[DeTomaso] Another Grenade Job - (sorry long)

Mad Dog Antenucci teampantera at yahoo.com
Sun Dec 27 03:03:27 EST 2009


I don't need to tell a fellow former survivor of working on a chicken farm that this hurt in your heart  that you feel is only temporary....as someone said a while back if you run hard enough and long enough eventually sooner or later you are gonna break something. 

You have so gawd damn much passion Will I know you will be back....don't make me tell the story again about the 2 teenage girls who fell into the chicken shit pond on the chicken farm and no one would jump in to save them.....okay finally someone threw them some lumber.....you know the rest of the story....




 

Mad Dawg Antenucci - Former chicken farm alumni bro' of Will Kooiman 
Team Pantera Racing 
The 1st & still the only vintage race team in open road racing 
www.teampanteraracing.com




________________________________
From: Will Kooiman <wkooiman at earthlink.net>
To: detomaso at realbig.com
Sent: Sat, December 26, 2009 9:07:59 PM
Subject: [DeTomaso] Another Grenade Job - (sorry long)

FYI - I grenaded my engine - again.  I'm going to write a book.  50 ways to
blow your 351C.  (I started to say Cleveland - don't you bet Larry would
love that one?)



How many times is this for me?  3?  4?  I've lost count.  I had a Thai
friend in high school that used to say, "Run good boy, but don't last long."
Whatever.



Here's what happened...



I was taking it for a drive this morning.  Oh wait.  Before the drive, I had
a conversation with a guy whose dad used to race T-bolts.  We went at it for
an hour trying to top each other's story.  He was shocked when I told him
you can still buy Panteras in the $35-40K range.  I still think they're a
fantastic deal on exotic cars - even though mine is garage art now (fire
away Nolan).



At any rate, here's what happened...  I took it for a drive.  It was running
great.  I checked the timing yesterday and discovered it was on 12deg
initial.  I upped it to 15deg initial, 21 adv, for 36 total.  I heard a
slight knocking.  The same noise I've been hearing.  It wasn't pinging.  It
was hitting on all 8.  Oil pressure was on 50psi at 2000rpm.  Nothing was
popping out the Webers.  Nothing was popping out the exhaust.  I checked the
valve lash yesterday.  Everything was exactly where I left it.  I have a
high volume (Rob McQ. sp?) fuel pump.  I figured the high volume pump was
knocking behind the timing cover.  It has a heavier spring, so maybe that
was the source of the knocking.  That's what it sounded like anyway.



I decided to turn around and head back home.  I couldn't resist, though.  I
pushed it about 1/2 way down.  The tires immediately lit up.  And then, it
happened.  It sounded like I knocked a 2" hole in one of the header pipes.
Very loud - like BRAAAP BRAAAP BRAAAP.  Sorry - it's hard to describe.  I
coasted for a while, found a good place to pull off, and called AAA.



By the way, I'm still amazed at the difference with the Webers.  It ran
great with the Holley, but the Webers feel like it adds another 75hp to the
midrange.  When I push it 1/2 way down, without popping the clutch, in 1st,
it hits the rev-limiter almost immediately.  I can't tell you what it does
in 2nd or higher.  All I can say is I'm hooked.  I can only imagine what
it's like in one of the EFI cars (Kirby's GT40, Mad Dawg's, etc.).  Oh yeah,
it's also smoother, and quieter - more exotic - less muscle car (rumpity
rump).



My guess is it dropped another valve.  That's the only thing I can come up
with without opening it up.  I feel like Dr. House.  "It's
circumflatulosis."  "Start it on a 50cc of corkulene."



I should mention that I have the 7500 pill in the MSD.  With everything I
have in the bottom end, I figured I could pull more than 6000rpm.  Maybe
not.  If it's another valve issue, though, the bottom end has nothing to do
with it.



I should also mention that I'm running the springs recommended by CompCams.
It has 7000 series stainless one-piece Ferrea valves.  The heads were set
up, CC'ed, etc. by a local shop that does work for NASCAR teams.  If it
really did drop another valve, I'm going to drop kick the whole mess to a
real engine builder - i.e. not me.



I should also also mention that I was going to pull the engine anyway.
Really.  I want to get it painted in January.  The paint job will include
fixing rust issues behind the fuel tank, which as everyone knows includes
pulling the gas tank and the engine.  So, yes, I really was going to pull
the engine.



No promises on when I'll pull the engine.  I've used up my share of kitchen
passes.  It may be a couple of weeks.  I promise I'll take pics this time,
though.  Actually I took pics the last time, but the memory card in the
camera is corrupt. I can see the pics in the camera, but I can't upload them
to the computer.  The memory card was probably made by Lucas.



Will (bummed in Texas)

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