Project Vecna - the neglected 80SC

[jpnovak]

Well. I decided it was time to start looking for another project car. You know how that goes? Tell a few friends and next thing you know people are sending you links to all kinds of stuff. My problem is that I am a cheap-a$$ and I don't want to pay for an expensive project knowing how much time, money and effort it takes to complete a build.

And then I get a text one early Monday morning about a roller that is not far from me. (BTW, JMZ this is all your fault). Next thing I know this followed me home a few days later.





And so, this carcass is now called Project Vecna. The name was chosen by my friends daughters. Some might recognize the name. This is both a character in D&D from long ago (I am dating myself) or a character in Stranger Things 4. There are a lot of similarities between this car and the characters.

The car: 1980 911SC. Originally black. Last registered in TX more than 20 years ago. Left for dead. sun baked. Missing most everything except some suspension to roll on. the good news here is that I will not be tossing parts that I don't need. the bad news is that I have to buy a lot of parts.

The game character. I never played D&D as a kid even though I had lots of friends that did. I guess my inner nerd-dom was right on the edge of being immersed in such things. But solitary sports like a skateboard were more interesting in those early/mid-80s timeframe. According to what I have read, Vecna was a game character king that died as a human and then ascended to God status. He had a passion for secrets believing that holding a secret led to true power. He was calculating and precise in his actions - very much like a well setup 911 should be. HMM. Might not be a bad description for a project car like this.

The TV Show Character: I just started watching ST4. I enjoyed the first 3. This one goes a little deeper - or so I have read. Vecna is the character that is driving all the crazy around the fictitious town. As a young human boy he didn't quite fit in with his peers. He came to loathe the artificial structure of his human realm eventually ending up in the "upside down" underworld of decay of which he took control before he fought to come back to the human world.

Is anyone sensing a theme yet?

What does all this have in common? There is a car that was one ruler of the 80s. It was left for decay since 1996 and will eventually claw its way back to the backroads of fun. It may hide many secrets underneath that ultimately are a source of power. It will be precise and calculated in execution of the end product.

And that's all I have to say about this for now. I am sure there will be lots of speculation about what comes next. And, 100 percent, I am going to keep you guessing. For now...

[Nditiz1]

I very much like the intro to this thread.

*ST4
*D&D
*NERD
*Getting a car back on the road
*Did I mention D&D
*80s SC

[LJ851]

Looking forward to this!

[Hulley]

Yep, this ought to be good, have always wanted to buy a roller and build it out.

[jpnovak]

Originally Posted by Nditiz1

*ST4
*D&D
*NERD
*Getting a car back on the road
*Did I mention D&D
*80s SC

Nick, I resemble those remarks. Haha.

[fintstone]

Congrats! Looks like a good score! I had not worked on my previous project in years and recently started back on it and am making great progress...so halfway looking for the next one myself. I am looking for '74 or '75 Targa since I almost have half a car (in parts) in my basement and have finally figured out the things that held me up with the last car.

[Jonny042]

Subscribed!

[jpnovak]

Secrets... According to legend. Vecna held secrets and thought they were a source of great power. In this case, Project Vecna will be the same. I am not talking about Washington DC secrets that one uses to wield power over someone else. I am talking about secrets in the powertrain. 'Cause. Its a car and that is its power.

Continuing with the death and decay theme I dragged this old, exceptionally tired 79 big port 3.0 longblock from the parts stash. I had contemplated selling this but realized that eventually I would find a suitable roller to rebuilt it for. So, I spent a few hours to tear it down this weekend. First it was a short block.



Then the case was split. The main bearings look good. Flywheel end thrust bearing was toast. The intermediate layshaft bearings are toast. But those will all be new by the time this thing gets back together. Honestly, I have seen and built worse.





