In the market for a new race car

[RacerBill]

Matt: Thanks for the note. You are right - the devil that you know is more likely to be better than the devil you don't know! I have plenty of time to get something together for next year, so I think this will be my plan of attack:

1) I have the engine that came out of the car at the end of last season, at minimum I know I will have to replace the head gasket which is a job that I know that I can do. So I think that I will tackle that and see if the block or head have to be decked. That will get me to where I was maybe two years ago, but at least with a reliable car.

2) Disassemble the new engine and see exactly what went wrong. If the head/valves were not damaged then they could go on the old block, which would then be an improvement there.

At least that would give me a car that would be a turn-key if I decide to go out and purchase a different car.

At this point I would need to decide to keep or sell.

If I keep, then I think that the next step would be to upgrade the entire suspension with camber plates, coil-overs, and shocks.

BTW, Matt - I don't remember, does your Shelby have a bar between the front shock towers?

If I decide to switch, then I can start looking seriously at options. Right now there doesn't seem to be too much out there.

Thanks again to all for all the great input. I value your ideas and am taking all of them into consideration.

[rcc85]

Someone once said "The cheapest race car is the one you already own".

Bill, did you say that the engine went flat and it was smoking?

If it just went flat that could mean that the timing belt jumped a tooth, not unusual on the 2.2, but that wouldn't cause it to smoke. You might want to make sure the timing marks are aligned on the cam, crank and auxiliary shaft sprockets. I can check the cam/crank/auxiliary shaft timing with the engine in the car on the Daytona. I know the engine compartment is tighter on the Charger so that may not be easy.

If it's missing, you could have broken a lash adjuster (lifter) or displaced a cam follower (rocker arm). I've had both of the happen and it's a pretty easy fix. You might want to pull the valve cover and look.

If it's smoking badly, though, that's never good. It could be a broken ring (damaged during assembly), or a broken valve. You might get lucky. I broke a rod on a 2.2 once due to a spun bearing and didn't damage the block or the head. Ruined the crank, though.

Bob Clifton
#05 ITB Dodge Daytona

[RacerBill]

Bob: Thanks for the note. I will check the timing on Thursday when I can bring the car back to the garage. Witnesses said that there was a bunch of smoke from the tailpipe. Examination of the plugs revealed lots of oil on plugs 1 & 2, oil and a piece of foreign matter (looked like gasket material or gasket sealer). Plug 4 could not be removed.

Thanks.

[rcc85]

Bill, if the #4 plug won't come out, I'm pretty sure the piston has smashed a valve into it. Been there, done that. It's not pretty. Sorry.

Bob Clifton
#05 ITB Dodge Daytona

[RacerBill]

Bob: Well, pulling the head will tell the tale. It's hard to believe that this would happen with only about 5 hours on the engine. However, the track record for the engine builder (not me) with this engine is VERY suspect.