build diary

March 7, 2007: So, what was wrong with the engine? A lifter failed and jammed in the head.
This held an exhaust valve open at full lift. That lifter is well and truly stuck and the head is pretty much toast. No problem there, I have a spare (doesn't everyone?) and the cams are fine. There's a greasy fingerprint in the picture that looks like damage to the cam lobe, but that's not the case.

So I could just drop the other head on the car with the new cams, or I could be smart and port it along with some new valve springs. I'll probably do the latter - I decided once before to skip the springs and run the stock ones, and look where it got me. This will keep the Seven off the road for a while as I wait for the head to come back from the machine shop. That's a bit of a shame, but I have lots of other things to keep me occupied right now.

I was running this motor pretty hard and it took the abuse for a long time. So I don't mind this. It's not a terribly expensive fix really - cheaper than a new set of tires!

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