Sleeves took a beating so it was interesting getting them out. Nothing structural except for some pan rail damage. Mostly cosmetic.
Yeah, he took the carnage in stride! I’m assuming he’s got the money to do this AND the equipment and skills to repair it. I give him kudos for having the skill. First impressions were he was just another guy with deep pockets and he sends all his work out, but he does a lot in house. Is this a hobby for him or a business?
SME is a business he owns and operates. He’s been famous for 1000-2500 Hp turbo v8 for many years. His recent adventure was a clean slate block to do 4000 Hp stuff and that’s one of his blocks that blew up. I’m sure he learned a lot. About 10 years ago Bobb Mackley called me and we talked about Steve’s wagon as they are friends. Steve was a big influence in Bobbs cars over the years. Bobb coached Mark Burton along building my car (twin turbo street legal skylark at 2980 pounds). I’m glad I patched Bobb up with mark back in the day and then as luck would have it the car ended up in my hands.
Steve dynoed my 470 after Geoff and Bobb (Finishline) built it back in 2004. I remember seeing really cool engines in various stages of build while wandering around his shop. While dynoing the motor, something on the dyno broke... we were teasing Steve that it couldn't handle all the Buick torque!! Steve is a cool guy that knows his stuff! As others have said... definitely an expensive learning experience!
Yes my bad Steve owns SME. I knew the difference but typed before thinking. https://www.stevemorrisengines.com/engines
Yeah..... different Steve. I have his "Morris" setup on my AlphaLark via Bobb Mackley. I don't build 4k HP engines, just the crap that gets bolted on! Lol!
He fixed the block, reused the crank and cam also. He did get new valves, a few were bent, new liners and pistons. He welded the rods back together Just kidding!
It kind of seems like it might be harmonic resonance that caused this failure? His log looks pretty smooth with regard to the engine rotation. What a mess and a pain. Cool for him to share this.
