Dang! Can't catch a break, huh? My buddy still has that TBI motor if you care to mess with it. Say the word.
I have several complete engines I could put in it plus enough new parts to build a couple more but I think I'm going to try to sell it without the engine, transmission and different wheels. I pay $60/month for a place to store it and only drive it a few times a year. I have an old '60s east coast style '30 A roadster on a '32 frame I plan on restoring, had my fun with the '27 T roadster, time to move on. Scotty you have driven this car, make you a good deal!!
I did the same thing to a 421 Pontiac. Lost one valve head, parts traveled up through the intake and destroyed two other cylinders. Since I was traveling coming back from Alaska, The only thing I could do was have it rebuilt. They sleeved three cylinders and repaired the heads. It ran fine for the next two years, but I didn't push it.
I haven't completely torn it down, just pulled heads. There were pieces of valve seat and water in every cylinder. From what I see so far block should be ok, it is .030 over, could bore more or sleeve. I just hope the forged crank is not messed up. you can see the two holes into coolant p***age in the head photo. I can salvage 6 valves and all 8 springs, got a couple more sets of double hump 1.94 heads so got parts if needed. This all started with a bad lifter, could have been avoided if I had just put the new lifters in I bought a couple of years ago but since it wasn't stored at home, and seldom driven, I would forget about it until I took it out and drove the **** out of it. Yeah, I'm a lazy dumb***.
You need to post your picures at this thread I started! http://www.jalopyjournal.com/forum/showthread.php?t=454623&page=3
Small block Chevy,,judging by the piston valve reliefs and the chamber shape. It could be fixed. Tommy
Well done weed hopper!!!!!! Jeesh... the sled dropped a valve but it found the hole again and stuck enough for Mike to drive home and get it replaced! I'll post photo's later when I get home from work.
Damn buddy bad news. I know you're in good shape but you can dig in my junk of you want anyway. Better yet don't peddle the roadster give it to me I'll throw an engine in it have some fun then give it back to you when I'm done and you really want it again. So give us the skinny on it. Did you have it screwed tight when it came apart? Were ya winnin'?
I know how you feel. Went through that in April on my way to Vegas in my 27. Just got through the Cajon P***, through light rain, hail, and snow (no top) when the valve dropped just as we we're approaching warmer climate nearing Victorville.
I did that to a Porsche engine in about a four year old '67 VW once while racing a new Mazda rotary over Kellogg Hill on the I-10. ****ed the #3 valve right thru the piston and then it jambed between the rod and skirt and siezed the engine, all at way over 70 MPH...Exciting much? Expensive too..
This is "ALL" that happened to BCR while driving the Rocket Sled... Apparently the "keeper" part of the valve broke off and the valve dropped into the cylinder and found its way back into the hole only slightly marring the guide enough to hold it in place for him to drive it home! That's friggen lucky compared to everybody else that has dropped a valve!
I sold the car a month or so ago, new owner is picking up sometime soon, wanted me to store it until after Bonneville. Sold it with out the old Torque thrust rear wheels I've had for 35 years, keeping the D's on the front & 4 tires, keeping the nodular iorn 9" case with 4:11s & Moroso posi, keeping TCI ****** & shifter, engine. Had my fun with it, going to a good home in Oklahoma. I have another nice complete 27 roadster body hanging from the rafters, all the sheetmetal is cherry, original fenders hood everything including restored T frame & engine block with matchin #s so I got a good ***le, and I got a set of '32 rails hanging next to the bare body and a Hot Rod magazine cover from around 1955 with a beautiful blue '27 highboy roadster for inspiration, about 4th in row to be built. Gotta finish the 55 Nomad for my wife, then I'm going to redo the old '30 A east coast style roadster I have that was built back in the '50s so I won't be without a roadster, then the T. I hadn't raced it that day but took the back roads home and as I p***ed thru Davilla, TX there were a group of gentleman, that did not appear to be here legally, drinking in front of the store. I understand enough sign language and spanish to know that they wanted me to act stupid taking off from the stop sign and I did not disappoint, hitting about 6500 rpm in 1st & 2nd. About 10 miles later the rocker arm that had been getting a hole beat in it for about a year or so wore thru and acted as a good valve spring compressor allowing the keepers to come out. Dumb dumb dumb. Wingnutz, it was good talking to you yesterday, enjoyed you reviving this old post.
yup, guy told me,, man we can use those springs over, they only have 5 nights on them...a new set is 500 bucks !! guess what, using the old ones cost 10,000 bucks !! go figure
Great talking to you Ed... we sure had challenges this year and I had to see the carnage,,, (like staring at a bad car wreck!) thank God Mike didn't have the catastrophic failure lead to a Major catastrophie! Maybe next year we can enjoy a cold one at the HAMB Drags!