89' Saleen drag car coming out of retirement.

gtmustang00

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Eeek. Who was the original engine shop that did the work? I am in NH but want to make sure I stay away.
 

365 Saleen

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Engine finally made it home:

20220527_133541 (2).jpg
 

Zemedici

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Yeah man name of the game with machine shops nowadays, it’s the Wild West out here.

Back when i was doing hemis, it was impossible to even get a call back. One shop wanted me to load up an entire engine (block, all parts) and BRING THEM ACROSS THE STATE so he could ‘see what he was working with’ - it’s a ****ing engine? What do you need to see?

Order a 426 stroker kit for a 16’ scat pack from SCAT enterprises, parts show up to customer in Kuwait and it’s for a Gen 2…..

They didn’t even want to pay to ship it back and get me refunded. Last time using them….

Sorry you’re going through it man, but looks like the end is in sight
 

365 Saleen

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Here is another example of the lack in attention to detail from the "builder" who was supposed to build what I asked for.
The piston pin on the right is from the original build in 2015.
Look at that limp dick pin this knothead put in the engine. That idiot knew it was going to be a 1,200+ HP engine and he did not even bother to make sure the pin was up to snuff.

20220528_082919 (2).jpg


Yes that is the standard piston pin for those JE pistons for a N/A build. that dingbat should have checked the option box for the severe duty pin...
I glad the Machine shop caught that and put the right pins in.
 

365 Saleen

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20220528_100329 (2).jpg
Here is picture showing the difference in the pistons that were used in the botched build and the correct build.
The one on the left is a JE piston that works out to 10.5:1 compression and the one on the right is the correct 11.0:1 compression from Diamond.
I have no problem with JE pistons, hell, they were in the original build that lasted 4+ seasons. The reason for Diamond pistons this time is that they were the only ones that could supply the right piston without having to wait for over 6 months.
It is hard to tell from the picture, but the dish on the piston on the left is just over .100 while the dish in the piston on the right is only .030
 

CobraBob

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It's all about the details with an engine build. Some just care about doing it RIGHT than others do. You're knowledgeable and right on top of this stuff, which is good.
 

365 Saleen

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New solid roller lifters going in. New on the left, "old" ones on the right.

20220528_141856 (2).jpg


When I went to order new ones, the tech support at Crower said not to use the ones on the right because I don't spin enough rpm or have enough lift from the cam to make them work properly. I was surprised, since I had used them for over 4 seasons. I only spin the engine to 8,400 rpm max, most times 8K rpm and the lift from the cam is just over .720 at the valve.
The other thing that surprised me about this, is that the ones I wanted to buy were over $1,100 for the set and the ones they recommend are just under $700 for the set. How often does a sales person talk you out of spending more money???
The Enduromax lifters have a bushed roller, while the "regular" ones have needle bearing in the roller.
 

Zemedici

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New solid roller lifters going in. New on the left, "old" ones on the right.

View attachment 1749919

When I went to order new ones, the tech support at Crower said not to use the ones on the right because I don't spin enough rpm or have enough lift from the cam to make them work properly. I was surprised, since I had used them for over 4 seasons. I only spin the engine to 8,400 rpm max, most times 8K rpm and the lift from the cam is just over .720 at the valve.
The other thing that surprised me about this, is that the ones I wanted to buy were over $1,100 for the set and the ones they recommend are just under $700 for the set. How often does a sales person talk you out of spending more money???
The Enduromax lifters have a bushed roller, while the "regular" ones have needle bearing in the roller.

GOOD sales guys should get you what you want, the most cost effective way. Nice to hear theres still some of us around ;)

Looks like its coming together nicely, sir. Love the updates
 

365 Saleen

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Heads are on. Not final torqued. I left my good torque wrench at work and only have an old wind up one that who knows how accurate it is. So I only went to 70 lb/ft today. I will finish up the final torque some time later this week. Once that is done, I can set up the valve-train and get the intake manifold bolted/torqued up.

20220528_154938 (2).jpg
 

CobraBob

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Coming along nicely. Interesting how you used the Enduramax lifters for 4 years and you didn't have any issues due to spinning less RPMs than needed for them to work properly. It will be interesting to see how your motor likes the new Crower lifters.
 

365 Saleen

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Coming along nicely. Interesting how you used the Enduramax lifters for 4 years and you didn't have any issues due to spinning less RPMs than needed for them to work properly. It will be interesting to see how your motor likes the new Crower lifters.
I guess the reasoning is that the bushed roller needed more pressure on it to get it to roll across the camshaft lobe properly. Without enough load they said it is prone to sliding across the lobe and could wear the roller. IDK, I seemed to have gotten away with using them. The camshaft still looks like new so there was no sliding of the roller follower.
Today I am removing the old Fast XFI engine management system from the car and doing other stuff not picture worthy, like installing starter, installing torque converter bolts and boring stuff like that.
 

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