We have been waiting for the longtube headers to be complete.. We cant finish the tuning until those are done and installed.. At this point, that's the hold-up.

It shouldn't be too much longer. Any day now..

Updates! Updates! Updates!

Hey guys, sorry for the hold up, but I had Vadim install some other mods on my car which took some time. Longtube headers should be completed soon with all mods installed.
Yes Thericker, I have been going nuts with anticipation, so when I was home last week, I asked Vadim if I could take my car home and drive it for 2 days. All I can say is WOW!!
The pulley was just installed, but the stock exhaust and intake was still on. Man, the 5.7L pulls a lot harder throughout the entire RPM band. The Kompressor screams now from the larger pulley and provides more aggression at low RPM’s from the extra torque. You can feel the difference the extra displacement and bigger cams provide at higher RPM’s as it keeps pulling real hard and the shifts seem harder too because the torque never stops and that’s with a half as tune! Sorry we don't have any numbers yet, but I'm happy with the results so far and thought you guys would want to hear some type of update.
Stay tuned!

Have you ever driven another modded 55 for comparison?

Sorry blackbenzz, but I have not driven another modded 55 for comparison. I only have my stock 55 to compare to. It definitely did not loose any power that's for sure. I clocked 250 miles on it and I noticed a big change in power. It still has the stock IC pump and the VRP Cooling kit has not been installed yet, so it suffers from heat soak very bad. I was never able to get 3 hard runs in a row. Sometimes the SC shut off after just 1 run, but within 2-3 minutes the power was back. I'm not too worried about the heat soak issue though. Vadim said because it's not tuned she was running rich and it felt jerky and the throttle felt off at times, but I was still able to feel the difference in power.

Glad your happy man! look fwd to Dyno

This is all new so Victor or Vadim might have additional info or changes...

Vadim was pulling the oil filter off and about to change the break-in oil when he noticed some particles in the oil. We are not sure what the cause of this is or what the damage (if any) is at this time. To be on the safe side, Vadim is going to pull the engine out and ship it up to Victor where his engine builder will tear it down and inspect everything and make sure we don’t have any damage or premature excessive wear. We rather be safe than sorry and won’t speculate on what “could” be the cause because at this point we just don’t know.

This is very unfortunate but in the end these set backs (just like the sparkplugs) will only make us smarter and will ensure we have a strong engine build. VRP has kept me in the loop through the entire project and has always shared the good and the bad. They are doing their part to make sure I have a successful engine build and I really couldn't ask for anything more from a tuner.

Once again, Great catch Vadim, and as always, I owe you another one!

Well Keep us Posted!

Damn that sucks!

Havoc,

How much time are you looking at as far as turnaround on this? Good catch though.

How large are the particles? And are they soft or hard, smooth or rough?

Loose in oil or in filter...?

That really sucks, but sometimes happens when building a totally new set-up. I wish you the best and hope it gets resolved quickly.

Damn, that bites. sorry for ya. What are particles? I'm a newb to this. Having vadim on the car makes all the difference. Good luck on a speedy rebuild, AGAIN!!

What are the particles?

Will Do!

It does suck bro, but it is what it is. This will delay us some, but we won't stop until the 5.7L is running like she should be. This just makes me want it even more now!

We will find out once the engine is taken apart. It all depends on the problem we have on our hands. I don't have a deadline, so time is on Victor's side.

I'm not sure of the size or texture. I believe they were in the oil filter. I'm waiting on more info.

Thanks Rflow!
I am bummed but not worried. Victor is ontop of it all and will make sure all the parts are in perfect condition. I'm just worried about the first guy I blow the doors off of!

It happens dude. The particles are from the internals either rubbing together or breaking apart. Basically, pieces of medal are coming off from somewhere inside. Thank God Vadim caught it now because as the engine runs with particles in the oil, it will start to scratch everything inside and eventually it will cause something to break.
It might not be that bad, but we don't know and Victor doesn't want to take any chances, which is a good call on his part.

