Dirty Howie

Well for the the second track event in a row I had to be towed off the track. This time however I was able (with help from my track buddies) replace the radiator hose which let go and put a nice coolant slick under my tires

Last time I burnt up my fan assembly and threw a belt from bad tensioner, this time radiator hose. My clutch pressure plate makes a buzzing rattling noise and my differential whines.

But my WCCH HEADS now have 10 track days and will have 18K miles on them by the end of the week. They sound and work just like they did on day one. Its the only part of my car I'm not worried about falling apart as I whiz around the track

Here is some video of a couple of sessions including my save (I thought it was going to be bad, but no car damage):











DH

'06 Quicksilver Z06

If anyone ever needed a truck and a trailer, it is you my friend.

skxf430

Which tow hook did you install?

Looks like it already has paid dividends.

propain

Things break when you track your car.

Only 69K more miles to go before you beat the horrible stock OEM head parts record with those WCCH heads. You a betting man?

'06 Quicksilver Z06

Good observation.

I'm thinking that's why he didn't stick with the stock OEM head parts.

You successfully pull off a fluke and pretty much cheat near certain premature engine death once by running the stock OEM head parts, well then no need to get greedy, tempt fate, and thumb your nose at it and try and cheat it again.

Fate has a way of coming back on those who tempt and disrespect it.

It says here that had he not gotten his heads done, well then the next times he drove the car he was rolling the dice and in a short period of time they were going to come up craps.

The law of averages plainly states that chances go around.

First time it popped, it was on GM. Next time it popped, it would be on him.

I'm thinking he hedged his bet.

PRE-Z06

Nice save!

GMuffley

You're the man, DH.

CanadaGrant

Ah geeze Howie... Last time you had it towed off you broke the windshield with the strap. Hopefully it was easier this time.... Have been busy with my new aquisition. My wife found and bought me a 69 427 on her way to the mall. Just found it sitting on the street. I hope the thing doesn't have a valve guide problem or I'm really going to be hooped.....

Take care Howie and have fun with it.

propain

Like I said... You a betting man?

He went 80+ thousand track driven miles on the stock parts. You think hes gonna get the same from those heads or would ANYONE running ANYTHING still meet the same fate? Hes hardly the poster boy to be used as an example of success as he had massive success even with major track driven abuse on those stock OEM heads. A fluke you say? Seems like he had a car that didn't have the issue. His only issue was hard driving and thinking it would last forever and the party would never end. No one who track races their car with 80K miles and no maintenance or inspection should be surprised when it lets go.

My bet is if ignored those WCCH golden heads would suffer the exact same fate without inspection and if ignored at or long before 80K track driven miles. This time as you pointed out however, he wont get lucky and have GM finance his hobby. Im sure he wont make the same mistake twice and not conduct regular maintenance and refreshes as needed. Thats the part where he will hedge his bet.

'06 Quicksilver Z06

The fact that he got lucky and got 87K miles plus track time, out of his first motor before it popped and nearly got him killed as a result, can be credited as much or more to his "living right", as it is to GM building them right.

Blind luck of the draw, especially when taking into account the numerous cars in here which have popped with less than a quarter of the miles he managed to get lucky enough to run up, and no doubt with owners living no better nor worse than he is.

Just as someone, somewhere, will ultimately be struck by lightning on a clear day, so also will someone manage to run up 87K miles, with some tracking here and there, before disaster strikes.

Out of 27,000 cars, someone was going to ultimately pull off such a feat.

It may as well have been him. How many others out there like him? Now, how many out there whose cars popped long before and while in the process of moving toward his feat of 87K miles plus the track time he had?

I'm "betting" far more than who actually made it.

By having his heads done where he says that he had them done, he took a lot of the "luck" out of the equation.

Dirty Howie

I can't drive that slow. I enjoy driving my car too and from the track as well.

Part of the fun is to drive my car off the street and onto the track wihouth even changing tires and go at it.


DH

Dirty Howie

Well after ACS last month when my serpentine belt broke I had the Phadt front tow hook installed. The monkeys at ACS broke my windshield after wrapping the tow straps around my A-pillars (but ultimately that was my fault). So I learned from my error .........


DH

Dirty Howie

Ricky

I have 50K miles and about 23 track days on my free GM replacement motor now. I would feel very uneasy running my car as hard as you see in those videos with the stock heads. I am very comfortable with the decision I made, the professionals who's advise I took, and getting the work done by Richard at WCCH.

Unfortunately, at the track on saturday I found out about another stock LS7 that recently blew up in our area. I have personal knowledge of way more stock LS7 than I care to know that have blown up. But I know of none with WCCH head work


DH

Dirty Howie

Thanks !!

It looks easy on that short few seconds of the video but believe me my hands were spinning on the steering wheel and I thought I was headed for some serious body damage. Its amazing how fast your mind works in these type of situations.


DH

Dirty Howie

Hahaahahahaaa ........ I don't know about that. But I love my car and have gotten my monies worth of fun out of it since April of 2008


DH

Dirty Howie

Grant

The tow hook was only on there for 2 weeks and it was very cool getting hooked up quickly and not listening to my wind shield crack as the tow truck took off


DH

'06 Quicksilver Z06

I used to do the same thing before I got into some severe wheel hop making a pass on my street tires back when the car was stock, and broke an axle at a test and tune out in the sticks one Saturday about an hour before the track was going to close.

In fact, there were a couple of occasions where I took my drag radials in my car with me, one in the back with my jack, one on the passenger seat, and changed tires at the track

However when the prospect of leaving your disabled car 60 plus miles from home, unattended, to be vandalized, becomes a real and imminent possibility, well no one will ever again have to talk you into discontinuing that practice.

'06 Quicksilver Z06

Counting your own, how many does that make for you now Howie?

BTW, we just had another one in here let loose.

http://forums.corvetteforum.com/1585...-post2084.html

SSMOKE

Wow! That is some serious tracking. Nice save. If you don't mind answering a couple of newbie type questions. How fast were you going at that point? What is your max speed at that track? The air conditioning is off when you're at the track right? Are the windows up or down? Just curious about track mpg. I am guessing less than 5.

I'm glad that you got it running again (this time) without a major expense.

Dirty Howie

Isn't there a limit on how many questions you can ask in one post

I have an aftermarket radiator. It is the Finspeed (Forum and Corvette Challenge sponsor) dual pass radiator. It has flex aluminum tubes. There is a small rubber (radiator hose) coupler to connect the tube to the thermostat housing. Tubing popped out of rubber hose. No warning until I started heading towards the rocks on the left of the track. Was able to get new coolant, clamps and radiator hose (that we cut to the correct length) and I was able to finish the day and drive home.


DH