"The rocker issue seems like a big one to me. If what you are saying is correct, you have the wrong length pushrods in there and this could cause all sorts of issues. I don't agree with setting the rockers "based on sound" though and 1/16-1/8th turn is no where near enough and "should" make for a LOUDER not a quiter engine. Are you sure you are arriving just at zero lash and not going past it?"
Absolutely no doubt.
" Did your builder set them up for you in the beginning? If so, I'd be very surprised if they are setup wrong. I'm trying no to doubt you and your cousin, but I my gut tells me you are not setting them up correctly, especially if they are a stud mount design."
Yes. And when I went to start the car...not even a rumble. Just schhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz. Until we found it was super tight. I can only tell you my experience and this is what I experienced upon first starting it with no adjustments. Freaked me out. EDIT: I mean the car would not even start. This is not what it sounded like with the engine running. The engine would not even run. When I hit the ignition all you would hear is the starting and a SCHZZZZZZZZZZZZZ sound. No kickover what-so-ever.
"I hope the 15# of timing was a misprint. If it wasn't there is your lost HP right there. You should be at least at 30-32* at a min. at full timing. If your base is 10* and you are only going to 15* that is 100% your problem. I doubt that is the case though and is more than likely a misprint as I know Dave at SGS well and he is a great tuner and wouldn't let that car out of there with that little of timing."
No I mean at the computer it is set to 10* and then advanced to 15*..prolly 32 total yes.
Which peak occured at 5000... HP or TQ? I want to know where both occured.
I have to check Paul.
"Edit- back to the rockers... most new engines will sound like this for a good while when first started due to the time required for the lifters to prime. I had my lifters soaking in oil for nearly 2 years before I put them in my engine and it still took like 5-10 minutes for them to quite down, and I even used an oil pump priming tool prior to first startup. When you tear it down and look at them they may appear to be over tightened as they haven't pumped up yet, this is especially true if you decent valve springs in the car. You'd have to tighten the rocker down a good 1/4" or more before you'd open the valve, and that would be WAY more than 1/8th turn of preload on a stud mount rocker. My gut tells me you should have left them alone and that they were not set wrong. I could absolutely be wrong, but your situation with the rockers just seems so off to me."
If I had left them alone my car would still be sitting in the garage and would have never run. Might have been better anyway. Again, I can only tell you exactly what happened. It was supposed to be ready to go , period, end of story, no adjustments. I went to start it and you guys know the story. After that the rockers just would not adjust properly. It shouldn't have been that way and I dont know why.
BTW KC..I think the TQ was down low....I'll look .