OK, I get it. Would some break in with metal be normal? or would that have happenned when the motor was built? HAHA!! You should get a spare drivetrain so you can roll the SL while the race parts get tweaked. I'd love to see photos of the motor.

Here is the photo of the oil filter element that Vadim sent me. It doesn't look as bad as it sounded at first, but as we all know, any type of material found in the oil is not good. I think the particles were only found in the filter.
Vadim believes it's from a loose Rod Bearing, but we won't know for sure until the engine is apart.

Thanks again Vadim for saving the 5.7L from serious damage for the second time! You definitely know your stuff!

Havoc, Personally I have seen worse, on engines that lived long and made great horsepower. On a new engine the amount of "made metal" is shocking let alone an engine that has had as much machine work done as yours. Hats off to you and Vadim as your course of action is the most correct. No reason not to be on the safe side.

Thanks man!
I really owe Vadim, Victor, and Victor's engine builder for all wanting to disassemble the engine just to make sure there is no damage. I'm not sure if I would get this type of professionalism from other tuners or engine builders especially since this rebuild is not on my dime. Or yet alone them catching it in the first place.

I agree 100%, when he said metal I was expecting the filter to be full of bearing material. If those pics are the worst part of the filter , very little if any damage has been done imo.

+1

Hey Guys... I was bummed about the particles in the oil when Vadim told me, but, this is all part of pioneering new stuff.. Sometimes you get lucky on the first go-around and everything works great.. sometimes you have to bite the bullet and redo.

For this particular case I am not willing to take a chance.. I'd rather pull the motor, crate it and ship it back to Toronto for inspection.. once we tear it down it will not only tell us what happened, but it will give me confirmation that the parts and assembly procedures are AOK and safe to take abuse.

If we see any abnormal wear I can remedy it now before anything catastrophic happens.

Since this is the first engine to see the light of day, I want to make sure everything is perfect.. When Havoc first talked to me about wanting the motor I was reluctant to let him have the first development motor because I hadn't had a chance to test it.. I intended to put it in my own car and run it through its paces.

Havoc wanted the #001 engine to be in his car, and I was totally awed by the amount of faith and enthusiasm he showed. We both knew what we were getting ourselves into, and he has been more of a partner in all of this than a customer because he shows us as much support as we show him.

Keith... to you buddy! Thanks for always having our back and for being such a supportive friend!

Looking forward to hooking up on your return from duty!

Does a tear down mean we can go ahead and do even more mods? Hehe... Sorry to see this happen but nice to see how it was handled from being found to Havoc taking it. That is what i was talking about before in AMGSC's thread. Havoc knows what he is getting into. He has reputable people at each end and I know it will all be minor.

Good luck bro and glad to see things coming along

+1. could easily be shavings from machining, but definitely better safe than sorry.

Victor, thanks for the kind words!
I'll tell you this boss; I'm amazed by the professionalism that both you and Vadim have showed as our project progress. Both of you have not only kept me informed, answered all my questions, and gave me suggestions and support, but you guys have used extra precaution and attention to detail with my car which continuously reassures me that I have someone who not only cares, but is also a perfectionist as I am. It’s hard enough for me being overseas and doing what I do, but not having to worry about or deal with any of the added stress when we hit hurdles with our project is a huge relief. VRP has earned both my respect and loyalty hands down.

Hey, perhaps we can take this time to measure the clearance for longer rockers so we can add them later? Sorry, just had to ask.

If you find any area where we should upgrade a part during inspection, let’s go ahead and upgrade. You know where I stand. 1,000hp baby!

Cheers Victor!

I can give it a shot! ^

Jangy, I look at this "rebuild" as a window of opportunity to ensure all is well during the break-in period. How often does that happen? Weather something is damaged or not doesn’t worry me since it will all get fixed regardless. Like Victor said, once we tear it down, it will not only tell us what happened and allow us to remedy it now before anything catastrophic happens, but it will also give us confirmation that the parts and assembly procedures are AOK and safe to take abuse. I really can’t ask for anything more!
Thanks dude!