Build Thread 2.0

[tep98ws6]

Long time no talk on LS1.com ve:

I originally had a build thread up here when I rebuilt and remachined my original LS1 back in 2009 ---> http://www.ls1.com/forums/f7/my-build-thread-126838/

I drove my car for almost two years with zero issues, excellent driveability, other than little piddly BS things such as alternator going out, ect. She was PERFECT.

One day, I had to work in a really shabby part of town (you know, don't roll down the windows kind of area) and I started hearing a terrible pinging noise. I limped her home very carefully. I was less than two miles from my home when my WS6 started sounding like I was taking her over a drawer full of forks. It was pretty effin' terrible. Finally, the noises were followed up by a BOOM and my car completely stopped ... in the middle of rush hour traffic ... in 110* weather ... in high heels. I had to literally kick my car into neutral and get out to push my car out of traffic, barefoot mind you, by myself. I sadly waited for a tow truck and towed it home to our shop.

Within a few days (& whenever I could find time to squeeze in some work on her), I started tearing into her. I found my LS6 intake full of debris. I took it off and dumped out at LEAST a quart of oil and found not only half of a valve, various small metal pieces but also two piston rings and TWO DECENT SIZED PIECES OF PISTON. Fantastic. I dug farther in and found the culprit - under the valve cover was a single spring that had killed itself and took my engine down with it.


bottom of the driver's cylinder head


looking inside the cylinder


the contents of the intake


the culprit


engine removal. my dad's dogs thought my driveshaft was an awesome thing to try and play fetch with..


finally, i got it out


the internals wanted out through means of the tray, haha


hole in the block behind the motor mount


that's not right


contents of my oil pan


who doesn't freakin' instagram while they tear down a block!? i mean seriously! haha


she'll make a beautiful table


third piston


new engine with its old counterpart in it's body bag. RIP

I'm assuming the spring broke which in turn dropped the valve which exploded the piston and rod (& companion rod on the other side of the block, leaving the piston just dead in the cylinder walls). There was a third damaged piston but it only had a small chunk missing.


So here's the start. I will be taking many videos, pictures (more I should say) and documenting everything in many places. I plan on doing a same profile cam (231/231 621/621 112*) with MUCH BETTER valve train components than the last time, full exhaust, LS6 intake, ect ect. Basically an identical build to my last with better upgrades. Easy peesy!

[SMWS6TA]

Damn Tep, you make my engine look small....yours completely detonated.....

It's been a rough year for the 98 LS1's, this is the 4th one I'm following this yr.

Here's my dead LS1
http://www.ls1.com/forums/f7/fee-fi-...ine-do-174548/

Here's my 6liter thread.

http://www.ls1.com/forums/f7/my-6-liter-build-174257/

[tep98ws6]

Damn Tep, you make my engine look small....yours completely detonated.....

It's been a rough year for the 98 LS1's, this is the 4th one I'm following this yr.

http://www.ls1.com/forums/f7/my-6-liter-build-174257/

lol it died an awful death

[tep98ws6]

Here's my dead LS1
http://www.ls1.com/forums/f7/fee-fi-...ine-do-174548/

Here's my 6liter thread.

http://www.ls1.com/forums/f7/my-6-liter-build-174257/

wtf at your engine! that's odd!

[98TransAmWs-6]

Sorry to see that happened. Damn, if your engine going to go you might as well go all out. Complete devastation! You might have stated it but what are your plans with your engine?

I wish the reason I am going to remove mine was due to some carnage like this lol.

[SMWS6TA]

wtf at your engine! that's odd!

No one can identify the piece that looks like a oil plug.

[Naaman]

Subscribed!

[SMWS6TA]

ditto

[KahanaReef]

Looks like a warzone hit under your hood! Must have been a nice rousing game of name that chunk Off to stronger and better builds Oh, and I liked the way you narrated. Almost felt like I was there with you

[Knight]

Got me beat! I've had some carnage before, but that's more like a deer vs a semi.....

Will be watching, Tep!

[pajeff02]

Ouch! Sorry to see, TEP. Good to have you back on the site and looking forward to the build.

[ls1camino]

Wow...I think you beat everyone's LS1 carnage combined.

[Y2KArcticSS]

Holy crap....that is some worst-case scenario stuff...

Good luck with the transplant, what are your new build plans?

[tep98ws6]

LOL. Thanks everyone. It was pretty much a disaster. I'm basically building what I had before. I have a brand new, fresh LS1 crate with the upgraded cylinder heads and pan, ect. I LOVED the last build and I would like to stay close to it. However, the culprit was a shotty spring so I will be beefing up the valvetrain even more than it was before. I hope to have her running & tuned in the next few weeks ... it's been a long time coming, but when you're working multiple jobs and just bought a house that floods constantly (my life rules), working on the Trans Am has been difficult. But I'm motivated so she WILL be done. Plus, I have to show up my new neighbor with his 5.0

[KMdef9]

Damn, sorry to hear!

Did you get alot of track time in? This didn't happen from being nice to her, did it? lol

Why only a LS1 out of curiosity?

[tep98ws6]

Damn, sorry to hear!

Did you get alot of track time in? This didn't happen from being nice to her, did it? lol

Why only a LS1 out of curiosity?

Only one pass was on this build. I like to pretend to be responsible cuz (at the time) she was a daily driver & my only car, haha. However, she was tuned less than a week before this. Started acting up almost immediately, so I put new plugs in that week because it had a wicked misfire ... but all that gave me was $45 in wasted plugs since it blew up the very next day. As I was limping her home, it happened going about 30MPH in 3rd. MY LIFE RULEEEEEES!

I would like to go bigger at some point, but with finances holding me back AKA an unwanted indoor swimming pool in the basement of my new house, it just isn't feasible this time around. I definitely don't want this to happen again, anytime soon but maybe someday she will get the big, nasty swap she deserves

[Knight]

Fast, reliable, cheap. Pick two.

[KMdef9]

Only one pass was on this build. I like to pretend to be responsible cuz (at the time) she was a daily driver & my only car, haha. However, she was tuned less than a week before this. Started acting up almost immediately, so I put new plugs in that week because it had a wicked misfire ... but all that gave me was $45 in wasted plugs since it blew up the very next day. As I was limping her home, it happened going about 30MPH in 3rd. MY LIFE RULEEEEEES!

I would like to go bigger at some point, but with finances holding me back AKA an unwanted indoor swimming pool in the basement of my new house, it just isn't feasible this time around. I definitely don't want this to happen again, anytime soon but maybe someday she will get the big, nasty swap she deserves

Damn, didn't even get to play with it...


I hear ya on finances, if my rear end goes, the car will be collecting even more dust than it already does.



The rain season will be over soon and you'll be back under the hood! Good luck with the build!

[KMdef9]

Fast, reliable, cheap. Pick two.

Too true!

If it's fast and reliable, it isn't cheap.
If it's cheap and fast, it isn't reliable.
If it's reliable and cheap, it isn't fast.

[tep98ws6]

Fast, reliable, cheap. Pick two.

impossible! haha