Twin Cam Tommy - blower explosion

April 4, 2009. Sacramento Raceway. Firing up the dragster to see if it can make a run today, and the answer is no.

[@waixis]

i love how the engine is like "nah guys im still good i dont need no blower we'll still get em"

[@Youtubeforcedmetochangemyname]

I know right it was like in gonna keep going im good

[@Moparmaga-1]

Yeah it probably still run 8 seconds

[@mostbrutalvideos4612]

It got faster lol

[@DontKnowHowToTypeIn2]

@@bigboreracing356 you smoked some crack didnt ya

[@CorruptInfinityOfficial]

Adventure Ticket no need to be so hostile it was a joke. You act like you were sitting on top of that blower when it exploded and now ur butthurt.

[@brianmorrison8481]

love how the guy is still checkin header temps after the blowers explodes. LMFAO These dudes are dangerous

[@ther1rida]

Brian Morrison I thought I was the only one that saw that and died laughing! I think he was so in shock that the fucking thing blew up or embarrassed, that he decided to keep on checking the exhaust temps!

[@kevinsmith3957]

I saw that also

[@raymondj8768]

I know rite wtf hahaha

[@MrTheHillfolk]

Haha like any amount of checking was gonna fix a problem 😂😂😂😂

[@souqmadiq4835]

MrHillfolk yeah it does for next time, as if your gonna torch 50 grand and not try figure out why it happened 🤪

[@Joetrout]

"But dad shes leaning out!" "Godamn son just turn that screw nothing will happen!"

[@superrodder2002]

you could hear the engine leaning out .They should have killed it when it started to purr instead of the crackling sound.

[@ellenorbjornsdottir1166]

purring is a nice sound for NA

[@tunerimpala5658]

Ellenor Malik it’s not NA tho

[@MeltingRubberZ28]

I thought they switched back to gas/alcohol at that point

[@leweee]

Tuner Impala it is now

[@iggyfritz7150]

If the 3 stooges owned a top fuel car. "I was a victim of sabbatoogie" 😂

[@tbolin60]

This motor was lean all along but what I found more disturbing was that they were doing this warm up with NO one in the car sitting down.. a dangerous combination

[@BrennanVisniar]

steer and brake, actually. if the car fell of the test stand then who who would stop it and/or steer it away from people? use your head.

[@asswipecornholio5965]

Brennan Visniar the brakes will not stop the car under power, the front ends are picked up for "steering".

[@MrJdsenior]

+Asswipe Cornholio Then what's that "steering butterfly" in the cockpit for. LOL.

[@slowpoke96Z28]

+Asswipe Cornholio except the brakes will hold the engine at idle. you don't know much about how these cars work do you??

[@JamesEDennison]

NHRA rules state a driver must be in the drivers seat anytime the car is running in gear.... if it came off the stands it would run uncontrolled until it ran into something... they would be banned for life at our track

[@karlplaysdrums]

Ladies and gentlemen, Mister Roots has left the auditorium...

[@vzgsxr]

Supercharged to N/A in half a second. 😂

[@leesherman100]

NHRA says that when running any car in the pits, a licensed driver MUST be seated in the car. Look it up!

[@karlplaysdrums]

True. I almost got sent home because of that (a long time ago...).

[@mickcarson8504]

Correct. Just like light helicopters being started and the main rotor spinning, yet the pilot is operating it on the ground, the same with these third class drivers who think they know fuck all. Imagine if the car vibration makes it slip off the jack stands and the spinning wheels drop on the ground at high speed, what will happen to the fool who is right in front and on the path of the wheels? I'd hate to think of the outcome, similar to a meat mincer, I'd say. Shit for brains 😕

[@heyderzlawson9700]

Yeah, but hence it's sitting on Jack stands its not considered as running, instead its sitting, look it up 😅🤣🤣

[@mickcarson8504]

@@heyderzlawson9700 Jack stands have been known to slip from the car vibration, especially from unbalanced wheels, causing the car to fall and the wheels get a grip and cause the car to take off. At least with the driver sitting in the cockpit, he has time to kill the engine and brake the car.

[@jamesh9678]

Yeah I was curious about that, was a big no no, when I raced juniors with my son. Even so someone did it anyway at my local track and somebody got hurt.

[@OverlandOne]

"Twin Cam Tommy" is now known as "Blowerless Tommy".

[@karlplaysdrums]

N.a. Tommy?

[@robh9577]

Underrated comment

[@lsx_moe]

Seeing the tires spin that quick while the car is on jackstands with no one in the driver seat makes my hands sweat. So much could go wrong..

[@Scootermagoo]

Blowers like that typically use aluminum studs to hold them in place it lets the blower pop and do less damage. It's annoying but at least it wasn't a big boomer.

[@lethaldone]

Scootermagoo Big enough to end the motors life..

[@icloudhenshaw38]

Not It wasn't as you can clearly see the engine was still running

[@beefman62]

+iCloud Henshaw no blower on this car just injection and with the fuel pressure in the system there's plenty of fuel spraying into the manifold to keep the engine running.

