Steven89Iroc

Yep, the Camaro is dead. It's time for a new engine.

Today there was a rather STRONG thunderstorm that ripped through the area, and the base has the worst drainage system I've ever seen. On my way to work I was following a car (a 4thgen Camaro no less) when we started into the lake in the middle of the road. I didn't really see it, didn't notice how deep it got so fast, he slowed down so I did too, as soon as I started to slow (like 10-15 mph), my engine died. Not cool. I got out in the pouring rain in the ~1 foot deep water to start to push, then a truck came along that had a tow rope so he towed me to a higher/dryer parking lot, then I walked the rest of the way to work soaking wet. My friend drove me back over there once it dried a little and the sun came out, unhooked the intake/maf and drained out the bit water, turned it over (it did without resistance), but didn't sound good, and didn't start. The damage was done. So I picked up some starting fluid just to get it to start and see how bad it was. Finally started, went CLANK CLANK CLANK CLANK, wouldn't idle so it died. I don't know all what is f*cked, but I imagine it's got a bent rod or two or three. I guess that's what happens when you accidentally drive through a foot of water with hacked air boxes.

I'm gonna try to get the base to pay for it since it happened on base, because of their ****TY 50 year old drainage system (they usually pay for a car getting ****ed up on base). I don't know if they will pay for it, but I'm sure as hell going to try.

Anybody have a running 350 shortblock for cheap? I need one.

pvt num 11

Aw, man, that sucks. We had a girl drown on one of the Navy housing areas here and that FINALLY got somebody's attention that the drainage system sucked big-time. It rains a lot here in Hawaii. I hope they get stuck with your bill and they decide to do something about it. I'll keep your situation in mind when I do my air box hack job, as there are a few areas where it floods nicely.

ShiftyCapone

iTrader: (7)

How low is your CAI? That is impressive that you could draw that much water in under light throttle.

Steven89Iroc

A girl drowned because of that? That's not cool at all. Hopefully at least they fixed it because of that. :/

The intake is stock, with hacked airboxes and K&N's. The water was about a foot deep, and I guess when I hit it at about 15-20 before I got to slow down enough it shoved the water up into the filters. If you look under there, it's easy to see how it happened, especially with the airdam there as well. It basically fed the intake water how it's designed to feed it air. I wouldn't quite call that impressive.

I'm trying to figure out engine options, I'm out of money. I have a '92 RS 305 that I REALLY need to sell now (trying for $1500), but I have to put the new fuel pump in first because no one wants a car that doesn't run. :/ That money was going towards other major mods that will now have to be put on hiatus, and I'll have to use that money to do something with an engine.
I don't neccesarily want to use the same block (even if it is still good) because I live in an apartment and don't want to have to keep my car and engine in the base hobby shop (that costs money and the car will get trashed if it stays there), so ideally I'd rather buy a working shortblock and swap everything in a weekend. Something else I am strongly considering if funds permit is low compression forged pistons at the very least, but that's not looking too promising with the funds available. From what I've been hearing, it's not likely that the base will pay me anything, but I'm going to talk to them tomorrow morning.
Any ideas?

Steven89Iroc

Well I decided to drive it the 2 miles home. Oil pressure read normal and water temp was fine as well. There is water in the oil though, I checked the dipstick (no place to drain it yet). It was making the horrid very loud knock/clank all the way home, and aside from that, it seemed to drive almost normal except for being way down on power, it felt like my Talon before the turbo spools, hehe. By the time I got home it was actually idling (still knocking), but I couldn't tell where exactly it was coming from because it's so LOUD. It is only one knock, not multiple. I would almost say it's a rod knock for sure, but it sounds a bit different and a lot louder than any rod knock I've ever heard before. Maybe that's because I haven't ever heard a really bent-rod knock, I dunno.

