Gary,
Dual picture windows on the same Challenger here. Even high nickel content
extra web CHP blocks cant take a stretched rod for too long, and 440 rods
stretch a lot at 9500 rpm (tach telltale info). This story is even more
painful since It happened on a test drive and I didnt notice the guy was
barefoot ( foot slipped off the clutch on the 1-2 shift) Hard to sell him
the car when it wasnt running real good after that. Lots more to the story
but it makes me cry to type it...
But basically a thrown rod in a big block sounds like the world is ending
(and smells like it too as well as looks like it...)
BKB
-----Original Message-----
From: Gary Shook [mailto:gary.shook@mci.com]
Sent: Friday, November 06, 1998 2:41 PM
To: dakota-truck@buffnet.net
Subject: DML: Re: Lost plug story (non dak)
>Gary,
>had the same thing happen on my 70 440 challenger. Thought I lost a rod it
>banged so loudly. 2:00am in Coalinga (no where) fog too thick to see 50
ft,
>and Im hitchhicking away from my R/T challenger, hoping to find a gas
>station (not a chance) Came back the next day to find the Challenger
>gone... Towed by CHP... Finally got back to the car , only to find the
>spark plug was still in the damn boot and the threads in the head were
>intact! got wired the 85.00 towing fee, finger tight spark plug install
(no
>tools or flashlight, hence the hitch-hike) and back on the road...with no
>wallet, fell out in the 18 wheeler that gave me a ride.
>lots of fun, but why did it come out?
>BKB
Man, sounds like the day from hell...
I wasn't punished nearly that bad...I pulled over, looked under the car
(half expecting to see oil pouring from a hole in the block) only to see a
spark plug wire nearly dragging on the ground with the spark plug still in
it... It's real hard to get it back in there when your headers are still
hot!!!
Only reason I can think of that it came out.... remember how much of a pain
the the a$$ installing spark plugs in a Mopar big block was? I think the
one that came out was #8.. the worst to get at (at least with my headers),
so the hardest to tighten.
Gary Shook
p.s. I've never had the opportunity to hear a thrown rod, but I did spin a
main bearing in the same Charger, and 15,000mi after the rebuild I broke the
forged crank (stuipid %(#$&(# machine shop didn't grind it straight... they
were out of business when this happened) but I got real lucky on that
one... it didn't break on a journal, but on a throw... the pieces pushed
each other around in the bearings... never hit a valve or even bent a rod...
$109.00 special crank kit from a friend (also forged) and it's been fine
ever since..
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