when will my car run?? let's start a pool.

[98Demon]

flashback to feb. 12........of 2003. i go outside to start my car and as soon as it fires....taptaptaptaptaptap. hmm. no idea what it was. i had just replaced the timing chains/guides/tensioners in dec. due to a similar sound. anyway, i had to drive it for a couple days, so i did. i start to tear it down in the parking lot of my apts., i was living in huntsville at the time. i had it on jackstands and i'm going to work one morning and go outside to see my car sitting on the ground thanks to some drunk ass. one jackstand shot out from underneath it and the other one was crushed underneath the pass sd front control arm. my front bumper was punctured, dr sd corner marker shattered, windshield cracked from the impact and both front fenders got pushed back from the impact so i was not able to open either door. kick ass huh?? i guess i posted on westsidemustangs.com about this prob and the previous taptaptap and lance (White99Stang) had offered to help me out. he helped me get my car to his buddy's body shop (Country Collision in Anderson, Dave, you the man!). i got it fixed with my insurance (body work and all) with no cost to me. thanks dave. well, lance works at the dealership in navasota, we got the car towed over there. we pulled the front cover off and all we could see was a dowel pin grazing one of the timing chains. fixed this and still it taps. we replaced all the lash adjusters to now avail either. by this time it was the end of march i'd say.
anyway, in august i moved back down here (lake jackson). began a complete teardown and pulled the motor back in nov. i think. i had no money so i took my time. so about the middle of january i finally get it to my engine builder/machinist. it's a headswapped 98 btw. i'm having my heads ported and just got flow numbers back a few days ago. my new shortblock is pretty close to being ready now. i wanna slap some cams or an upper plenum or a set of bassani mid-lengths on it when it goes back in. so, it's been a downright shitty year carwise for me. so i am hoping to have the car up and running again someday. anyone wanna take a guess? i will be at ffw houston. if i don't have a running car by then i think i'll shoot myself if my wife doesn't first. whoever guesses the re-birth date gets a free beer at ffw, just cuz i'm a nice guy. and austin, if it's you, no miller lite. you better be there bud. i'm shooting for 12's n/a so we'll see what happens. and now a moment of silence for my black beauty, she will dance the quarter again.................:threegear

[The Blue Beast]

did you ever figure out what the taptaptap noise was???


after all that trouble...

[98Demon]

lol, i forgot to mention that. pulled the shortblock apart, 3 spun bearings. don't ask me how.