NikwoaC's "Commitment Issues" Engine Build

Haha, you guys are making me want to go grab gears!

94gtfreak said:

Dude!! Vid sounds sik! We need to get us Indy Stangnet guys together sometime!

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Truth! I already owe Mr. Rustypwnz a meet up at ORP.

Mr. Rustypwnz said:

word! let me degree this damn cam in and lets roll! well bring all the pos cars out, i need to rebuild the engine soon for the dsm and get it out, I want to go 130+mph trap in that thing.

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130? Daaaayum!

FastDriver said:

Actually, I feel the opposite about the engine. I think one of the best ways to break the motor, and the rings specifically, in is to run it hard. Rings break in fast, though, and I don't think it's a 500+ mile event. I do change the oil several times, though, over the first 1000 or so to get the little metal filings out of there. Plus, it gives me an idea of any problems that may be lurking.

With the clutch, stick with the plan. I have glazed a clutch and needed to replace it as a result of pushing it too hard after slapping everything back together. It was a conscious decision to take the risk. However, if you have the time, then you should take it and do things right. You will be better off in the long run taking it easy on the clutch. Also, I don't feel it's a mileage thing. I mean, throwing it in 5th or 6th and taking a 500 mile drive won't do anything. It's just the assumption that you'll shift it enough to break in the disk and pressure plate.

Yeah, I don't think you'll be disappointed on the # the car makes. I've seen lesser combos make more. An old AFR 165 combo with an Edebrock 5.0 intake and an Ed Curtis cam, that convinced me to go that route, ran 118mph @ around 3200 lbs. Which is roughly 340rwhp. That's not common for small AFRs on a 302, but I also made an actual 311rwhp on a dyno with my 302 at 5300 RPM - probably a little more after I finished a couple more bolt-ons. As long as your motor carries that kind of torque to 5600 RPM, then it will surpass your goal. I believe it will carry more torque higher in the powerband.

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Yea, I agree on the engine. Roller cams require no break in, and I've heard from a few different engine builders that moly rings are supposed to seat within minutes of the first time you start the engine. It's really just the clutch that I want to make sure I break in properly and don't screw up. I once skipped the break in period for a freshly rebuilt T5, and I literally had an 80lb transmission-shaped maraca after the first 5 minutes of hard driving. I learned my lesson then to always break stuff in properly!

I hope you're right on the HP thing! I have a feeling it will do well... We'll see.

Black1987 said:

Any update?

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Just that I've been driving the wheels off the thing. I need to upload some pics of the car, and I should also make a walk around video.

My new SNELL SA2005 helmet came in the mail yesterday, so I should be taking the car to the track sooner or later, too.

Black1987 said:

Good to hear! Do you have a dyno date set yet?

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Not yet. I think I may put a wideband A/F sensor and gauge in the car before I do that.

Little disappointing update for you guys-

Got the car out to the track last night. I hate to make excuses, but somewhere on the hour drive through rush hour traffic to the track, something happened with my clutch. I'm not sure if the cable stretched or what, but by the time I rolled into tech inspection, the clutch was engaging half an inch off the carpet. Not only was it giving me a hard time shifting between gears, but it was difficult to even get it to go into gear whatsoever. But hell, I was already at the track, so I decided to run it anyway.

Here is the rundown. Keep in mind, this is on 17" street tires and a street-oriented suspension. Launching the car is a joke.

Run 1:
Launched like a grandmother driving in a grocery store parking lot.
Grabbed 2nd OK, but completely whiffed 3rd. Didn't even get it to go into 3rd. Frustrated, I went straight to 4th and just finished it out. It's funny, even after completely skipping 3rd, I still ran a faster trap speed than my previous best with the stock heads.

2.206 60'
9.395 1/8
14.613 1/4 @ 98.5 mph

Run 2:
Launched a little harder, but not much, bogged a bit.
Completely trashed 2nd gear. Ground the hell out of it. Pushed the clutch back in, and yanked it hard to get the gear in. Frustrated and flustered, I missed my shift light and bounced off the stock limiter going from 2-3, but once I did finally shift, I did get it to go into 3rd on the first try.

2.117 60'
9.748 1/8
14.539 1/4 @ 104.31 mph < Starting to show some promise, haha.

Run 3:
Launched way too hard and spun. Didn't get a clean shift into 2nd OR 3rd. Hell, my hand completely came off the knob trying to jam it into 3rd.

2.266 60'
9.749 1/8
14.582 1/4 @ 103.67 mph

After missing 2nd AND 3rd on that last run, I knew it was time to quit and go home. That was just disheartening. The frustrating thing was, 2 of the three cars I was up against were WAY slower than mine, but I still got my ass handed to me. Bleh.

Anyway, I can say right now that once I get the clutch issue worked out, the next problem is going to be the factory rev limiter. The car is still pulling so hard at 6250, shifting before then is senseless. That just further justifies getting a tuner. Now if I can just get my wife on board with me spending more money.....

On a lighter note, I do have some new pics of the car. Nothing special, I just took a couple shots at the end of my driveway. Please forgive the 25 year old paint.