There is fresh coolant on the intake base only on the drivers side. I can't see exactly where it's coming from, it's all the way from front to back. It could have warped a head as well from cold water hitting it when hot, just a thought. Last night after work I started it and thought I saw a lot of smoke out the tailpipe, I think I was just seeing the oil burn off from leaky valve seals as usual, just didn't think of it at the time and couldn't see well (It was dark). Today it started and burned off the oil as usual, and nothing else came out the tailpipes.

I go on leave to Oklahoma in about two weeks for 15 days (thankfully I already planned on taking the Talon) and I definately won't be able to do anything with the IROC until after that. I'm pretty sure the RS won't be sold before then anyway.

I was looking in Summit, and their "Standard Engine Kits for Chevy 350" look like a feasible option to me. I was thinking about getting that kit with TRW forged dish pistons, though it doesn't say what the compression ratio would be with different combustion chamber sizes, so I'd have to find out. If that would work out for me it would only be $387, and I might be able to go for some decent forged rods too. I would like to get another 350 roller block to build and redone stock heads ($$$ for good stuff) so when I'm ready I can just limp it over to the base hobby shop (1.5 miles) and swap it all in a weekend. Like I said, I really have to sell that RS.
What do you guys think?

Tremo

Major bummer. Hydro lock on the old radial aircraft engines usually resulted in catastrophic failure if they went ahead and force started it. The failure mode is bent rods, which will ultimately fail and break, resulting in total devistation in the crank case.

I recommend pulling that engine out ASAP and see what is still usable, before any additional damage happens. If a rod hasn't broken yet, chances are you still can use the block and crank.

pvt num 11

So, a rebuild is in order, due to a damaged rod. Sucks.

The housign authority got a lot of flak for the incident with the girl, I think they got PWC involved to fix the storm drain, it had been like that for years without anything done to fix it. It's a shame how someone has to DIE before bean-counters get involved in fixing something.

Steven89Iroc

I know it wasn't the greatest idea to try and start it at first, but I just wanted to see if it would even turn over. No matter, it did turn over and what was done was already done. If it hadn't been, I might have ruined it anyway by doing that, but I didn't figure it would turn over if that was the case. Either way, what's done is done and now I have to deal with it.

I will pull the engine ASAP, but ASAP won't be for a while. Like I said, I can't do anything with it at least until I get back from leave, and that includes drive it. It's going to be sitting for a long while, I'm not driving it anymore like this. Also as I said before, I don't want to re-use this block or crank at all since that would entail leaving my car engineless on the base hobby shop 'death lot' (outdoors unattended) for months while I rebuilt the current stuff. With a new block and crank, I can work on getting it all together while my car sits here right in front of my apartment where I can 'take care' of it, then when it's all ready I can limp it to the shop and get it running all at once.
I'm going to go out on a limb and say I need new heads too, even if I don't. They have 115k on them, they would need redone anyway. Again, it would be easier to get some stockers for cheap that have already been redone. I'll let you guys know whatever ends up happening.

RB83L69

Wahtever you do, DO NOT just turn in your heads as cores for a set of "305 heads" at the parts store or wherever. YOU WILL GET HOSED. Odds are probably about 6 to 1 or better, that you will walk out with swirl-port TBI heads; and instead of a 210 HP motor or whatever, you'll end up with at best a 170 HP one.

Much better to get your castings worked over.

If you turn yours in as cores on off-the-shelf rebuilt ones, BE CERTAIN to get the same casting back as the ones you are taking off. The number will end in 081. DO NOT accept ANY other casting as being "almost as good" or "it doesn't make any difference. They aren't anywhere near as good, and it does make a difference.

It's the oldest trick in the book.... I lost a set of double-hump heads back in the early 70s that way, about the 2nd or 3rd set of heads I bought by trading some in; I ended up with 882s "these are 350 heads too, they're newer, they'll work just as good", etc. etc. etc., and I was too inexperienced to argue even though I knew better. Needless to say, the motor I was working on, never ran anywhere near as strong as it had when it had been originally built, for some odd reason. Things haven't changed much since then I don't expect.

