16 thoughts on “When Really Bad Luck Turns Into Really Good Luck”

  1. See, that’s the problem with blowers – if the waste gate plugs or fails to operate properly, you are suddenly dealing with a LOT more boost that 12-14″…
    And then you get to see just how well a Grade 8 bolt works…
    Hopefully not up close and personal.

    Seen my share, but not that many since I raced F/MP.

  3. I am guessing by the other vintage rail I see there, that engine has not been updated since the 60’s. Blowers are now supposed to be held on with aluminum blower studs to prevent the catastrophic failure seen here (https://arp-bolts.com/kits/arpkit-detail.php?RecordID=2). And I would hazard a guess that their isn’t a burst panel installed either (https://www.goodvibesracing.com/burst_panels.html). And obviously no blower restraint. As one of my friends would say “it’s all fun and games till an intake valve hangs open.”

    • We didn’t have all that crap in the late 60’s and early 70’s. Put the correct shims in for the boost you needed, make sure the waste gate was working, bolt it on, and “full send”.

      Spectacular, I tells ya!

      Why do you think they came up with all those safety features, anyway??

  4. I was at a speed shop down in ‘Bama and was asking for parts and advice to make my truck more responsive for towing with increased torque and horsepower on a 2000 Chevy C3500 with the 5.7 L engine. The counter guy had an under hood supercharger kit for that particular engine, this was in 2003. The cost was just under $5000 for the complete kit and about $2000 to install it and reprogram my computer. I told the guy I was gonna look into it more. I call GM rep and he said if I put a supercharger on it would void the remaining warranty (6 year warranty) and then I watched some yube tube videos of them making a rapid disassembly. I passed…

  5. I had just blown up an engine at the track and threw together the last pieces I had to try to make the last race. Normally my motors had aluminum rods but this one had steel since it was all I had left. My front engine dragster blew the motor in the shop while warming it up and what was left of a piston came out the side of the block, bounced off my foot and rolled under some shelving. Dad always wondered what it looked and sounded like when a motor blew and that night he got get his wish.

    • You need high-flow/high-pressure pumps AND a deep sump if you want your beautiful expensive engine to live more’n 30 seconds. Ask me how I know…

      Good thing Chebbie small block parts were plentiful and cheap!

  8. Dad had a mid 80’s F-150 with the anemic 5.0L engine. It had problems pulling a loaded hay wagon. Dad put a small supercharger that hung where the AC compressor sat. It got relocated further down. It put out 7 lbs of boost. It turned that truck into a beast.

Comments are closed.