[DeTomaso] Winged Warrior Update: Engine #6

[Dave Londry]

But this ones going to be great and last forever.
dave

Dan Courtney wrote:
> If I didn't have bad luck with the Cleveland, I'd have no luck at all.
> The Reno event got me fired up and I yanked the engine a couple of days after returning.
> We confirmed the #2 intake lobe was completely ground off, a perfect circle.
> I had been running Valvoline Racing Oil. The builder says to go with Kendall and the Comp Cam additive for break-in.
> Crower was nice enough to comp a replacement cam and lifters.
> Then we popped the bearings. Copper showing on all crank bearings.
> Next we noticed allot of scratches on the crank. It needs to be polished.
> Then the pistons.
> #5, the cylinder with the most erosion to the spark plug, has badly scored skirts and is trash.
> Luckily, I bought a couple of spare pistons last time, so I'm good there (I'm learning -also have a back-up block and crank now).
> The cylinders should hone OK.
> As to the source of the detonation, the leading candidate is a cut carb mounting gasket. It had a "slot" in it for some reason, very strange.
> The other possibility is the crack on the header weld on #5 tube, although that could be the result of the detonation (heat), rather than the cause. The MSD distributor was also "gunky" and may not have been advancing properly.
> Anyway, with the new cam, bearings, polishing and honing Cleveland #6 (in as many years) should be good as new. I'm adding air/fuel sending units above the collector and a gauge, plus I'll have it dyno'd before I running off with my next 1,000 mile break in cruise (actually only got 600 miles on this engine).
> The worst part of all this is I seem to be averaging less and less miles between blow up. I used to get at least 1,500 miles and one Silver State out of a motor, now I can't even get a good road trip.
>
> Dan
>
> Dan F. Courtney
>
> La Jolla, CA
>
> (858) 551-5455 Phone
> (858) 551-5456 Fax
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