I'm getting a reputation for clouds of smoke

[mountainexplorer]

One year ago... Northport 4th of July Mud Race... my Orange Blazer leaves a huge cloud of smoke, but takes 3rd place in it's class despite bad rings and valve seals.

This year, I throw together a motor from an existing .060 over shortblock, with 98cc chamber heads, Comp 280 cam and Edelbrock gear drive. Basically, I took all the "good" parts remaining from my blown motor in May, and swapped it into another shortblock.

I got it in the GMC and running Friday night, then friend's came up and lit off about $650 in fireworks. Saturday morning, the truck wasn't ready yet, so I just took an '80 Chevy on 36's over to run it.

It was more of a mud drag (not deep), so it was based on acceleration; Run by double elimination. I was immediately elliminated twice, then tried to help out as I could the rest of the day.

That night, I decided to leave our camp and go back and get my GMC. Got it brought over by 1am. Sunday morning, I adjusted valves and timed it by ear in a hurry, enough so it ran. The rings in the shortblock were toast, so it smoked horribly.

I wrote "No Smoking Please" and "Got Oil?" on the sides of the truck.

I still got a 3rd place trophy in the Hot Street class. I feel it was kind of by default. Nothing I have accelerates fast. Everything I have is big and heavy and slow. I bet I was the heaviest truck there, but the two of the 5 in the class broke.

It was still a fun weekend.

 

[Brocky]

None the least you did good and had fun. Love the blue and white truck. Same colors as my K5. Wish mine was that height.

 

[mudslinger99]

And the adventure continues in the great north west

That truck just has that tough look to it like it is just ready to turn a tire

 

[jekquistk5]

Man I wish I had enough spare parts laying arround to just "through" a motor together.

 

[CustomChevy]

yeah no kidding.


wish i could just "slap one together" and run in a day.

 

[Brocky]

I have three 350's just sitting. My original (needs to be rebuilt) and two more in the engine bays of other vehicles. Start them up and go. Engines are not a prob here. Everything else is.

 

[CustomChevy]

what do you have laying around in the way of a Transfer case. I pay good cash for a fully working and smooth NP208


email me [email protected]

 

[mountainexplorer]

Well, I like how I have the truck set up so far. It has a 32-spline 465/205, 14-bolt with Detroit and 60 front open, with 4.56 gears and 39.5" Boggers. It's just a heavy truck though.

I got beat in the mud drags by a Chevy shortbed with a 4" lift and 44" Boggers and a 496 big Block with a TH350; and a built tube framed Jeep with a Corvette 350 totally set up for near anything. It's a nice Jeep... but with a hefty price tag of $80,000 to build.

The Chevy shortbed really impressed me turning 44" Boggers with 4.10 gears. I think I might invest in putting together a "good" motor... maybe a 496 also, since I saw what it could do.

In the open mud bog pit, I broke my rear u-joint on my last pass, which was probably good cause it kept me from potentially breaking more if I'd have kept making more passes. That and I probably used 2 quarts of oil already since I filled up when I started.

 

[eagle mark]

Was that the same motor you built in camp?

 

[mountainexplorer]

It was the same heads, cam, intake and gear drive that were on that motor. Just all swapped onto another existing shortblock. I did my best to flush out all the metal shavings from the oil in the heads and parts off the other motor before bolting it all onto this one. As I had expected, none of the bearings survived the "upside down on a tire on the side of the road" bottom end rebuild. Two rods spun the last I drove it, and the rest looked scorched from being too tight. I didn't use plasti-gauge or check clearances; just torqued them all down. When I fired it, it seemed too tight... but I ran it again at over 6 grand several times.

This shortblock is holding the RPMs, but not the oil.

One thing I was impressed with was the Luk clutch I bought. I dropped and hit it hard and it never once slipped. I decided to go buy a Luk Pro Gold kit after my experience with a Luk disc that I got used 2.5 years ago, ran behind a 396 turing 40" tires for 2 years, and now have in my Crew Cab tow rig and it still doesn't slip.