Well the time has come...

pepperidge

pepperidge

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Jan 12, 2007
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It's a shame it has come to this but the time has come for me to do what's needed to be done for a while now...

Tear down of the old motor I lost last year on the way home from Suncoast will hopefully begin a week from Friday with the help from my good friend Steve(Dura-Ration)...lots of speculation on what went sour will finally be answered and a depletion of the checking account will soon follow :(

note: I wouldn't be doing any of this if the current motor I have in now hadn't started experiencing coolant system pressurization many months ago...

back on topic: the motor in question had the head gaskets replaced at merchants along with headstuds installed but less than a year later the cooling system was pressurized/blowing coolant regularly...I was never overly hard on that motor cause I didn't have a transmission to back it up...when I finally got a transmission I put in the moonshine and went to Suncoast to dyno it...yes...even with the coolant pressurization...bad idea I know... not to mention that I had one injector reading 7.x balance rate and another at 4.5x...on the way(almost)home it poured white smoke and lost all power and all the injectors were at 7.x...

speculation on what went wrong by phone diagnosis from some of the pros are as follows...

Pressurization of the cooling system
1.could be from HG's...but head studs should not have let them blow again
or
2. leaking injector cups from the HG replacement since they were removed by Eric and resealed...

way off balance rates on all 8 cyl, and heavy white smoke(fuel)

1. a couple or more bad injectors with the ECm dumping fuel to compensate throwing all the other rates off.
2. Bent or sheared cam pin throwing all the injectors timing off
3. shortened the Rods

What say you guys?

here is my short list of what I MUST have done IF the rods aren't shortened...(feel free to add any other low cost mods that are a must do)

Keyed Cam
delipped and coated pistons
drivers side manifold
beefed up cp3
new head studs(or can I reuse the old ones?)
all new bearings
injectors?(the ones in the current motor have good balance rates should I reuse?)

I appreciate all the tech any of you guys here can give me...

Pepp
 
pepperidge

pepperidge

Member Club 12
Jan 12, 2007
196
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Slidell, La
not sure on the rods...I'm a hobby racer and don't know if I can justify between 2-3 thousand dollars...but I will seriously consider them again... :)
 
paint94979

paint94979

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pepperidge said:
not sure on the rods...I'm a hobby racer and don't know if I can justify between 2-3 thousand dollars...but I will seriously consider them again... :)
Click to expand...

truthfully don't be fooled... your engine will be completely ripped apart now is the best time to R&R for aftermarket rods. Guys that build their engines and leave out rods is just foolish. Good luck and i hope it all goes well
 
JoshH

JoshH

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paint94979 said:
truthfully don't be fooled... your engine will be completely ripped apart now is the best time to R&R for aftermarket rods. Guys that build their engines and leave out rods is just foolish. Good luck and i hope it all goes well
Click to expand...
x2. Put in rods while you have it apart.
 
JoshH

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pepperidge said:
Keyed Cam Add the crank to this one.
delipped and coated pistons It is a good idea, but if you are considering using stock rods, you may not need to do that one. Lots of guys have gotten by without the coating if you want to save a few dollars, but still add a little insurance and drop some compression.
drivers side manifold You could save $300 on this one, but it won't hurt if you have the money. Could always do it at a later time.
beefed up cp3 You can save a few dollars here. Do dual CP3s or swap for a modded pump later if you decide you want more fuel.
new head studs(or can I reuse the old ones?) You can reuse your old ones.
all new bearings The Clevite H bearings are a good choice.
injectors?(the ones in the current motor have good balance rates should I reuse?) No need to replace them if they aren't giving you any problems. Might want to check return rates before you make your decision though.
Click to expand...
That should free up a few dollars for those rods :D
 
TheBac

TheBac

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Pep...sounds like you're in exactly the same boat I am...stuck between a stock and a performance rebuild.
 
SmokeShow

SmokeShow

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Nov 30, 2006
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IMO, I'd at least get the injectors tested while things are torn apart. It's not budget-breaking expensive and, to me anyways, it is peace of mind knowing the injectors aren't going to be bad and possibly do damage to your freshly rebuilt, expensive engine. Just seems worth the cost to not have to fret over them being bad.


And, even if the build had to be put off a longer, no way I'd tear one down, just to put stock rods from any make (many kick the idea around of using the LBZ/LMM rods because they sometimes hold a little more power than LB7/LLY rods) back in there and only gain marginal, if any more, power holding ability. Tom, doesn't seem to be budging on his stance though and is satisified with running the LBZ rods in his rebuild against 99% of people's recommendation. :D (just poking at Tom a little beating a dead horse some more :hug: )


Sorry and good luck.
 
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paint94979

paint94979

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TheBac said:
Pep...sounds like you're in exactly the same boat I am...stuck between a stock and a performance rebuild.
Click to expand...

If i was you Tom (assuming you haven't done this already) i would call every single performance shop, engine builder and try to find a used set of any aftermarket rod. To do a full build and not use rods is posteriors
 
TheBac

TheBac

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pepperidge said:
so what are you doing about it Tom?

I was hoping to get away with somewhere between $4-5k max on the rebuild.
Click to expand...

I dont know. These "made-out-of-money" guys (you know them..they have a money tree in the backyard :rolleyes:) have been giving me a real beating over wanting to run LBZ rods.

$4-5K wont get you very far, as Im finding out. One damn thing leads to another, to another, to another....you get the point. Not every build can be a high-dollar, 1000-hp ready monster and frankly Im already disgusted and frustrated. Ah well, after I get my taxes done, I'll see where I really stand.

As for your build, Id ask Trent (actually...beg him) to completely outline EXACTLY what he did to build his motor (with rods) for around $5K-6K. He out-lowbucked everyone Ive ever heard of by thinking things out beforehand. Flat-out amazing.
 
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paint94979

paint94979

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TheBac said:
I dont know. These "made-out-of-money" guys (you know them..they have a money tree in the backyard :rolleyes:) have been giving me a real beating over wanting to run LBZ rods.

$4-5K wont get you very far, as Im finding out. One damn thing leads to another, to another, to another....you get the point. Not every build can be a high-dollar, 1000-hp ready monster and frankly Im already disgusted and frustrated. Ah well, after I get my taxes done, I'll see where I really stand.

As for your build, Id ask Trent (actually...beg him) to completely outline EXACTLY what he did to build his motor (with rods) for around $5K-6K. He out-lowbucked everyone Ive ever heard of by thinking things out beforehand. Flat-out amazing.
Click to expand...

I intend on doing my whole build for under 6,000... Reuse stock pistons, new bearings, gasket kit, head studs, key cam and crank, carillo rods at a good price... luckily my machine work is getting sponsored. Im gonna run stock cam, stock heads. I just can't see spending 15,000-20,000 on a build unless it is a race only application 4,000$ for ported heads just doesn't suit my needs.
 
TheBac

TheBac

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paint94979 said:
If i was you Tom (assuming you haven't done this already) i would call every single performance shop, engine builder and try to find a used set of any aftermarket rod. To do a full build and not use rods is posteriors
Click to expand...

Im not that good on the phone, and am a terrible negotiator. Some of you are lucky, I guess.

Good luck Pepp.
 
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