Well- - - -I was wrong! (Better get out the record books- - - -never happened before, and probably won't again!) The engine destroyed itself due to some very serious assembly mistakes that resulted in a swallowed intake valve after about 60 miles of driving. If a dyno tune had been involved, it never would have made it out of the shop!
Aside from assembling the valve springs with insufficient height from the heads surface to the spring retainer which got the springs dangerously close to "stack-solid" dimensions with the valves fully open, the fatal mistake was not using hardened steel lash caps between the rocker arms and the Titanium valve stems. Every intake stem was worn to the point the rocker arms were contacting the spring retainers, and one had worn sufficiently for the split keepers to release the valve, dropping it into the #4 cylinder at 70 MPH. Titanium is light, but it sure isn't tough! All the intake rocker arm tips were blue-black from friction as the valve stem tips got rough and began eroding. No hotrodding involved- - - -just an engine that ate itself due to incorrect assembly and not paying attention to details! There's a destroyed piston, a broken connecting rod, holes in the aluminum block and the oil pan, and metal debris everywhere- - - -including the intake manifold and the blower! There's also fire damage to the bottom of the car due to the hot oil that bathed the undercarriage clear to the rear bumper and then lit off for a short time. Now the fun begins- - - -insurance adjusters and possibly lawyers will be getting into the mix very soon!
Jerry
