Guys, thanks for all the kind words and offers. To address some of your questions:
The trans case is no big deal. My good friend Lonnie Diers has a multitude of spare 200-4Rs laying around. This will prolly be my chance to learn how to do a tranny rebuild as (we are hoping) all I should have to do is transfer the internals from one case to another.
The broken case wasn't even noticed until the motor was out and I wired the bellhousing to the hood bumper so I could remove the jack and push the car back into the garage. This explains one bolt that fell out. Four of the other bellhousing bolts were only "finger-tight." BTW, it was intense vibration (prolly from the crank snapping) that A) wobbled the front of the crank enough to break the balancer and B) loosen all three accessory mounting bracket bolts (one of them completely fell out...explaining bolt number two that fell out on the dyno) and finally C) pushed the converter back into the trans cracking the case. The broken balancer twisted the crank key and literally ate the front seal of the timing chain. The oil slinger is pretty chewed as well.
Incidently, this is the second time a balancer has come apart on me (first time was because the pulley came loose and pounded on the balancer for "who knows" how long). Yes, I was lucky it did not exit the motor while on the dyno as that would have killed someone if they were hit by it. In the alternative, it might have ripped through the machine shop and I'd been stuck with a large repair bill.
I did not have the knock sensor turned on, but with 117 motor octane fuel...it didn't seem to be needed. BTW, the connecting rod bearings look brand new - no signs of detonation there. I won't know about the mains until the girdle comes off. The cylnder walls are still look perfect. Cross hatching is still very evident. Pistons #3 and 4 are at the very bottom of the cylnder. It is possible that the walls may be FUBAR down low.
What went first? Good question! The shortblock will be disassembled at a machine chop with an expert examining pieces as they are removed. But as already mentioned, years of blowing headgaskets from detonation prolly had already weakened the crank...if not a piston or two.
I will be at Morocco administering the TSM race and helping out where I can.
The motor was a GM inventory SG1 109 shortblock. Had I not installed the girdle and billet caps in winter 2001, it would have still been 100% stock Buick crank, pistons, rod, and block.
It is my understanding that I am at least the third person to break a crank with a RJC girdle. Jason White did it at Bristol in 2002, but it just fractured. Mine broke into 3 large pieces. I will retain my 109 or use the spare 109 block in my garage. The TA block will not be legal for TSM racing.
The trans case is no big deal. My good friend Lonnie Diers has a multitude of spare 200-4Rs laying around. This will prolly be my chance to learn how to do a tranny rebuild as (we are hoping) all I should have to do is transfer the internals from one case to another.
The broken case wasn't even noticed until the motor was out and I wired the bellhousing to the hood bumper so I could remove the jack and push the car back into the garage. This explains one bolt that fell out. Four of the other bellhousing bolts were only "finger-tight." BTW, it was intense vibration (prolly from the crank snapping) that A) wobbled the front of the crank enough to break the balancer and B) loosen all three accessory mounting bracket bolts (one of them completely fell out...explaining bolt number two that fell out on the dyno) and finally C) pushed the converter back into the trans cracking the case. The broken balancer twisted the crank key and literally ate the front seal of the timing chain. The oil slinger is pretty chewed as well.
Incidently, this is the second time a balancer has come apart on me (first time was because the pulley came loose and pounded on the balancer for "who knows" how long). Yes, I was lucky it did not exit the motor while on the dyno as that would have killed someone if they were hit by it. In the alternative, it might have ripped through the machine shop and I'd been stuck with a large repair bill.
I did not have the knock sensor turned on, but with 117 motor octane fuel...it didn't seem to be needed. BTW, the connecting rod bearings look brand new - no signs of detonation there. I won't know about the mains until the girdle comes off. The cylnder walls are still look perfect. Cross hatching is still very evident. Pistons #3 and 4 are at the very bottom of the cylnder. It is possible that the walls may be FUBAR down low.
What went first? Good question! The shortblock will be disassembled at a machine chop with an expert examining pieces as they are removed. But as already mentioned, years of blowing headgaskets from detonation prolly had already weakened the crank...if not a piston or two.
I will be at Morocco administering the TSM race and helping out where I can.
The motor was a GM inventory SG1 109 shortblock. Had I not installed the girdle and billet caps in winter 2001, it would have still been 100% stock Buick crank, pistons, rod, and block.
It is my understanding that I am at least the third person to break a crank with a RJC girdle. Jason White did it at Bristol in 2002, but it just fractured. Mine broke into 3 large pieces. I will retain my 109 or use the spare 109 block in my garage. The TA block will not be legal for TSM racing.
