Fuzzy Dice

all is not well....

Short version, looks like a spun a bearing...long version......

I left Deltona at 10:30 AM on Thursday morning for the 5K Nat's at South Georgia Motorsports Park in Adel, Ga....$5 thou to win on Friday, Saturday and Sunday...got there about 3PM and set up shop...unloaded the car and scooter and blocked off a pit for my buddy with his motorhome rig...

Checked in to the motel and unpacked...back to the track at 7PM to check in and pay...then off to dinner and the motel...my buddy got in at 1AM so I went back to the track to move my car blocking off his pit...got to sleep at 3AM...

I was up at 5:30 and ready to race...a little breakfast and back at the track at 8AM...warmed up the car for a 9AM start...delayed till 10...made my first time shot at 10:15...the car ran 2/10 off it's number...say what?...

Back in the pits we pulled the hood and I started it up...oops!....only 10lbs. of oil pressure...sigh...shut her down and that was that...looks like a defective oil pan is the culprit...we found an oil leak on the pan before my savannah race last month...we fixed it, or thought we had...started leaking again in Savannah but we did not discover it until I put the car on the trailer at 2AM up there...even then it was only a half dozen drips the circumference of a silver dollar to a baseball...

Last week we pulled that pan and installed a new one...filled her up with fresh oil and filter and had over 70 lbs. of oil pressure...woot!...then my first pass yesterday and she was toast...

Had that first pan not stress cracked on a bend this never would have happened...no one ever saw that happen before...naturally...this is the way it is for Chief Dan Blackcloud...lol...nothing I like better than spending $280 for one time shot...

So it is back to the shop on Monday and find/fix the issue...I am hoping it is just new bearings but we'll see...we need to fix her by the 12th so I can test before the division finals on the 16th in South Carolina....

I just got back and I am getting under the covers until Monday...lmao...

p.s. oh yeah, the new pan is not leaking...hurray!!!!....special thanks to Big Mike for crew chiefing, such as it was...sorry buddy...

BIGMAC

Dan,

Sorry to hear about the bad luck. Hopefully the fix will be quick and you will be read for another big win.

Jim

Fuzzy Dice

Thanks Jim...car goes to the shop tomorrow...it is a bit irritating that a defective oil pan is the root of all this mess...oh well, race it, break it, fix it, race it...

C5 Pete

Ugh... Tuff deal, Dan...

Here's to better success at the division finals!

383vett

Just build it quicker Dan.

Fuzzy Dice

We opened up the bottom end today...I spun the # 3 main bearing right down to brass....sigh...good news is the crank feels smooth...it is blued some so the motor will probably have to come out so I can send the crank to be polished or cut as needed...obviously replacing all the main bearings...

Time is the problem now...we need to be finished by the 12th so I can test that night before leaving for the finals on the 16th...it was only 120* in the shop today...bout like the steam room at the Y....lol...

I will actually be going a bit slower when finished...I have run 6 quarts of oil in my 7 quart pan for years...I am putting in 7 from now on for safety reasons...losing 2 or 3 hundreths for a bracket racer is no biggie...

kazman

Dan, my heart goes out to ya. Hope you get it back on the track soon. I've been out for this season for personal reasons and really thinking of going back with a slow reliable low ride with little to no maintance.

Fuzzy Dice

Hey Kaz...I wondered where you'd gone to...hope all is well, buddy...the frustrating part is that defective oil pan...sheesh...the car was finally getting deadly, as well...sigh...