Steven89Iroc

Thanks for the advice, I'll be sure to remember all that. I have heard horror stories about parts store engines and such, so I was already thinking about it, but if I go that route I'll watch out for the things you mentioned.
Someone from these boards and 3GO is selling a set of stock rebuilt L98 heads for $175 + shipping, so I might end up buying those. As for a block, I'm looking locally and will talk to my dad in Oklahoma since I'm going there soon, he has lots of connections as well. Hopefully a good roller 350 block won't be too hard to find, or too expensive.
Like I said I might build it myself and go with the Summit kit with forged dished pistons, and possibly better rods.

I was going to hold off saying something until I recieved it, but this changes things so I'll let you know why I want low compression forged pistons at the least, maybe this will give people more insight as to what I should do.
I have already ordered and payed for the BBSDesigns street/strip twin turbo kit with the 'upgrade' package (bigger turbos). It's about half done being built and should be here toward the end of the month. I still need a bunch of other parts to install it, that's what the RS money was going toward. Now that money (when I get it) has to go into an engine. It's still not very much money so I can't go all out yet, but I know I would kick myself for not installing at least good pistons so I can run more a bit more boost (13-15 psi) than I planned on with the stock L98 (8-10 psi). I'm going to build a pretty stout engine a couple years from now after I get out of the Navy and get back home. The TT kit won't be installed for quite a while now because I still need about $1500 more in additional parts (caramic coating, the rest of the IC/pipe setup, MSD-6 BTM, 36lb/hr injectors, etc. etc.), but it will go on there as soon as I save up that money, maybe early next year.
So, that's where I stand right now.

RB83L69

OOoooppps, I went back and looked, you have a 350....

The casting number in question would be "083". Accept no substitutes.

Steven89Iroc

LOL, I was wondering why you thought I would turn in a core for a set of 305 heads, I thought it must've been a
typo.

LilJayV10

iTrader: (5)

I don't mean to be an *** here at all. But why did you try and start it after you knew it had water in it? Your chances would have been a lot better if you would have towed it home, took the plugs out, turned the engine over, changed the oil, put new plugs in it, and then tried to start it. If there was enough force to stop the engine, there's going to be enough to not let it start.

My buddy hyrdo locked his 95Z, at low RPMS. He tried to turn it over once but it was locked tight. I told him not to anymore and we towed it home, did all the things mentioned above and was driving it a few days later.

Again, this post is not intended to be rude, just informative.

Jason

I would do a compression test first, you might not need a complete rebuild, maybe you just bent some valves and I am sure not all the plugs are hitting right because if they are 1500 degrees then you have water hit them, more than likely they are going to crack. all the moisture in the engine is going to make it run bad/strange also.

Jason

Steven89Iroc

Steven89Iroc

Here's the pic I just took of that RS I'm selling, and that's my IROC and where it will be sitting for quite some time. :/
Hopefully the RS will turn into a new engine for the IROC soon.

Steven89Iroc

duh, here's pic...

MrDude_1

oops.

theres a dent in the hood.


i'll give ya $1000 for it.

DuronClocker

iTrader: (1)

lol, nice looking car though. Good paint. My car is in perfect shape except for the paint (really bad fading) and a dent in the driver's door under the mirror from when some girl in a Toyota RAV4 backed up into my mirror in a parking lot!

In any case, very nice car and the wheels look in good shape. I say you swap those wheels onto your Z; they look cooler

I see T-tops too!

Steven89Iroc

That answer is still no.

The paint is okay, but not perfect. There's also some other dents in it from when the previous owner had it and someone backed into it, but they aren't terribly bad. Yeah, it has T-tops.

As for the wheels, my old IROC actually had '92 wheels on it and I really liked that look. I like them better as well, but they aren't going on the IROC because I have some '97 C5 wheels waiting to go on. They are all front 17's because I don't like the staggered look. Here's the kicker... I only have three right now because FedEx LOST a WHOLE FRIKIN WHEEL AND TIRE. That's a whole different story though, I'm going through that BS as well. Those wheels won't be on for a long time now.