Well...I went to Kanawha Valley on Saturday because I just had to race this weekend. First I will say they are very nice people there. But....I noticed there were no dragsters...none...and when I spoke with an offical he said the won't run the track because the left lane is a bit bumpy. A bit??? Holy crap it almost shook my fillings out. So I ask around and the say the right is better. Well...I go buncing down the track again and in the traps a piston smacks the head. Pull a v/c and the valvetrain is not turning at all. So yesterday I pull the valley pan and see the piston pieces. Ok..chicken egg time. I haven't pulled the timing cover yet but I suspect I will find a broke chain...the cause...if I were a betting man would be the loading and un-loading down the track. Any opinions?

I'm thinking you broke the cam near the front

I would agree..Cam is broken, maybe from a rod or maybe a bad core. Had one do the same to me, bad core that is.

Where is the 'Kanawha Valley' you raced at???? I race at KV in West Virginia,,,,,it is not rough and there are plenty of dragsters there,,,,???

Yep - it went boom - my guess - your exhaust valve was a little tight and decided to become one with the piston - Are you still running a solid tappet or did you upgrade to a Roller?? - either way it is not gonna be pretty when you take the head off.

Still a solid Dave. Chapper...there wasn't a single dragster there?? and the official told me they won't run the left lane. Most of the faster door cars could'nt get down the track also. I'm just saying I've never had the car bounce like that before.

You are talking about Kanawha Valley @ Winfield, West Virginia on Rt. 35.......I have one friend that has 2 dragsters that his sons drive that are there just about every weekend. They both run in the 5.0x most of the time and someother friends in the 4's. Lots of mid 5's door cars usually. I am setting out for awhile with a cracked block,,,or I would have been there. Sorry you had a bad trip/experience at my home track. Maybe you should have gone to Magnolia,,,closer anyway.

No worries Chapper...I like to try different tracks and they were very nice there.

that sucks Eric, I doubt very seriously the cam broke first. more than likely a rod took it out.

The cam is a possibility, my old 9 second '73 DartSport has a ton of passes on it over the years, the cam broke on the new owner last fall and it was the only thing that broke so it is possible.
Hope you get it figured out Eric.

My wife broke the cam in her motor the 1st race of the year...piston came apart and made a mess of everything...literately, cam in 3 pieces, block cracked, etc.

Not a chicken or egg guess, but I don't believe you can break a timing chain because of the bumps, I've been meaning to get down to the track, but never heard it was real rough? I'd guess the cam is broken also, hopefully not sawed through by a rod.

Sorry to hear Eric....hope it's not as bad as it sounds. But doubtful the track had anything to do with it ;(

Rickster

I have a 541ci RB that I built for a friend break a cam last year. Broke right behind the dist gear, bent a lot of valves. Replaced the cam, timing chain set and all the valves, no other problems. Even the front cam bearing was good.
The cam was only about 6 mo old, a Comp Cams solid lift 650/650. The machinist that I use said that he sees this in round track engines 4 or 5 times a season, rarely in drag racing.

Brian

don't feel bad Eric.I had a bme rod let go this weekend.took out the block and the oil pan.nice milodon pan.happened right at the finish line.I thought when a aluminum rod lets go it wouldn't hurt the block.Boy what a mess.order some h beams today for the new build.

Sorry to hear about the damage.

I'm thinking that since it happened in the traps, when you were at speed (shouldn't have been loading/unloading there), the motor got into sustained valve float, and took out the parts that got in the way.

Ouch, sorry to hear that.
I have heard of a few Comp Cams solid cams (cast cores) break within a few months of new. Since you have the valley pan off, you should be able to see most of the cam to check if the front is broke. Or if the timing chain broke first and let the valves hit the pistons.

Timing chain broke. I'm still thinking the loading and unloading killed it. Next time I'll know better and shut it down to race another day.