Cresson 2021

[64GunPilot]

Looks like I’ll be gridding with you guys. Looking forward to it.

[Fbody383]

Looks like I’ll be gridding with you guys. Looking forward to it.

Whoop!

[ShadowBolt]

What a great weekend. Weather was great Sat. and Sun. I'm a whipped puppy (okay old dog) after the fucking hornets chased me for 20 minutes of what turned out to be a 33 minute race. Damn it's great to race with you guys when the car is right like it was on Sat. in the invert.

Look at the fastest lap times in R4. Top eight in order of finish. Fucking nine laps in R4. I think we ran 32 laps in R3 (well maybe not that many.

Michael winner 1:24.755 lap 6
Bryan Curtis 1:24.660 lap 7
Sam Crumpacker 1:24.363 lap 6
John Martin 1:24.631 lap 7
Robert Weston 1:25.387 lap 9
Jay Jordan 1:24.723 lap 9
Bryan Leinart 1:25.381 lap 3
Steven Gernon 1:25.315 lap 5

I would like to say thanks to the guys that made the trip from Colorado. Great racers and even better men!

JJ

[babablackgoat]

Fun was had by all? No car to car contact?

Videos?

[fscott]

I appreciate that nobody mentioned this before I could. I think it's always best to let the one who had a bad weekend share the news. And I have bad news to share.

I'll preface this by saying that I am an idiot.

During the big freeze, with the power grid overloaded, I didn't feel that I could justify keeping the shop warm. So I didn't, and I drained the coolant in both my track cars. I drained them into the same container, so I did not have a gauge of how much had come out of my new-to-me Mustang.

After the freeze was over, I refilled both cars. But I was unaware of an issue with the 4.6l motor in my 96 Mustang. If you just fill it from the coolant tank, and don't disconnect the upper radiator hose at the thermostat to burp out the air, it leaves a big bubble in the system. A 9 quart bubble.

I drove it on track like that, and that's all she wrote. By the time I was aware of the problem, oil temperature gauge was pegged at 300f, and coolant temperature (steam temperature, really) was 240. The engine was hot, but the radiator was cool to the touch and dry as a bone.

I just finished the autopsy, and am now drinking away my sorrows.
The oil is dark, but has no glitter even after filtering it all through a paper towel.
The engine cranks a little slow, but that could just be the weak battery.
The compression numbers are not good. I've definitely blown the driver's side head gasket. I don't know what compression this motor made before, but 150 psi seems low to me.

1 150
2 150
3 150
4 125
5 50
6 0
7 10
8 120

Tomorrow I'll start work on pulling the engine. I don't know if I'll have the car back up for Eagle's Canyon or not. A month isn't a lot of time.

If anyone has a lead on a 4.6 block, or can recommend some good engine builders, please let me know. I have a spare crank, spare heads, and even a set of used pistons and rods. So a block and a gasket set could be enough to get me back in the game.

[babablackgoat]

Sorry for the tough weekend!

For engine builder in your area, perhaps you can check out Texas Speed and Performance: https://www.texas-speed.com/

Mark

[ShadowBolt]

I use DSS Racing for short blocks and long blocks. I'm assuming your heads are still okay. DSS is not going to use your parts so you may be better off finding a local builder. Call me if you need anything.

JJ

[Supercharged111]

Why do you suspect block over heads? Without checking who's to say either warped? If it's slow to crank you could have also wadded up a bearing and need only some rotating parts and gaskets to be in your way.

[fscott]

Why do you suspect block over heads?

At this point, I'm just guessing. No matter what, the engine's coming out and the heads are coming off for a thorough inspection.

[Gerno]

At this point, I'm just guessing. No matter what, the engine's coming out and the heads are coming off for a thorough inspection.

Based on the numbers I bet you'll be fine with getting the heads reworked and not touching the short block. Though completely understand if you feel more comfortable pulling it all down for some inspection.