well I manned up an decided to tear apart the firebird today. I took the intake off and noticed two lifter retainer clips lying the the lifter valley. the risk I took for using comp "R" lifters I guess. after that each piece I took off I expected there to be damage underneath. I kept finding parts in good working order. after I took the passenger side head off and turned the crank over did I get a very good clue as to what happened. the #6 piston wrist pin must have failed. the piston moves up and down a little bit while turning over and I can hear something knocking. it also looks like the piston just touched the head. thankfully there are no signs of damage to the head nor does the piston look bad, from the top at least. there was also no piston to valve interferance.

This weekend I'll have the engine out then I will know for sure what happened. I still don't know what caused all the glitter type stuff in the oil.

heres some pictures I snapped:

with the valvecovers off I could see "glitter" in the heads


heres a better shot of this "glitter" on my finger:


heres the passenger side cylinder bank. you can see how the #6 piston is "cleaner" looking than the rest.


heres a closer look at the piston


heres the drivers side cylinder bank. nothing seems to be out of order over here.


here are the heads


there the 383 lie, ready to be pulled out.



if those pictures arent showing up, go here: http://community.webshots.com/photo/...64521152IzhlKl

theres more and better pictures (keep hitting next)

 

So what will you do next?

 

sell everything I can and buy a mustang.













a fox body mustang, that is. shortly thereafter powered by an LSx

 

Put a 632 BBFord in it
Guaranteed 1000HP on motor and with a medium shot of hose it will run 5.20/.30's in the 1/8 with 28 x 10's:

Wheels up or on the bumper.

 

oh believe me I have gone back and forth between shoving a big block ford in one. my dad has two lincoln 460s down back. one has the desireable D0VE heads. I could start with putting that in and doing a mild buildup. I would run into major hood clearance problems even with tall hoods. seems theres no definitive swap kit and the ones made are all different results may vary!

I'll be happy with a light fox and a 500 rwhp stroker LSx. If I ever feel insane enough to stuff 1000 horsepower in a 3000 lb car I'll build my own turbo kit

 

If ya put it on motor plates it isn't a bad swap.
Built one that DOES run 5.22 in the 1/8th.

 

does it feel really nose heavy? theyre huge engines!

 

Not according to the guy who owns it. Can't be 'cause it has stood on it's bumper several times.

 

I'd do a LS1, get that puppy down nice and light and put a single plane on the thing and you would have more than enough power on your hands.

Bret

 

Hard to make 1000 big ones N/A with an LS1 but 750/800 would be doable. 632 BB will get it done N/A been there. A small shot of N02 will put it in the low 5's in the 1/8 mile with 28/10's.Will run high fives on motor.
Leave to hard and ya will be looking at the sky too, can't see anything but hood.Well if ya are trying to better a 1.26 60' that is.

A 706 would be better though.

 

I wouldn't do any of that, rebuild the 383 and whip those other guys asses with a good tune, it's not the motor, it's the setup. My father has a 327 that runs 5's in the 1/8. Size doesn't really matter as much as combinations.

CS: That glitter is metal in your oil, probably shaved from friction on that piston and a bearing on the rod. Get a new rod, crank, and bearings and clean that thing up. GOod to go!

 

The 327 HAS to be a very HIGH maintenance unit.His car is VERY light too. The 632 has not been apart in 2 yr's and runs every weekend.

AT R&D Racing SIZE does matter.

 

bret, how good are you with LS1s?
I was thinking about the new L92 stuff with a single plane... I know with a .005" hone of the cylinders and a 4.1" crank you have that magical 427

1racerdude I know you build awesome competition cars. Im not building a drag strip only car. Im building a car to decimate all on the street. when its fast enough I plan on taking it down to philadelphia to see how I stand up. Yeah, I know thats illegal but the cops don't care that we do it up here. they even told us just to not be stupid about it.

I'm gonna set a goal for 10s all motor with an LSx in a fox. I don't need any of the ammenities like power steering, power brakes, HVAC. Ive seen a stock internal LS1 powered fox run low 7s in the 1/8th with a th400 and a good sized stall. theres a dude with an LS2 402 stang, carb setup, th400, and a 150 shot of nitrous that runs high 9s. that would work for me

Mike96Z thanks for the words of encouragement but I'm done with the firebird. I should have been done with it before. Ive waved the LT1 flag long enough. I want something lighter and better for drag racing. I cant imagine what my firebird would look like if it weighed 2800 lbs!

 

Gotta another ex LT1 guy around here who is doing the Fox Body LS1 deal.... basically a "stock" LS1 with a cam and a single plane carb setup. Who needs more cubes when a stock LS1 is already up to stroker 302 size! That puppy should haul ***** in the 1/4 for cheap. We are talking 130+mph without the juice, which is super easy on a carbed intake! Throw some ported dart heads into the mix and it will be scary. TH350, big stall and some nice tires, headers are even easy in that deal as well.

As for the L92's when that dam single plane comes out they will be easier, but until then it's sheetmetal time. Already have the porting covered though, them puppies MOVE SOME WIND!

Bret

 

excellent
130+ mph traps? that is awesome. I wanted to do a single plane with an elbow and retain EFI.
you have experiance with the L92s yet? I saw flow numbers for them and the exhaust side looked a little weak. they have massive intake ports so they better flow some air! I don't think an L92 stroker would cost much more than what my 383 went together for ($6500.) it would have a whooooole lot more power.
when I start building the car I'll have to pick your brain