The qualifying info from Shadyside over the Labor Day weekend didn't look good -- an 11.99 in Q1 that didn't change. It seemed like something in the drivetrain broke and was beyond repair, and that's what happened.
Paul called today with a ton of news: The engine blew at Shadyside -- broken crank and a couple of trashed rods. It was a mess, but nothing put a hole in the block (Paul said he'll rebuild it and sell it). He got wind of an engine being available from Tim Tindle, so he started crunching some numbers to make his case for such a big purchase. Paul, who builds houses, said he has work lined up for the next two years, and is working on 4-5 houses now (sounds like encouraging anecdotal economic information). That helped to seal the deal, so he was in Florida last weekend to make the purchase, a BAE fathead that is a proven 3.9 runner.
It is more advanced in pretty much all respects than the engine that blew up. Paul could spin the old one about 8,500, and had been pushing it a bit to 8,800 when it failed. The new one can go to 10,000.
A lot of work is going on to get the new drivetrain ready for the Southern Shootout event at Atmore Dragway next weekend, which is intended as a test session, but if the Beast happens to make the field against the screw blowers, Paul said "of course we'll race." The torque converter is off to PTC for a checkup just to make sure it wasn't damaged in the engine failure.
So, Paul will be at Atmore, a new track for him, with some Tindle tuners to help get the car dialed in with the new engine. It's a huge step up in the power department. I forgot to ask if the blower hat will be different. I could lose a bunch of pictures of the car if it is. That's a small sacrifice for some sub-4 runs.
I'll be back before the race, hopefully with a pic of the new motor in the car.
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