As some will remember I was having issues breaking drive train components with the big turbo.. In an attempt to drive, race and enjoy the car I decided to slow it way down. I didn't want to spend too much money so most of the parts were things I had laying around

smogger 454 w/ DIY ported factory oval port heads
3/8 rods with ARP bolts cast crank
DIY 750 Holley
Extreme Velocity Hat
Procharger D + largest pulley I could find 5.5
Plenty of tubing, silicone and clamps from RPS
tight converter
3.73 gear
3800+lbs

Just trying to get a couple clean passes in I tried for 5-7 initial psi I ended up with 5psi and almost 600hp

I tossed things together and put insurance on it.. but just couldn't get any good tuning on the street - between traction being pretty bad in 1st / 2nd gear and too much traffic I decided to head out to the track to make a couple baseline passes.

Pass One:
I heated up the old MT ET Streets with a good burnout. Rolled up to the starting line and eased into the second beam. I brought the RPM up on the converter as the tree came down.
Car left spinning hard (1.76 60') but eventually hooked, shifted to second and I could really feel the power as traction was there, 3rd was pulling like a freight train when BANG x 100

The car made a Sudden right turn, I corrected and kept the car from getting nascar stripes from the wall.

Didn't take very long to figure out what had happened. The car spit out the driveshaft around 1000' cutting the passenger rear tire - the carnage continued down the track with pieces of U joint, yokes and shaft being distributed to the pavement like candy being thrown to kids at a parade. Once everything stopped only 2/3rds of the driveshaft was in one piece..the rest was broomed up or had been thrown far enough to go over the wall and out of sight in the grass.


11.24 @120 coasting through

Initial carnage appears to be

- Driveshaft, U joints and all yokes broken or missing .
- Exhaust and tailpipes beaten in several spots 2 spots about 1/2 crushed.
-rear end input yoke broken
- Rear end was making some noise on the tow on the return road. Sounds like a few teeth might be missing.

Take aways:
- larger front tires (read no skinnies) allowed me to keep good control over the car imo.
-With all that could have happened at 125+mph things went just about as good as possible.

Even though I really don't have much of a car budget these days I feel fortunate as the parts can be replaced over time... no sheetmetal damage and no Hospital time.


Planning on towing the car home tomorrow, put it on jackstands and getting a better look at things.

 

Re: Project - Slow It Down - Unfortunate first outing - Boom Bang

only pics I have for now...

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Re: Project - Slow It Down - Unfortunate first outing - Boom Bang

Ugh! Glad you didn't get any of that wall on your pretty car, exhaust pipes and tires are way easier than body work. Get you quota of adrenaline for the week?

-Eldon

 

Re: Project - Slow It Down - Unfortunate first outing - Boom Bang

Damn Walt you just can't catch a break. Well you caught a break, but not one you was hoping for. Maybe there was a sign you needed to upgrade that part before going fast again to keep you safe. After all the lord knows all those kids need their daddy around.

Sorry for your luck, but you came out uninjured and that's all that matters.

 

Re: Project - Slow It Down - Unfortunate outing - Boom Bang Done - PICS Added

Well I got a better look at the car today.

Lots of beat up exhaust along with engine to rear end carnage.

Good news is that the teeth are still on the ring and pinion. The noise we heard was from the broken rear end yoke clamp hitting the exhaust as we towed it. There is a tight spot when rotating the rear gears but I hope to salvage the gears , put a new yoke on as well as new bearings.

Bad news the transmission has spiderweb cracks around just about every bolt to block location.

I've put together several ideas of what happened first and as I kept looking finding things I must have changed my thought 3-4 times. I have no idea.



Here are some pics

About 2/3 thirds of the driveshaft
Sliced ET Street
Rear End Yoke
Bellhousing
Beat up mufflers hole on opposite side after being hit with the ujoint strap and broken yoke thousands of times.

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Ouch Walt..that's a sumbitch.

 

Yeah,coulda been worse. Looks like when I drop mine. Hopefully your input, pump and converter studs are OK. Took out my tailshaft also.

 

Shame on your for not running an SFI bell Walt. Lots of power + big heavy sled = Borked stuff that tries to kill you.

Aside from that, you are very lucky you didn't wreck hard. That puncture in the tire is amazing. A hole that size is instant deflation and loss of control. You did good my friend

Write it off as a learning experience and move forward.

 

Glad you are OK!

Couple of questions...

Drive shaft loop?
Was it a factory drive shaft?

Not trying to beat you up at all just wondering if my junk is about to do the same thing!

 

Walt I've seen just what you showed for damage before. We figurede it was an alignment issue with converter bolting to the flex plate that was the cause. We drilled holes for the convertor on the flex plate to match. The driveshaft came apart the first pass and the trans bell was broken. We are not sure if it was the converter bolts or the kevlar bell cover we installed not being tight enough. I know you had convertor issues earlier that's why I mentioned my past experience.

 

Re: Project - Slow It Down - Unfortunate outing - PICS Added - Boom Bang

If it's a th400 have the low roller clutch checked out ( unforunately trans has to come apart) as they tend to go out only a few passes after a driveshaft failure. Also case should be salvagable with an ultrabell.

 

that sucks ! get her fixed!!

 

Walt, you dont mess around, do ya-shame the stuff broke, but could have been worse-were you running 1350 u joints
prob good the rear joint let go, or the shaft could have dug in

 

it's a th400. I had an ultrabell but it pulled the bolts out of the weak pump area 5-6 yrs ago. Instead I went with a kevlar scattershield along the doghouse to keep shrapnel out of the car. Money no object a new Rossler case is the ultimate solution but way out of the budget.

Shaft has been together for 20 years and I wonder if the yoke(front or rear developed a stress crack...or maybe one of the joints?

The trans is leaking fluid at the front so I think it cracked back into the main body. I may weld it if salvageable... or just grab the MVB and move to another trans. I didn't expect the trans carnage so I didn't have time to drop it out. Hopefully this weekend.
I'm gonna check it out as a possible culprit as well.
Flywheel has been in service 20 yrs and who knows it also may have stress cracked and started things. Converter "was" new... now I even question it.

So many possibilities - it would be nice to know where things began.

There was a slight harmonic right before all heck broke loose

 

Yikes! Walt I am glad you are ok and thats what is important. Everthing else can be fixed. It mamy have been a alignment issue between crank centerline angle and driveshaft. Time to start a wall of carnage in the garage for the broken parts. you have all winter to Gordon

 

Well slowing it down didn't work ........................... whats the opposite of slowing it down ?

 

More money !!!!

 

Just wait till Walt figures out a way to make money from dirty diapers.

 

I'm on it!

 

Bell is in pieces and busted back behind pump. Crack runs from the pump toward the tailhousing. I might have to scrap the case

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