• Got the Contributing Memberships stuff finally worked out and made up a thread as a sort of "How-To" to help people figure out how to participate. So if you need help figuring it out, here's the thread you need to take a look at -> http://www.corvetteflorida.com/forums/showthread.php?t=3581 Thank you, everyone! Rich Z.

427 engine (part 2) - RHS block

Well, substantial progress today (actually Wednesday) but since I am still awake, that makes it "today" for me. The engine actually was started, somewhat, but apparently the tune for the big throttle body needs to be tweaked. Once it started up it wanted to rev up QUICKLY, so Chris shut it down rather than spin it up too fast too soon.

Hopefully this will get straightened out tomorrow.

I will say this, though, that SOB is L-O-U-D!! The vibration you see is from the lift shaking when the engine cranks up. Not a chance I'll ever be able to sneak up on anyone in that car...... :nonod:

 
That's great to hear. I just heard a noise from my garage and when I went out there my baby was crying and asking me when it would grow up to be like that. :lmao:
 
Wow, you hardly get to hear it, but OMG, that dude is going to rock your world...and knock the neighbors pictures off the walls when you drive by! Congrats. I hope you actually get to drive it soon!
 
Sweet Rich!:thumbsup::dancer01::dancer01: :icon_cheers:

Can't wait to hear it when it get's sorted out so you can actually :vette: that beast! :grd:

Happy (belated) :birthday:

:party:
 
Went out to Xtreme motorsports this morning. Chris fired up Rich's motor for a short time. All I can say is WOW that is one very strong motor. Sounded like a Pro Stock when it fired up.Rich will be very happy when it is finally tuned up and he can drive it.Makes my LS1 383 stroker sound like a 6banger. LOL. Rich the wait was worth it.
 
Yeah, Chris got a handle on the startup issue. Something is keeping that 102mm throttle body open too wide at idle, so it's sucking in too much air and the engine obviously is perfectly willing to run with it. He put a smaller TB on it (92mm?) and it idled fine that way. So we're going to send back the bigger TB and see what went wrong with it. No big deal, but it certainly had Chris scratching his head for a while.

Another issue cropped up whereby oil appears to be leaking from the camshaft position sensor mount behind the water pump. When Justin started pulling off that water pump so Chris could get at the leak, I decided I didn't have to hang around for that. But at least things are looking up.

If I have time, I'll try to post some more video of the startup rumbles. :hehehe:
 
Oh yeah, I forgot to mention that Chris found that my incoming air temperature sensor went bad as well. It was saying that the incoming air was 224 degrees or so.... :rolleyes: So that contributed to the startup issues...
 
Here's the latest video I took today (Thursday - 07/29). You can hear at the end that the engine running away stopped when the other throttle body was put onto the intake. And you can see that the A/F ratio needs to be tweaked.

Hopefully Friday will have the car being road tested and perhaps put on the dyno.

 
It's alive....It's ALIVE!!!! ALIVE!!!!!!!! The power that thing is capable of will need some sharp respect on the road. This is no common heads/cam build, it is an all out race motor in a street car.:dancer01:
 
Well, it appears things are on hold till Chris can fix the oil leak problem around the cam position sensor bung. Hopefully this won't be another headache.

Some of the suspension still needs to be tightened down and the four wheel alignment, so I'm hoping that will all get done during any delay in getting the oil leak fixed.

So the forecast today is guarded optimism with widely scattered disappointments...
 
Rich Z said:
Well, it appears things are on hold till Chris can fix the oil leak problem around the cam position sensor bung. Hopefully this won't be another headache.

Some of the suspension still needs to be tightened down and the four wheel alignment, so I'm hoping that will all get done during any delay in getting the oil leak fixed.

So the forecast today is guarded optimism with widely scattered disappointments...
Click to expand...

I kind of agree with shakedown but speaking out of ignorance (which I'm good at) isn't that just a gasket deal on the leak? If it were me I would have someone else get it done and just double check everything else. We all make mistakes and an extra set of eyes cannot hurt.

I'm not saying the present shop isn't capable but only that after all these problems I would have it checked by someone else anyway.

I wonder if the guy I know in south Florida has his back after 3 months. Broken flex plate and headers was it for him. I'll see him at the track and find out tomorrow. All the Vette guys at PBIR know about your car.
 
I'd have to respectfully disaagree with Bob.

I would not take it somewhere else and have the leak repaired. It's been in Chris' hands for this long, and for better or for worse, it's his problem to repair.

Is there a warranty on this build Rich?
I'm not sure that it really matters, just asking.
If there is, then this is another reason to let his clean up his act.

Why pay someone else to do what you've already paid him to do?
 
Shadow said:
Is there a warranty on this build Rich?
Click to expand...

Absolutely! One year or 12,000 miles. Which starts when my car is driven out of the shop.

As long as Chris is ACTIVELY working on getting this done and I feel confident that his intentions are good, then I will let this build continue at his shop. One consideration that I already had firmly in mind when I was planning on removing my car and have it transported to South Georgia Corvette was that I would certainly be forfeiting the warranty when I did that. But if it had come to that, then the warranty was worth far less than having my car done and back in my hands.

As for the leak itself, from what I understand, it's not as simple as just a gasket or O-ring. The camshaft position sensor needed to be relocated from the back of the engine to the front, so a custom bung was welded into the timing chain cover. Chris just isn't sure where exactly the leak is coming from, so without that knowledge, doesn't know what will need to be done to fix it. The custom bung was done by LME, as I understand it. Chris said he is checking in to see if RHS has the correct timing chain cover available. I have no clue why this was done this way, and why this had to be custom done. My only defense is that I have been kicked alongside the head too many times with this build and stuff just isn't registering any longer...

All things considered (and I do mean ALL), this needs to done in Chris's shop. At this point, I think moving the car now would set me much further behind, cause even more headaches, and just wind up becoming something I may regret when hindsight kicks in. Besides, it's always an option I can exercise later if I feel the circumstances warrant it. I believe that Chris is now FULLY MOTIVATED to get this done, and as long as I continue to believe that, then I am willing to roll with the punches.
 
I don't think anyone can disagree with your decisions Rich. Your car, money and time. So a simple gasket isn't the solution. Will this stuff ever quit? I mean I know nothing worth while is ever easy but.............
 
Let them finish the job. When you build something like this you have to expect some start up problems. Rich again I complement you on your ability to keep this from becoming a terrible bashing of the builder.
 
Rich you are a more patient man than me. I know your car has been there a long time and at this point you just want your car back. But any shop that parks a cup on the top of my car is going to get a boot in the backside. That really pmo. I hope that was your cup on top of the car. :shrug01: But if not then :NoNo:

I do not know any of the folks that work there, but and after seeing that it shows me the lack of care and respect that they have shown you.
 
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