What Is Wrong With This Picture?

[chris401]

I have had my share of drop in and run. So why not this? Took me a while till I decided to tear it back apart.

[fastf67]

Cool, I dont feel so bad now. I've had thoughts of putting a breathalyzer in my garage. LOL

[410bruce]

Whoopsie.

[gt350hr]

  That's around 34*s cam retard. Yes exhaust piston to valve would be compromised to say the least!   I did have a cam ( major manufacturer) with an incorrectly drilled dowel pin hole and I had to advance the cam a tooth and use the retard key way on the crank to get it right. The operator must have centered off of the lobe , not the pin to grind it.  Ran it once to test and cut it in half when I took it back out. Manufacturer didn't believe me until they saw it. The replacement was right.

[chris401]

All but quit drinking so I can't blame alcohol. Maybe Norco. Just about any of us can work through pain. Holes, broken bones, concussions and such but what a mess we leave behind.

Mapped my cam the night before, next morning I went out to see where it wanted to be and realized my numbers didn't make any sense. My dial indicator takes one revolution to go .050" so I figured I just misread it. When #1-7 had 55/56 and #8 had 52 static I knew what I did wrong. I too had hopped for a misdrilled dowl but here I am.

In a digital age where weekend warriors build 7 flawless engines a week I figured a dose of humanity would be refreshing.

[gt350hr]

  Chris ,
      We are all human and make mistakes. The GOOD thing is you caught it before the engine was turned over!

[pbf777]

     Had a customer call me for assistance in setting the cam timing for his S.B.F.; said the only way he could get close to right was to adopt a ridiculous some of inappropriate gear tooth engagements coupled with excessive advance or retard placements of the key engagement with a Bryant billet crankshaft?  I suggested that the only way I was going to be able to decipher the problem was to look at it, so he delivered the short-block, at which time in short order, I realized that with the crank key at the 12 0-clock position, the number five piston was a T.D.C.!     

     I guess that's what happens when Chevy guys try to make a part for Fords?       

     Scott.

[gt350hr]

   Yup . I've seen that done before!

[chilly460]

Yeah I spent quite awhile scratching my head double checking my camshaft didn’t in that I wanted to show my father, first time through it was perfect.  Finally after a half hour of wondering if I was going crazy I realized I’d set up the dial indicator on the exhaust lobe... 

Happens to everyone at some point.