of rods were in this engine? Rods don't typically bend especially from a tune uoless there is another factor such as coolant in the cylinders.

 

[jhatley7]

What kind of rods were in this engine? Rods don't typically bend especially from a tune uoless there is another factor such as coolant in the cylinders.

Oliver I beams

MMR said all of your rods were bent? I'm not understanding how that can be blamed on a tuner. Too much fuel with out a spark could bend rods but on all 8?

Also how does a tune lead to a blown head gasket?

 

[olaosunt]

The rods were the Oliver I beams .
The block was there "1500 HP" block .
Only runs were on the dyno and may be 2000 street miles .
They said there were signs the head gaskets were blown on all cylinders so guess there was a loot of coolant in the cylinders .
They also said there were signs of detonation in the pistons (the surfaces I saw while the block was assembled looked fine) - see above .
Engine was blowing steam from day one so may be it was in part installation issue .
May be head studs torqued wrong ?

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