Drag Week 2014, Registration and Test 'n Tune

[428kidd]

Jay that Sucks . Always a bummer when you work so hard for some thing, and it goes wrong. I hope it is some thing small! Don't loss hope and keep up the good work! Theres always next year and maybe you can get the combo more sorted out by next year!

[plovett]

I am super sorry to hear about this, Jay.  All that effort and a kick in the teeth as a reward.  Keep on keepin' on.  Your trials and amazing results mean a LOT to a LOT of FE'ers.  Thanks.

paulie

[BruceS]

Jay,
Reminds me of when I worked as a mechanic and fabricator on some IndyCar teams in the 70s... We had grenades for engines in those days; the early days of turbos.  Sometimes 20 laps and change the "spacer" as we called it! 
You did the right thing, instead of running it and potentially destroying a high dollar and high HP Cammer. 
I think you should get it figured out, fix it and then get back to the track to see what it will really do.  Get it fully sorted as needed and ready to kick some a--- next year!   

Beautiful job, regardless of the outcome.

Bruce

[jayb]

Thanks for all the kind words, guys, I appreciate it.  The initial shock has worn off and I'm looking forward to tearing into the engine this week.  We'll see what happens; I'll put up a post mortem on this board when I get the pan off.

Also, looks like the car and me lifting the hood made it into the Hot Rod registration video; click the video in the link below:

http://blogs.hotrod.com/video-of-hot-rod-drag-week-2014-registration-day-tulsa-ok-135865.html

[kwood]

Jay I really admire the time and resources you give to Drag Week and to the FE community. For you to be dealt a blow like this is just horrible....hang in there man!

[Ford428CJ]

That really blows... Sad to say but I'm sure you will be back with some revenge....

[57yblock]

Well Jay now you have just went and spoiled my week as I really looked forward to your updates. Seriously I feel sorry for you guys that put so much effort into getting the car ready. I guess it comes under the s$$t happens heading. I had a clunk in my Maverick after a second pass at Cedar falls this summer. Decided maybe I better not run it again as the clunk would go away when you revved it. Pushed it back into my trailer and took it home. Good thing too as the flex plate to crankshaft bolts were loose. I did the right thing as the holes were not elongated in the flex plate and the bolts were not damaged. Only loss was some trans oil and some work. It sure looks like you have a strange problem.

[machoneman]

Perhaps the damage can be quickly fixed for a few more runs yet this year. One can only hope!   

[Lenz]

Perhaps the damage can be quickly fixed for a few more runs year this year. One can only hope!   

Agreed!  Since it cranked freely with the coils disconnected there's good reason to be optimistic.  Like everyone else I'll be looking forward to hearing what went wrong.  In the meantime, since you've got the Shelby this far you could always finish it up over the winter and bring it to Beaver Springs in April.....   By the time drag week 2015 rolls around you'll have a thoroughly sorted out attack machine.

[Qikbbstang]

I slept on what-ever punched the hole in your oil pan. Being the owner it's likely you may have lost sleep on the same subject. FRUSTRATING, what inside a motor could have enough mass and velocity to chisel a dent/hole in a pan and not have been from catastrophic failure such as a rod - but obviously it was still running?........... By the looks of things what-ever it was, it remains inside the motor - I can't fathom it made it through the hole.
     The fact you were concerned about a noise mid-week just adds to the mystery. Really sorry to hear and insult to injury you went through registration with the damage already done   

[69Chop1]

Jay, sorry to hear about your motor problems. Had other running to do after I saw you on Sunday. Was there Monday morning and figured they was a problem. You should have the award for the one man show/worker,fabricator/engine builder/developer etc. Hope the problem isn't too serious.

Jim V
69Chop1

[cobracammer]

Maybe nothing came out at all?  Maybe it was a rod bolt that slowly worked it way loose and once it backed its way far enough, it came in contact with the pan...  From the look of the hole, whatever it was hit the inside of the oil pan at an angle....My guess (for what its worth) is that it was a rod bolt that backed itself out.

Sorry to hear about this Jay

[bluef100fe]

Sorry to hear this Jay.... I hate to say it but I'm starting to wonder if your car/engine are crused... Damn the bad luck.... Hope it's a easy fix...

[My427stang]

My theory is that the Mach is jealous and sabotaged it....GT, Galaxie, now another fastback in the stable, all running drag week, the Mach is green with envy

Sorry, corny joke

[Joe-JDC]

Yeah, it said to itself, "Why does that CLONE get lightweight shoes, and I have to run in these iron boots?"  "I could be as quick as him too, with lighter shoes on!"  That is how I felt when I saw the troops running PT in the new lightweight tennis shoes, because we had to run PT in Jungle Boots from the Vietnam era with steel toes, and steel in the soles to keep our feet from getting stuck on bamboo that was covered in poo.  That Mach I is still very cool looking.    Joe-JDC