Thread: Uh Oh!

Tweet

Bear with me ... I'm typing this on a phone...

Last race where I doubled up throttle stuck open after my burn out I think 5th round one of the classes... Blipped it a couple times and it was okay. Went on and ran 5 more passes car ran fine and consistent. So last night I went to have a look to see what was up with the throttle. Got the hood off and saw no air cleaner stud out the top of the filter. The 2 brass nuts I used to keep the lid on were gone vibrated loose.

I had used a 7/8 long brass coupler (smooth cylindrical outside threaded inside somewhat thin wall) to make a long stud out of two shorter studs. Took off the air cleaner and found the two studs sitting on top of the carb but the brass coupler was nowhere to be found. Evidently this is what kept the throttle open and this is when I went straight to panic mode

took carb off and didn't find anything in plenum nor any runners as far as I could see but I can't see all the way to the ports.

Took out all plugs and turned over by hand ~4 times and didn't feel any thing catch... Checked the valve train and all valves close and lash is right and no bent or excessive slack in pushrods. Called my engine builder he said there's a good chance it already went in and out.... If so I'm damn lucky! Was running fine 5 passes and on to the trailer... I haven't started it since

now sitting in line waiting for gates to open for high altitude bracketnationals (Wally race)... My biggest fear it's jammed sideways in a runner and will come loose go through and completely grenade the motor.

Wish me luck... Not for round wins but the motor don't break.

Any thoughts? Have you heard of an object this size going through a motor without causing major damage?

Thanks,

-Chris

It'll be fine, went straight out the headers!!!! Just concentrate on that point lead and GO GET 'EM!!!!!!!!!!

Thanks for the replies.... Don't know the exact runner size but oval port BBC od of coupler about 1/4. .630 lift... I'll just run it and pray all is well. If it makes it through the weekend I'll stop worrying.

Will drop exhaust and shake the mufflers... Should be stuck in there if it's gone through

-Chris

well if the lift is 600+ and you could dump a hand full of 1/4 nuts thru a 2.250 intake valve or 2.300 .when i do a bbc with this lift or more you can look down the intake and see the pistons and spark plug with the intake off . if you were lucky it went thru but they just do not fly out with out getting bang a round the nut would have to get up past the ex valve .you would not know it or feel it if lucky you will have some hammer marks at worst some big dents in the chambers more so if alum heads and the top ring land could be closed up some .so in short one the thing or pull the heads off

So far so good first 2 time trials 11.65 11.58...1st run of the day always a little slow

the other day I was at home depot and they had a demo display of a tool I think it was made by stanley but it had about a3 in. tv screen it was hand held with about a3 ft. flexible probe with a light and tiny tv camera and i remember thinking it would go into a spark plug hole you might check it out I think it was about $ 149.95 but I think it would work for alot of stuff might be good for piece of mind.....ted

I took my '62 Chevy II for a test drive right after putting the motor in without the airfilter on it, but the 1/4 nut was on the shaft, after I got back the nut was gone. So I pulled the carb, and looked for it and couldn't find it. Someone told me it must have just pass thru, so I rev it a few times, and Bang, I cracked a piston! That was on a 327 with a mild cam. I wish I had your luck with it!

Pat

4 runs so far today without a hitch... Like clockwork compared to the runs 3 wks ago:

11.65
11.58
11.62
11.56

diff between fast and slow is cold trans hot trans

engine builder tried to get me intouch with friend with "bore scope" little camera but he had already left for the day. If I can get one $150 I'll go ahead and pick one up. Will be handy....

I'm taking my chances this wkend and my luck is holding up so far. Fact it was brass not steel probably helps

-Chris

Well, made it through the day with no disasters. Car ran well all day... just time trials and "jackpot" races today (for which I donated my $60). Went out 2nd round in both of the jackpot races I'm saving the good rounds for tomorrow when it matters That makes a total of 8 runs today.

Talked to a fellow racer/friend at the track he said he had a buddy sucked in a nut and it bedded into a piston and pounded out a nice little dent for it in the chamber... ran it that way the rest of the season without any problems.

I hope it just did a quick in and out without tearing up too much. Will know more later.

-Chris

Glad it held up for you. any chance it didn't go in at all? ended up somewhere else?

Red

I bought a 66 GTO convertible from a buddy years ago. He was doing a tune up and had lost the wing nut from the top of the aircleaner stud and was using a square hardware store 1/4 x 20 nut. He was screwing the nut on the carb without the aircleaner in place to just store it there temporarily, and he dropped it into the quadrajet. The motor was running at the time!

I got it at a bargain basement price because he thought the motor was blown . It was smoking like mad and barely ran after the nut got down in there. When I pulled one head there was a perfectly square hole punched in the top of one piston, all the way through. I bought one more piston and had it back on the road in a weekend. For a while I saved that piston as a conversation piece.

I think when you are done with this seasons racing you should pull both heads and inspect every nook and cranny because chances are that piece is stuck somewhere and might come dislodged at the worst time.

Don

Originally Posted by Dago Red

Glad it held up for you. any chance it didn't go in at all? ended up somewhere else?

Red

Thanks, Red! No... The only place it could have gone is through the carb... And makes sense with the stuck open throttle... Cable and linkage are all good and I have 4 return springs. Now whether it has actually entered a cylinder is not certain but I think most likely... Hopefully I'll find out this week where it ended up

-Chris

Yeah, Don... Definitely need to get to the bottom of what happened and what damage there might be.

Here's a picture of the kit I used.... The brass tube looking thing on the right is the piece in question:
http://www.sfxperformance.com/common...T42133&image=0

Ahhh... So THAT's what those little nuts were for

Might want to put a stop on the linkage so it doesn't over-center and hang up!!!! Somebody makes them, but with my feeble memory I'm clueless as to who it is!!!@!

How's the air up there today??? Had some hi-pressure and low temps roll in here, should be a fast weekend---better put another quarter turn in on the old throttle stop for Saturday night I guess.... Ya see Skids, if ya'd run a BBF, you'd have to slow the thing down to keep it a 9.90 down here at the altitudes us normal people can breathe at!!!!!@!!!!! Anytime I've been out to Bandemere's place it always cost me at least .6 sec.....

PS--We're thinking about taking both cars down to Dallas in April for the big bracket meet..... You and that Chebbie up to a little vacation??????

Throttle adjusted right for vertical...

air is great this morning reading 7700' but expect 9200-9500' this afternoon. Now that I have a trailer would love to travel and see what happens with some air. Could qualify for division 5 championship in Topeka today but with the new baby I won't be traveling this year. Haven't posted yet that I have a new racer in the family:

Robert Charles "Robbie" Wells born 8/21 4:23pm 7lbs6oz

Mom and baby doing fine but not at the track this weekend haven't won a race yet without the wife around

-Chris