My 1985 Monte Carlo SS Barney...

[andrewb70]

A can't reveal all my secrets. Let's just say that the more I tune the more I learn and understand. Tuning for WOT power is elementary. Tuning for good street manners and drivability, takes a lot more experience and knowledge.

Hopefully you got that noisy fuel line sorted out.

Andrew

[Sbeck09]

So Andrew has been up to his tricks again... :D

Out of the blue I get an email from him couple days ago.

"I have a new tune for you to try. I completely reworked the fuel table and I changed the fueling strategy from speed density to VE based.

Load it up, drive it around, and let me know how it goes."

Oh My Goodness!!

He'd have to chime in with the mumbo jumbo of how and what he did, I only kind of "halfway" understand it. All I know is when I step on the loud pedal now, it goes MUCH faster!!!

I'd really like to strap this thing on a dyno now just to see not only the peak power it makes but also the curves and when it makes the power and where.

I like the sound of that! I'd love to see a graph of your motor from a dyno too. Guess I need to bug Andrew for help with mine once I get the wiring done. I don't know much more about tuning than you do Lance.

[andrewb70]

I like the sound of that! I'd love to see a graph of your motor from a dyno too. Guess I need to bug Andrew for help with mine once I get the wiring done. I don't know much more about tuning than you do Lance.

Shoot me a PM when ready :-)

Andrew

[SSLance]

We fixed a couple little things and took it for another test drive this morning. Brought the GoPro along this time...

[andrewb70]

I see you're trying hard to justify new rear tires...LOL

Andrew

[nokones]

303 is great for a test run from Grand to Happy Valley. I've used it a few times. Blowing the BFG Rival S 1.5 tires off in second gear at 40-50 MPH is easy in these cooler temps.

[SSLance]

303 is great for a test run from Grand to Happy Valley. I've used it a few times. Blowing the BFG Rival S 1.5 tires off in second gear at 40-50 MPH is easy in these cooler temps.

Yeah, but you have that super Lingenfelter power under your hood, mine is just a simple little crate truck engine!! :D

Hope you are well Kenny, see you soon at AMP?

[SSLance]

I see you're trying hard to justify new rear tires...LOL

Andrew

I just did all that suspension work trying to get more rear grip...and now it seems like Ineed even more thanks to you.

[SSLance]

Hopefully you got that noisy fuel line sorted out.

For now I'm just masking it with the loud pedal.

[SSLance]

Little update...

Filled the tank Saturday, got 11.3 mpg burning just over 12 gallons including one autocross event and the rest bombing around on side streets working on engine tune.

I now have 1100 miles on the car since August when I got it running on the EFI. Best part is, the tires still have a TON of life left in them. Last tires only lasted me 900 miles.

Raced it Sunday with local SCCA, had a blast on a super fun course. Ran the GoPro out on each rear fender to watch what the tires were doing since I knew the course would have a lot of slaloms.



Car did great, driver could have been better. Ended up 27th raw, 25th pax overall out of 131 drivers. I'm stoked though because I had so much fun on course and still made it back home in time to watch Chiefs make it to the Superbowl for the first time in 50 years!!!

[Motobrewmaster]

Nice Lance! You are definitely inspiring me to get mine done to start enjoying it!

[nokones]

Lance:

You and Barney were looking great. I was working your run group and it looked like Barney was liking the course and the runs. Although, I lived in Northern California for 43 years, you can be rest assured that I won't be rooting for the 49Rs. It is my thing to root for any team that play the 49Rs, except the Rams, good luck to the Chiefs.

[SSLance]

Thanks Kenny! Sorry didnt get to say hello Sunday, was a very busy and short day for me. Looking at times showed you had a good day as well. Loved that course.



Chris actually caught a picture of me looking ahead for a change....

[SSLance]

Had to add data to this run from Sunday at Marana just to see for myself.

