energetic said:
I might be interested since am considering my options... What exactly happened to the previous motor by the way? Oh... and the backup motor is damaged, correct?
Am asking cause I wanna have a clear picture.
I bought the truck from a dealership. When I had Woodhouse check it over (fluids, tires, brakes) while at the same time upgrading the clutch/flywheel (lightweight) I had them dyno the truck so I could have peace of mind that the supercharger install was good and the a/f was safe. Its a 3 hour drive to denver and I'd hate to break down in the middle of eastern colorado.
The first dyno went fine, other then it only getting 6psi of boost. While waiting for the factory replacement amps (tsbulletin) they fixed the leaks. While on the dyno for the 2nd time it threw a rod in the #2 cylinder.
Through the forum members (sorry I forget who, blake?) I located another motor from Kevin Howeth (part owner of Underground Racing). This motor (shortblock) was from his 2003 Viper. It had approx 1000 miles on it.
The motor was shipped to Woodhouse (thanks 1fast400) and they upgraded the pistons to custom Diamond pistons from Arrow Racing. They also reinstalled the supercharger. The truck dynoed roughly 675/675 (crank). They stand behind their work and should something happen will fix it.
The original motor is in my garage with the rod still in it (one threw the block). I'm told by Arrow its not fixable but as some Viper owners tell me could be fixable. I need to call J&S in California. They have a top fuel car and one other that they sponsor/race. I think they fix aluminum blocks. I have a phone number for them, just havent called them yet.
From what I've gathered, the previous motor started off with nitrous/propane injection. When Larry Macedo got the truck for the Paxton he noticed that it was very lean. I believe the previous owner ran both the Paxton and nitrous/propane injection for some time and from what Larry states in "the other forum" he suggested the previous owner get the a/f fixed but doesnt know if it was done.
So I think the internals were subject to not just the Paxton but also the nitrous/propane, thus weakening the parts.
Woodhouse has a safe tune on the truck and when I talked with Dan at DC he thought the numbers Woodhouse got were right in the ballpark for a Mustang dyno. Dan also suggested that if someone were to add his meth/water injection plus the paxton fresh air thing and the vent kit the truck would gain another 100-150 horsepower. THe price I believe was somewhere between 1500 and 2000 dollars. the numbers would then jump to 675/675 or so at the wheels, not the crank.
Those are the highlites. I'd be happy to talk with you if you'd like. The experience the past few months and the money it cost me puts me in a position to sell the truck only because I want to pay off this debt faster instead of slower. If I did more driving with it I'd keep it. I just need to take a break for a few years and get some other things paid off before I come back in.
Mark Jorgensen at Woodhouse supervised all the work and knows the story inside and out. Also, he and Bill Pemberton of Woodhouse know me and my driving habits and how clean I keep my vehicles. Their number is 1-800-889-1893 if you'd like to talk to them. Mark can give you specifics about the busted motor and just about anything else you need. All the fluids were changed, checked, etc.
my number is 785-821-2618 (cell) or 303-979-9520 (sons mothers house where I'm at til the end of the week).
I should add that the thing that when I bought the truck I was never told that it had nitrous/propane injection either by itself or with the Paxton. I knew the potential hazards with the pistons with this kind of forced induction. If I would have known its full history I would not have purchased it. It was a timebomb ready to go at any time. It decided to blow within 30 miles of me driving it. I'm still trying to peace together its full history of mods and when/who did them.
