GrinderZ06

I met with Bob yesterday at Daytona and despite having blown his engine he and his wife were gracious enough to show me around the PCA event and how it operates.

Thanks Bob, I can't wait for the PCA event in December!

BEZ06

Hi Steve

It was great to meet you and your wife a youngest son yesterday.

You'll enjoy the December HPDE here - it's a lot of fun!

Bob

BEZ06

To anybody who thinks my previous posts may have been sarcastic and mocking anyone else's engine problems, and that it's a satisfying irony that my engine finally blew, I'm sorry you feel that way and apologize that I made you feel bad.

I just always find it curious that owners that run these cars hard are surprised when something lets loose - especially on a car with lots of mods.

I previously reported that my engine had not blown because I was driving it hard for a very long time, and it just simply had not blown.

Now I reported that it blew.

I knew damn well that it wasn't going to last forever - especially as hard as I drove it.

But all that hard driving was FUN!!!!!!!!!

I'm well aware that mechanical things can break and just won't last forever- especially when operated near their limits for a long time.

So....I feel I got my money's worth out of my first engine, and I hope my second and third and so on can give me as much fun as this one did!!

Today between sessions while running the ZR1, I surfed around and looked up some options on my iPhone. As much as I loved my first LS7 in stock form, I think I'll probably just get a crate LS7 as a replacement. The car is a BEAST in stock form and goes so damn fast and handles so well that I just don't see any reason to spend twice as much on a Katech or Lingenfelter engine. I'm not racing, not looking for podium finishes, or a better pro contract - I'm just out having fun by driving the car hard at track day driving events. And I kinda like having a stock street car that can put that big smile on my face.

Bottom line - ya gotta pay to play!! I got my money's worth, and I'm sorry if others didn't get enough fun out of their engine before it blew. I did!!!

Bob

pkincy

A most excellent attitude. Enjoy the car with its new motor. Depending on what you find you might do the later dry sump tank and an Avaid insert.

Enjoy and keep it sunny side up.

Random84

True, but there is plenty to go around (and that's what happens when you boast on the internet). There will be more than enough piling on again when the "my solid valve dropped!" threads show up more and more.

Still sucks regardless to see either "side" pay the price: either finding themselves replacing an entire engine OR finding out that their $3000 "preventative" head work didn't seem to prevent anything. This guy is being a good sport about it, so that's something.

Really, it's just a shame to see this kind of thing happen in such numbers.

'06 Quicksilver Z06

It's looking like we're going to have to wait some more for that.

Sheesh, I don't know which one is worse.

Someone gloating when someone else's car fails, or someone "holding vigil" until someone's car fails so that they can gloat.

Have we as a forum, sunk to these lows?

BTW, how long has it been now?

JwT

And this pretty much says it all. If I decided to start tracking the car the first thing that would be on my mind would be a spare motor. Because when you play I think its better when you expect the engine to fail after a few racing seasons. Great attitude.

Mark2009

Most likely it didn't have to happen:

1. Wiggle test.

2. Address known oiling issue for tracked cars.

3. Maintenance/inspection program for heavily tracked cars.

KLLRVET

Trust me, I wasn't holding vigil until his failure showed up. I had no recollection of the OP's previous thread. I only followed the links you posted. You are as guilty of stirring the pot as anyone, intentional or not.

Vette @ 71

Purely intentional...

FSTFRC

Vette @ 71

forg0tmypen

When I read your posts, I get a strong vibe you are the one sane intelligent person in a room full of imbicils. Not saying that's what you think, not saying that's what is actually the case, it just comes off that way. Kinda hilarious IMO and this exchange being one example

kotik

I was pretty sure that many race cars use stock production engines for racing. I know many VLN cars do. I know a guy that races on Nordschleife in his GT3 C6, he has a stock LS3 motor in it (dry sump)... 100k km's on the engine, 70k racing. Not a single problem. I had my m3, i put about 30k miles (had 65k) of hard beating on it with a supercharger (on a stock motor) and nothing. I know pleeeenty of people with stock m3's of all years that beat the **** out of them on the track. Same goes for porsches. I know a guy with track dedicated GT3 (off the showroom floor), has 50k km's of nurburgring... oil changes only. Shoot, most race car rentals use suzuki swift's and FT toyota's, no problems!!!

So i'm sorry, how is this normal? What is this, 1950's? Modern cars should take a beating without skipping a beat! ESPECIALLY z06! Again I'm scared to drive it... I track twice a month, that's not a lot! but i guess compared to garage queens it is. I don't understand how this was never addressed by GM. Should come with a sticker "Only good for 50k miles".

Random84

Shhh....

pkincy

You are forgetting the very high number of E46 BMW M3s that spun bearings and lost the bottom of their motors early in that model run. In fact it became an epidemic on tracked M3s.

I do admit it only took BMW 18 months to come to a good solution which of course was the development of the 10-60 oil that had enough film thickness at high temperatures to avoid the bearings and crank scoring they had been getting due to bad oiling when the cars were tracked. I suppose that is a bit analogous to the 09s having a larger oil tank, although it took GM 3 years to get there.

Unfortunately you are spot on that GM hasn't given us a solution to the valve train geometry problem. You know they have a solution but simply have not implemented it do to cost.

jimman

Always a class act Bob, see you in Feb.

Mark2009

If you read between the lines, the winks and nods, and the quasi-official statement by customer service, then it seems that the solution they are giving is to rebuild the heads to spec with OEM components. Personally I would say rebuild to a bit better than GM spec since some of those specs seem a little on the wide side.

But since most of the vendors doing that work have a lot of aftermarket goodies to sell, this solution is essentially never implemented... making it impossible to tell if it is valid.

JoesC5

Sounds as if you have it all figured out. I bet that you could become an instant multi-millionaire if you would open your own shop and start selling your own heads that are built to your design and that carry a 100,000 mile warranty that will replace both the heads and the engine without a time limit, if a valve drops.

It's obvious that you know more than WCCH and PRC.

JWingo

Seriously and without the sarcasm. I have no problem with the people who believe in WCCH or PRC. What makes them so "Outstanding" as compared to others? Simply because they will fit a bronze guide which has been done for ages? Some people seem to think "Jesus has their wheel"!