I recently purchased a 69 dart drag car with a 340 based small block that was fresh. Made a few passes at the track last week and lost oil pressure going though the traps. I shut the car down fired it up again on the return road it made some pressure off ideal. I pulled the pan last night to find the #4 cap hanging down on the studs with the nuts and washers in the pan. The block side bearing spun around when the cap fell but waqs not damaged. The crank looks ok I also pulled a few random rod and main caps with the bearings looking new. The crank spins straight with a indicator. I had no major vibration was going about 7800 rpm in the traps. I don't know if I should just assume the nuts where never torqued and put it back together or investigate some more. Any thoughts?

Yikes

Run down and buy yourself some power ball tickets!

I think they wrote a song about you..it's called lucky man

Sounds like it wasnt torqued... put it back together
and TORQUE... ALL OF THE MAINS AND RODS... prime the
oil system with a drill.. you should see 70#... if all
is good... beat on it...... and buy some lottery tickets

Being lucky is not exactly what im know for thats what scares me. I think I better put a wrench on every nut and bolt I can find.

You did dodge the bullet. But when is the next one getting fired at you?

I have bought a few TK race cars in my day and every one would come apart (Motor/trans out for inspection or most likely a refresh. Rear end apart and looked at, etc...)I suggest you really need to do that now after finding this. What else isn't right??

Not only will the inspection/freshen up process potentially save you money in the long run you will now KNOW the condition of your new race car. As a bonus, it could also save you from personal harm if a mechanical defect results in a crash.

Now...ask me how I know. As a youngster I bought a "proven, fresh, race ready car. Turn key just add driver". Made a 1/2 track lap and then on the first full run into the program, lost a rod at 800' oiled the track and my rear tires and after watching the tower pass across my windshield a few times I managed to save it/was really lucky that I gathered it up going straight down the track, albeit in the other lane. It was also lucky that it was a solo TnT run and no one was next to me.

Doing the autopsy, I found all the rod bolts were snugged up; no where near torque spec.

Yes, [censored] can happen with these cars all the time. Just do your due diligence to minimize your risk.

I'll second that vote. Better look at the rest of the car too.

That stuff didn't just fall of on that pass. It was loose and rattling around for awhile before it shook off into the pan. I would look at the bolts and studs and replace them if they are no names. Soft fasteners stretching would let the hardware come loose. Check the threads in the block also.

ummmm, THAT guy dies in the end

What about the cam / lifters? Where do they get oil on a SB?

You better pull it out and look at it. What else wasn't torqued? What else isn't correct?

Dodging one bullet. Dodging two is just insane, and probably won't happen.

Dude, we all die in the end, DON"T fear it
Life is a journey we get to take from birth, enjoy the trip Learn from your errors and don't repeat them Enjoy the good times amd good experiences you have along the way

I must be doing it wrong............

You and me both.

OP; yeah, go buy some lotto tickets. The Gods have given you a sign.

Stock it oils up through the heads and through
the shafts... or you can plug the heads and oil
through the lifters and PRs to the rockers.. I've
done both ways.. if its the little shafts(per cylinder)
you need to oil via PRs and or spray bars

You say a "few" passes. I would be surprised if one without torqued caps would make it out of the burnout box. I would be looking VERY closely for cracked main webs. Web cracks, turns the torque loose and nuts vibrate off.

I lost oil pressure some ware in its 4th pass had it when I staged. I'm not to worried about the cam its a roller with shaft rockers. I was still getting some oil dripping out of the rockers when I was trying to diagnose it.

I'm with Monte on this. I would pay special attention to how the studs "feel" when torqued. You may have temporarily dodged a bullet but the bad guy might still be in town.

I looked some more at the block and treads and did not see any issues. Im going to borrow a tread checking tool off a machinist friend this weekend. Was talking to a buddy with a superstock car he told me to get rid of the fluidampener thats on the car. Said they dont work over 6000 rpm.

It ain't the FD.

Look for something else. I turned my car 8800 all the time and NEVER had a failure like you did. And I ran stock 340 cranks. I knocked many rods out because the oil timing is off. But never an issue with mains.

My 572 has had a Fluid-Damper on for 300 passes at 7000 rpm. Bearings looked excellent on tear down. Don't know how much power it makes but it has been as quick as 9.02@151, 3350lbs
Doug

Don't just glance in there and "have a look". You better get the motor out, completely down it and have a VERY close look at the main webs. Nuts don't "just come off" main studs. And as I said earlier, I would be surprised if untorqued main studs would keep the nuts on for ONE burnout, much less a few passes. I hope not, but am betting on cracked block, broken crank, or both

The dampner is NOT the problem

Great job catching the oil pressure through the traps. I always tell myself at the beginning of each day to check the gauges at the top of every run. I never remember to look until I'm on the return road.

Well the ening is out and apart. I really want to find a crack or something wrong but I can't. I guess i'm going to bolt it back togeather and hope for the best.

My 395ci and my 416 both have a Fluidamper on them..
the 395 has had it on for years now.. turns 8100 each
pass.. Its apart right now.. it looks great.. I just had
the pan off the 416 yesterday and had the #5 main off of
it.. looked new still

Do they make a stretch gauge fixture for torquing ARP studs?

I remember an article in Hotrod years ago about them losing a rod in a SBC after the bolts came loose. They found the nuts in the pan. When they checked the stretch after torquing to factory specs they found the bolts weren't close to tight. It ran for a while too before it went boom.

Maybe that's what happened here. Partially/improperly torqued fastener held on for a while and then fell apart.

Kevin