What a strange week this has been??

I took the car to a friends workshop last Sunday to replace the head gaskets. This should have been a routine top end rebuilt... or so I thought ?

My friend had opened the workshop for me and he was also doing work on his camper van for a road trip this year. It was his birthday and his family had not really done much to celebrate the event. So I arranged for several of our drag race buddies to turn up to "help me with my car"

I let them get busy with the tear down and clean up on my engine while I snuck around arranging the cake and bunting in his engine shed while he worked on his camper van. By noon my engine was stripped and cleaned ready for new gaskets and a rebuild. I had by now got the BBQ fired up inside the main workshop and treated everyone to handmade burgers with all the trimmings. I managed to slip all the boys party hats and part poppers etc. One by one we all snuck into the engine shed and left our presents for him.
Then at 1pm I called him to say there was a fire in the engine shed. He came running and all the boys followed. He found the fire was 52 candles burning bright on top of his Spider Man cake

We all sang happy birthday and popped the poppers and blew our party razzers !! My mate laughed and then filled up and we all had man hugs and cut the cake. It was a great moment as he realised why I had brought so many race buddies to help me

Then when the dust had settled we all got back to our jobs. This is where it kinda went down hill for me

One of my chums mis read the torque wrench and pulled my heads down wrongly. I'm talking 90 ft/lbs instead of 70 ft/lbs eek!!! And he didnt use any assembly lube under the ARP nuts. So I had to back those off and re torque myself after fitting new gaskets and glue (2 hours).

Then we got back on track and I fitted the rocker gear only to find that one of the bolts pulled a thread in the head DOH!!!

That was it for me I'm afraid. I told the boys to wrap it up and load all the parts into the truck as I wasnt happy to do anymore. It was one of those moments when you just know the best thing to do is leave it alone and come back with a fresh head. So on Monday I dug out my Helicoil kit and got to stripping the rocker gear. But within 2 hours I was feeling rather unwell to the point where I had to go indoors and sit down. Man Flu had struck me !!!

I stayed in bed and off work for 3 days. But today I got out of bed at noon and made my way to the garage. I sat looking at the engine while I sipped a nice cup of tea and then rolled up my sleeves. I got the Helicoil installed the rocker gear back on in 1 hour

This was like a shot of adrenaline for me I must say. Yesterday I was in a mood that left me feeling like I could not be bothered with the car anymore. This evening I'm looking forward to a few nights next week where I will get the blower and inlet gear re fitted and ready to fire up for next weekend. I think the Man Flu is leaving me now. Although I do feel like I have been hit by a truck as all my bones ache. Even my eyeballs ache ??

I'm going to chill this weekend and do some family stuff and then on Sunday I'm crewing for a friends car at the track to make sure its tip top for a grudge race we will have on 22nd June at the track We both have the same engines with superchargers. Mine has the 4/71 his motor is pro charged and he is running 10psi more boost with EFI and lots of electronics and laptops and maps etc + a Ford 8.8 rear end with 5 link and caltracs.
I just have a dissy, MSD and a dominator sitting on top of the blower. So it should be a good heads up race I think?

PHEW!!
I'm glad I got all of that out...... I'm feeling even better now as the doorbell just rang to announce the arrival of my Friday night Chinese dinner which i can smell wafting through the house

Sorry this is more of a blog than real car stuff but I've had a few days off the computer and I'm in the mood to talk...

One more thing that was brought to my attention today. My lovely Grand Daughter Faith has just showed me what she will be wearing to her first ever day at the track on 22nd June this year. She will be 9 months old on 22nd June. And I'm looking forward to showing her off.....