I'm sure you guys all know I had a little problem with the Flambe at the end of the race season...did a big burnout for a time trial after winning the 1st event and as I rolled to the line she was breaking up and ticking like a bad exhaust leak. What a shame, Flambe was on fire (literally not figuratively) and had won 4 of the previous 6 ECIRS races. Bummed. Had to borrow a car to race in the finals.
Also, at Nats in August on the road course coming out of some turns hard there was some smoke from the passenger tailpipe as well. I guess letting Mike and Gary make fun run after fun run in the Flambe around the road course wasn't the best idea. We figured some oil got up in the top around the turns and was getting blown out. Oil still looked great, oil pressure good, etc. But hey, that's what the Flambe was designed for, to take a good beating, provide entertainment to both passengers and onlookers, and keep going like the Energizer Bunny.
So you know...maybe it was time. That 396, err FREE-96 was built back in 2000-2001 and has about 40,000 miles and road course runs and autocrossing and about 500 drag strip passes. Not a bad run, so if it was time...it was time...
Anyway, the prognosis from Dr. Paul at Area 51 has been done and it looks like I may have dodged a bullet.
I got this long and emotional email a few hours ago from PBP:
Ok hot rod.
Order up the following and have shipped to my house.
(2) FEL/1284 Intake set, want spare.
(1) FEL/VS50443R Valve Cover Gasket set
(1) CCA/875-16 Lifter Set
(1) CCA/1605-16 Pro Mag. 1.6 Ratio &/16 stud rocker arm set.
Me
LOL. I thought it was very touching. He called me Hot Rod. cwm5
So basically he pulled off the valve covers, said the cam looks ok, he found a real bad trashed rocker and some worn smashed down lifters from what he could see. No need to pull the heads. PBP: "Bad news for Bill, no heads and cam package" so I guess my mini-dream of 'having' to do heads/cam ain't happening. At least not yet.
Hopefully this explains why I was running slower this year. I had those old old Type R lifters that everyone bitched about and had problems with, yet we got 12 years out of them, not too bad. I also had the old style 'race' pro mag rockers and this 'new' style should be so much better. So I guess we'll see...hoping nothing else is fooked, Paul doesn't think so and that's good enough for me!
BTW I'm sure I said it all wrong and I'm gonna get called a pop tart but that's my story and I'm sticking to it!
Also, at Nats in August on the road course coming out of some turns hard there was some smoke from the passenger tailpipe as well. I guess letting Mike and Gary make fun run after fun run in the Flambe around the road course wasn't the best idea. We figured some oil got up in the top around the turns and was getting blown out. Oil still looked great, oil pressure good, etc. But hey, that's what the Flambe was designed for, to take a good beating, provide entertainment to both passengers and onlookers, and keep going like the Energizer Bunny.
So you know...maybe it was time. That 396, err FREE-96 was built back in 2000-2001 and has about 40,000 miles and road course runs and autocrossing and about 500 drag strip passes. Not a bad run, so if it was time...it was time...
Well, there were many who wanted to rule the FREE-96 out. Spun bearings, broken pistons skirts, broken wrist pins, and many other things were mentioned as what that tick tick ticking was. It sounded almost like a bad header leak but with the car running rough (still ran 13.6 at 100). But the odd thing was that it stopped making the noise after it sat so Paul and I concurred (lol) that it hopefully wasn't major damage in the bottom end. Which would be nice, since the bottom end is all real nice Callies rotating swag.
Anyway, the prognosis from Dr. Paul at Area 51 has been done and it looks like I may have dodged a bullet.
I got this long and emotional email a few hours ago from PBP:
Ok hot rod.
Order up the following and have shipped to my house.
(2) FEL/1284 Intake set, want spare.
(1) FEL/VS50443R Valve Cover Gasket set
(1) CCA/875-16 Lifter Set
(1) CCA/1605-16 Pro Mag. 1.6 Ratio &/16 stud rocker arm set.
Me
LOL. I thought it was very touching. He called me Hot Rod. cwm5
So basically he pulled off the valve covers, said the cam looks ok, he found a real bad trashed rocker and some worn smashed down lifters from what he could see. No need to pull the heads. PBP: "Bad news for Bill, no heads and cam package" so I guess my mini-dream of 'having' to do heads/cam ain't happening. At least not yet.
Hopefully this explains why I was running slower this year. I had those old old Type R lifters that everyone bitched about and had problems with, yet we got 12 years out of them, not too bad. I also had the old style 'race' pro mag rockers and this 'new' style should be so much better. So I guess we'll see...hoping nothing else is fooked, Paul doesn't think so and that's good enough for me!
BTW I'm sure I said it all wrong and I'm gonna get called a pop tart but that's my story and I'm sticking to it!