I'm particularly pleased with the cars ability to transition back and forth 1G to 1G several times in a row in a 45-50 mph slalom without breaking a sweat or sliding a tire. We had two drivers running back to back in back to back run groups, so 16 runs total in a little about 2 and a half hours time. We sprayed the right rear and right front tire once to cool them down after the 12th run is all. Other than that just turn the key and go. Still haven't touched a screw or a knob since last October.

Pretty happy camper...



Here are some cool pics from the event as well.













Way more great pics from Amanda Hitt here... https://adventurewife.smugmug.com/20...SCCA/i-QF7TkGR

[SSLance]

Finally got around to adding that safety item that I hope I never have to use. On board fire system...



Here you can see the manual pull T-handle and the driver nozzle.



Here is the engine nozzle





I didn't grab a pic of the third nozzle that sticks through the trunk floor and points at the fuel pump and fuel lines on top of the fuel tank.

I also finally put a pretty good bend up on the throttle pedal to make it easier to get 100% throttle, probably raised it an inch off the floor.



Now I'm all ready for two days of on track action at Arizona Motorsports Park Feb 22-23. Skipping the SCCA Autocross this weekend to save my tires for the track weekend.

[SSLance]

Had a blast at a track day last Saturday, but my day ended early with some strange engine related symptoms.

Here was my first dry session of the day...and the session when the symptoms started.




Here is video from my friend Sean's car who was behind me when it happened.




And this is from Valerie's car starting right when Sean passed me.

https://www.facebook.com/DragonladyG...3272482/?t=507


Symptoms are excessive blowby out valve cover at idle, a bit extra oil pressure at idle (30 vs normal 20 psi) coolant level has risen in recovery tank but appears pretty clean still, smoke out both exhausts (with X pipe) under acceleration after hard deceleration, no strange noises and still runs smooth and powerful at normal operating temp. I parked it on the trailer right after, unloaded and drove into garage and it hasn't started since.

A friend me called last night and brow beat me into finally doing some diagnosis. First pic is oil that came from the bottom of the pan after car has sat since Saturday evening.



Oil level was still just touching the end of dipstick like it should have been and it doesn't appear to me that there is any foreign substance in the oil at the bottom of the pan.

Next up is pics of all 8 plugs. Only thing I really noticed is #4 and #5 looking a little bit oily. #2 and #3 may be a bit cleaner than the rest but not that unusual to my eye. Maybe someone here will see something I'm missing though. If you want better pics of a certain plug, just ask.













Last is coolant recovery tank. Probably a quart high and it had blown some out already as well. Pretty clean looking, no real sign of oil in it but does have a brownish tint.



Best case scenario I see is head gasket? Worst case scenario could be hole burnt in piston or broken ring or ring gland.

Anyone see anything I may be missing?

[Sbeck09]

Did you do a compression test yet to see if your piston damage theory has any merit?

[SSLance]

Not yet, that and pressure test on cooling system are next.

[nokones]

Lance:

What type of valve train are you running? Also, take the valve covers off and turn over the engine with a remote starter button and look at the action of each rocker arm and see if you see anything out of the ordinary. A couple of years ago I had what I thought was a misfire or ignition related and it ran like a 3 legged dog. After looking into the ignition system, and the computer, I didn't see anything. I also checked the fuel pressure and it was good. So, just for giggles, I pulled off the valve covers turned over the engine and saw an odd action on one of my rockers. Than I noticed that the rocker was cracked. Walla, problem found. Replaced the rocker assembly and it ran great for a couple of weeks and the same thing happened again. Pulled off the valve cover and another rocker broke. Replaced that assembly and 2 months later and again another rocker broke. They were aluminum rocker assemblies. I replaced them with the T&D Steel Rocker assemblies and I haven't had a problem since then. The newly designed T&D Steel Rocker Assemblies are practically the same weight as the Aluminum Rockers but, a hell lot stronger. I was told that aluminum rocker assemblies do not like the low up and down RPMs in autocross environments.

[SSLance]

Kenny, it has the GM 1.7 roller rockers on it. I'll be sure to give them all a good look over once I start taking things apart. I thought about that as well as valve springs but not sure how either would contribute to blowby out valve cover though.