Since my car is still giving me fits I decided to go to the track, have some cold ones and cheer on my buddies for something to do (also went out to get the contract signed for a racers large garage/addition we're building)

Anyways, my freinds from MN were racing as usual, husband is the pit beeotch/wrench, wife is the driver..they're both in their forties. I'm on the line with Joe (the husband) and watching the pairs go down track, Lynne (buddies wife) has the bye-run; just before the 330' cone the notorious whoosh of smoke dumps from under/behind the car (typically indicating the motor just blew up) split second later we see the back end of the car wanting to spin around counter clockwise (still in her lane) and then the scarey part, it got sideways enough the car got up on the passenger side 2 wheeels, sliding sideways/broadway down the track and heading over the center line. Somehow she counter steered just right, car came crashing back down onto all fours and I've never seen a car stop that fast in my life...I thought at the rate of speed she was going already (approx 90mph by that point on the track) she was going head long into the opposite side guardrail head on...but she managed to stop that thing within feet of the guardrail

Joe, the split second the car started to raise up on 2 wheels yelled "why the f..k am I looking at the bottom of my car" and before he finished the sentence it was over. Thanfully the area was flooded quickly with drivers from the pits, saftey safari, track personal. Everything was alright, Lynne was fine, car was still on all fours and paint was still shiney...made a terrible oil mess in both lanes of the track that required a 1hr clean up but everybody was safe and that's all that mattered. I've watched countless vidoe's on youtube/other video sites where the same situation happened and driver went full speed into the guardrail head on and it never turns out good. THANKFULLY she was on a solo pass, other wise the track position she was in "would've" put the other driver had there been one, right in a collision course to hit her when she was broad side. And thankfully it happened that early in the run where she did'nt have a huge head of steam built up yet...had that happened at the big end of the track, she'd of barrel rolled for days....it was the best of a bad situation in every aspect of the term. Once they towed the car back to the pits the crowd gathered and we started looking the car over. The front passenger side tire was literallt scuffed all the way to the edge of the rim...that's how far the sidewall was curled under the car rear slick not so much-maybe scuffed 3" up the sidewall from the edge of the tread area.

They sent me some power point pics of the engine carniage, it looks like somebody put a gernade in the heart of the motor and it exploded. Split the block literally down the middle, twisted all the rods, windowed the block, cylinders, twisted the main girdle to ****, sheered off the oil pump, etc...if anybody would like to see some really narley engine destruction, email me and I will forward the pictures....just know ahead of time they're in power point configuration..but if you know cars..it's definately worth the look..just insane!! j.meighan@mchsi.com

 

No thanks. I got lots of those myself starting when I blew up my 383 back in 2000. I've never blown one up that bad since, although I've had a lot of engine failures.

 

Yeah, but look on the bright side...it was a Ford motor..and best of all, it was'nt yours

 

Haha...That sucks that she blew her engine. What type of car was it?

 

302?

 

I'd like to see some pics hehe I'll PM you my email. Sounds like she did a great save and got lucky, yikes!

 

yep, it's been a 347 for the past 3 years shifted at 6800 with all forged goodies for the rotating assembly.

 

josh, those pics look like every other stock ford block that i've seen let go. Tons of people around here blow up their 302s down the middle like that when they push too much HP through the block from forced induction or nitrous.

 

Yup, as soon as you hear the block broke in half down the middle you know it's a Ford 302.

Ford sucks.

 

Dam, I had no idea....but everybody I know runs chebbies so I'm not used to seeing carniage of that nature. Joe called last night again and I asked him if he had $800 laying around; he asked why, I told him he could take that $800, go to the gas station down the street and buy a complete chevy motor that will probably run faster than that 347 he just lost he got the nervious chuckles after that LMFAO!!!

They had a photographer out there that "supposedly" got some pis as it happened, we're still waiting to hear from him and see what, if anything did he get on film.

 

We've had a few of those block failures at our track, but not with the results you witnessed.

Some other scary things I've seen:

Turbo 351 in an early-60's Ranchero at T&T in 2002 - the guy (in his 70's) was trying to get it to run 12.0's because he didn't have a cage (11.99 was the rule back then). I was pitted next to him. Trapped about 120 mph. He was launching in 2nd and still pulling 1.5 60's (said it dyno'd 750 lb-ft). Toward the end of the day, I was headed to the staging lanes to make a final run, but they had closed the track. Turns out he made a solo run in the right lane, at about 1300' his spliced lower radiator hose let loose and sprayed down his left tire - he did a DE into the left wall about 100' beyond the finish line. Really messed up the car, he bit the steering wheel (open face helmet, lap belt only) and broke his glasses, otherwise unhurt. He's been running 18-sec cars since.

'70 Chevelle in local "stick shift" class a couple of years ago - 9-sec car at altitude. Thing pulls 5' wheelies, bounces all over the place every run. On one run, traction wasn't equal on both tires at launch, took a fast right turn at the hit while in the air. Hit hard when he let off, bent the frame, then hit the wall where it narrows from the starting line at about 200'. Big mess, but they fixed it and were back the next year. They still scare me every time they run.

'70's El Camino, time trials last weekend - forgot to pin one of his wheelie bars; when he launched, the front end sky'd with a big twist - he backed off, came back down with a bang and sparks, hit it again and it did the same thing 200' down the track! Backed off again and puttered down the track. Saw that one from the staging lanes, I figured the track had been messed up pretty good, but they didn't even shut down - just checked it out with the scooter and we were back running again.

 

i was thinking about going to a track this coming weekend...now i dunno if i want to haha. naaa ill still go probly. my car isn't fast enough to do any crazy stuff in