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It has been a long cold winter after turning in my spot for dw 2014, and pretty quiet here on BS lately especially in the absence of dw updates. Although I have not posted much on here I enjoy reading about builds and projects on cars preparing for or participating in drag week. After an engine problem sidelined me last year from going for the first time ever, even after getting signed up with the 8 minute sellout of registration, I am working on rebuilding for drag week attempt 2.0 with hopes that registration goes in my favor once again. I figured I would post some progress updates and pictures as I move forward hoping it will be interesting and worthwhile for anyone that wants to keep up on progress.
Rewind to August 2014, 12 days before loading up for Tulsa, in final preparations I drop the oil out of the 454 that I have been running without a hiccup since building it back in 2005, it spent a few years on a stand while the car got new paint, otherwise it had been a low use engine to this point. So I pull the plug and find small shards of metal on the magnetic plug, a sinking feeling sets in as I send a picture of it to my friend who built the motor. An hour later after cutting the oil filter in half and finding what seemed like a massive amount of glitter the engine came out and was down to a block by evening. We diagnosed the problem as a clearance problem with the aftermarket timing cover that was put on the winter prior during a check over and pan swap, worst decision ever. It was such a light rub that it didn’t make any noise and only after a trip to the local drag strip and a 200+ mile test road trip was there enough metal to be noticeable. There was no major damage to anything but the oil pump along with needing needing new bearings and a hone job I called around to any shop I could find in a three hour driving range trying to find one that could rush it through for a quick turnaround in less than a week so I could stick it back together and head for Tulsa. No such luck, the only shop that could pull it off needed a week and a half. Call me a quitter but I decided to throw in the towel at around 9 days out in hopes some other lucky wait list person could take my place.
I spent all fall and early winter in a holding pattern, trying to save up some money planning on stepping up in cubic inches to a 540 while I was at it. After attempting but not much luck in selling the block off and knowing the 540 would stretch me pretty thin all year long to get it going and try to make drag week I decided to rebuild. This time going for a build much stronger than it was before. The last engine started life in my GTO as a 10.5:1 comp, 30 over, stock oval port head, flat tappet cam street motor that with the right gears would push the big A body into the 12.7’s at 4000 foot altitude, not bad for my first budget build done back in college. So after spending many hours reading, researching and calling around to decide on heads, cam, and everything else that is going in I now have a plan that is finally in motion. The first boxes of parts showed up yesterday and we are headed to the machine shop yet this week to get the block freshened up and ready to build.
Here are some planned changes in store between now and September
Here are some pictures of where it stands today.
Rewind to August 2014, 12 days before loading up for Tulsa, in final preparations I drop the oil out of the 454 that I have been running without a hiccup since building it back in 2005, it spent a few years on a stand while the car got new paint, otherwise it had been a low use engine to this point. So I pull the plug and find small shards of metal on the magnetic plug, a sinking feeling sets in as I send a picture of it to my friend who built the motor. An hour later after cutting the oil filter in half and finding what seemed like a massive amount of glitter the engine came out and was down to a block by evening. We diagnosed the problem as a clearance problem with the aftermarket timing cover that was put on the winter prior during a check over and pan swap, worst decision ever. It was such a light rub that it didn’t make any noise and only after a trip to the local drag strip and a 200+ mile test road trip was there enough metal to be noticeable. There was no major damage to anything but the oil pump along with needing needing new bearings and a hone job I called around to any shop I could find in a three hour driving range trying to find one that could rush it through for a quick turnaround in less than a week so I could stick it back together and head for Tulsa. No such luck, the only shop that could pull it off needed a week and a half. Call me a quitter but I decided to throw in the towel at around 9 days out in hopes some other lucky wait list person could take my place.
I spent all fall and early winter in a holding pattern, trying to save up some money planning on stepping up in cubic inches to a 540 while I was at it. After attempting but not much luck in selling the block off and knowing the 540 would stretch me pretty thin all year long to get it going and try to make drag week I decided to rebuild. This time going for a build much stronger than it was before. The last engine started life in my GTO as a 10.5:1 comp, 30 over, stock oval port head, flat tappet cam street motor that with the right gears would push the big A body into the 12.7’s at 4000 foot altitude, not bad for my first budget build done back in college. So after spending many hours reading, researching and calling around to decide on heads, cam, and everything else that is going in I now have a plan that is finally in motion. The first boxes of parts showed up yesterday and we are headed to the machine shop yet this week to get the block freshened up and ready to build.
Here are some planned changes in store between now and September
- Rebuild engine with the following
- Bore to 60 over and new pistons
- New AFR heads
- Upgrade to solid roller camshaft
- Lifter and rocker system upgrades to top it off
- Electric fan setup
- Gear Vendor overdrive to add onto the Jerico so I can run more than 55 down the highway with the 4.30 rear end gears I am running.
- Roll cage install, depending on altitude I hope to be under the 11.5 mark and for safety reasons at this point it is a decision that is clear even though I have been opposed to installing one into the GTO for a long time.
Here are some pictures of where it stands today.
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