This engine got a leakdown test and it was terrible. I am guesing something like 40% and a lot of noise from the breather. This meant leakage past rings. Now I know why. The oil control rings are so caked with oil, dry oil and grap that they will never seal. Also, the ring gaps were nicely aligned between first and second compression. The good news is that is is very fixable.



I also noticed that Cylinder 2 had some issues. There marks of a bolt or somthing in the piston crown. HMM. There are matching marks on the cylinder head. I don't like where this is going. I am guessing a screw fell down the intake at some point during storage. My guess is that it was the PO. I have always had towels in the intake and tape over the top to prevent such things from happening. Oh well. Pretty sure that this can be touched up and reused. I will also look for a donor head and piston.






As I started to take the heads off the cam towers I found the part. This was part of a bolt that was embedded in the cylinder head. At least I found the source.

FOD Object


I will share more on the build secrets in the near future.

[Jonny042]

That's all really terrible, but can you explain what on earth happened to the crank pulley?

[917_Langheck]

Originally Posted by Jonny042

That's all really terrible, but can you explain what on earth happened to the crank pulley?

Mice

[jpnovak]

I can only guess that the pulley was a PO attempt at rotational inertia reduction.

Or it just got dropped.

That pulley will not stay on this engine when it goes back together. I suppose I could machine off the front of it and use but easier to just put a different one on.

[scootermcrad]

Okay... I'm in. If we're going to use Stranger Things as a naming convention for cars, I think mine would end up somewhere between Eddie Munson and Yuri with the comedic disposition and attitude of Dustin. "The Yunson"? So I'm definitely going to follow along for what appears to be a very relatable build. HAHA

Keep it coming!

[jakg104]

You're a brave and adventurous soul, Jamie! Excited to see where this goes..

[jpnovak]

Thank you Jake.

I too am excited to see where this ends up. There are currently a lot of spinnig plates related to the project.

[Jonny042]

Three letters for you...

[jpnovak]

Oh Jonny.

while that 3.5MFI your building would be amazing in this car. I have a slightly different direction. Maybe if someone were to explore some of the other sub-forums here there might be a clue.

Jamie

[Jonny042]

Originally Posted by jpnovak

Oh Jonny.

while that 3.5MFI your building would be amazing in this car. I have a slightly different direction. Maybe if someone were to explore some of the other sub-forums here there might be a clue.

Jamie

I knew you'd roll your eyes at that lol. JK.

I checked your post activity. You're a madman. And I love it!!!

I have to admit my mind has wandered in similar directions at times... not enough open road around here for that sort of power!

[chrisbalich]

I think this car needs a fantastical D&D livery by Ken Kelly.

If you're going to go, go all the way.

[jpnovak]

I am not rolling eyes at the MFI. If I had all the parts I would consider. But My collection of stacks and TBs doesn't get me there I would want to go. I think I have gotten rid of the rest of MFI parts.

Originally Posted by Jonny042

I checked your post activity. You're a madman. And I love it!!!

It just goes to show that not everything is a secret around these parts. At least if you know where to look. And no, I am not telling the rest of you where to look.

Chris, That is some amazing artwork by Mr. Kelly. I am afraid my enjoyment of Fantasy lifestyle doesn't quite match his level of expertise. I am more of a chalk stick figure kind of guy.

[chrisbalich]

Originally Posted by jpnovak

I am not rolling eyes at the MFI. If I had all the parts I would consider. But My collection of stacks and TBs doesn't get me there I would want to go. I think I have gotten rid of the rest of MFI parts.



It just goes to show that not everything is a secret around these parts. At least if you know where to look. And no, I am not telling the rest of you where to look.

Chris, That is some amazing artwork by Mr. Kelly. I am afraid my enjoyment of Fantasy lifestyle doesn't quite match his level of expertise. I am more of a chalk stick figure kind of guy.

I am also a stick-figure caliber artist. (I was thinking a vinyl wrap could be printed and then applied.)
But I did listen to a lot of metal when I was younger and that introduced me to Mr. Kelly.