On a recent tech article at Crazy Horse Racing in South Amboy, New Jersey, I came across some pretty cool carnage. When I got to the shop, a Terminator Cobra was up on the lift. In conversations with Crazy Horse proprietor Chris Winter, I found out the story behind the carnage.
Evidently, the owner of the Cobra (whom shall remain nameless to protect the innocent) felt a driveline vibration at around 80 mph or so. Before he could decipher what it was, there was an extremely large bang, and things went silent. The driveline vibration caused the bellhousing on the T-56 6-speed transmission to crack, and not only lock up the transmission, but the engine as well.
When the trans was taken out of the car, there were two major thuds. The first thud was the broken part of the bellhousing hitting the concrete floor of the shop. The second? The fractured and broken off piece of the Four-Valve’s block that did the same thing.
Since then, the car has left the shop happy and fixed, with a replacement Four-Valve and T-56 now in its place. While it was certainly an expensive bang for the Cobra’s owner, it made for some really cool parts breakage photos, and my submission for Munch of the Month!