[@Azturboz]

+jeff harman There IS a blower on this car. I've personally seen this car and it's supercharged.

[@StrokerAce3983]

jeff harman you must be blind if you can't see that Roots Blower on top of that engine?

[@doughboi007]

Should've adjusted the flux capacitor

[@gibmoneyplz365]

My man

[@adampapke1894]

Yea needed more banana peels and budweiser

[@Last_one_before_I_go]

Nardle bolts weren't grade 8. If they were this wouldn't have happened.

[@ccc771]

thats not top fuel thats top fool

[@1157130]

Cant believe no one was sitting in the car while running.... accident waiting to happen

[@69yenko65]

Looks like a grandpa and his two grandsons, if it is cool!

[@masaallen1009]

ike fun it's a joke. Have you ever heard of one of those?

[@souqmadiq4835]

Mr Sunshines can you not hear the crackling ? That’s nitro buddy

[@NitroAddiction2539420]

Souq Madiq yeah look at my profile I can tell you that’s alcohol maybe 30% nitro at MOST

[@matthewweisenburger2095]

Mean cam with valve overlap: check Supercharger: check Lean mixture: check Explosion: that’s a big check

[@TheDieselguy1988]

Didn't you know that? Any time a car video gets posted on here everyone becomes an expert all the sudden.

[@kstar9891]

Pretty cool watching the tires get larger as the wheels spin

[@mtlassen1992]

If I had to guess, a little backfire like this could cost a guy $25,000.

[@Iowarail]

I saw $$$$$$$ blow out if that thing.

[@donrutter6765]

Probably that much in NHRA fines.

[@superrodder2002]

nay,a few hundred dollars. new blower to manifold bolts and a backfire plate. maybe a few broken fuel lines or nozzles but nothing really expensive

[@theonlyone8630]

@@superrodder2002 look again. They need a whole new blower it cracked in half. Not to mention the whole motor now needs gone thru cuz you never know what could have happened thru all this.

[@jorgewuzhear]

@@theonlyone8630 agree, better save than sorry

[@tripnick3]

Every couple of months I come back to this video in order to reassure myself that I’m not the biggest idiot ever.

[@stangs4life1987]

You sir have some serious faith in floor jacks!

[@tommystearns3073]

At least they weren’t harbor freight 😂

[@Muddicker]

I dont think they know exactly what they are doing by the look of it.

[@nicholascarr6251]

They did, the owner told them to shut off the engine at 1:48 but they didn't.

[@stuwest3653]

If the owner is the guy with the hat, he is the one who had his hands on the kill switch. These guys are newbs for several reasons.

[@ixlr8677]

too much money and pops tune showed them how to spend a little more.

[@slowpoke96Z28]

I just noticed, the guy in the blue hat said to kill it about 7 seconds before it banged the blower.

[@DDS029]

It doesn't need the blower to run. It will only be atmospheric pressure. And if someone in the best position to shut it down didn't, then I would guess someone would need to tell them.

[@RY4NP]

Yeah I see it now

[@joeeveryman2208]

Well spotted, the old guy actually waves for them to stop it just where it starts leaning out.

[@tbone7353]

They tried to kill it the only way to stop a fuel motor is to cut the fuel looks like enough fuel was getting in to make it run super lean revs went up and well pop

[@TDederick]

Thanks... I’ve been looking for the perfect sound-effect JUST like that!!

[@dozer3955]

I've had a engine run on before in the pits, with out spark. I was quick 2 smother the injector 2 shut it down and save the engine. Lucky it happened in the warm up because it was a motorcycle. Tommy, u r 2 b commended for the work u and your helpers have put into this engine.

[@scottweatherman3266]

Something else to add. I have been watching drag racing at the strips since age 9 or over 54 years. Racing safety has been incredible in the development over the years. Also, fan enjoyment has grown great over the years. The sanctioning bodies, NHRA, IHRA and others have to please fans, racers, TV and other sponsors, and insurers, a tough task indeed. So, I really don't know where all the solutions lie. Just like so many others, I love the sport. I just want to see the sport flourish,stay safe and interesting as well.

[@PotatoeJoe69]

​@Scott-tv6vcDrag racing has a lot less deaths than other forms of racing... but it is racing at the end of the day. Death is a possible outcome. The drivers know it. The fans know it. It's a risk the drivers are willing to take, so it's really not a good reason to dislike an entire racing series because of possible deaths... the human body isn't designed to survive anything worse than falling over, so yes.. racing is potentially lethal.

[@Simulacrum1310]

aaand that's why they strap the blower on the engine :)

[@MeltingRubberZ28]

You actually put really weak supercharger bolts on intentionally so you don't break tons of other parts

[@Simulacrum1310]

@@MeltingRubberZ28 Very interesting! Thanks mate

[@samuellandis6046]

Yep, saved a life most likely having them on.

[@michaelovitch]

So it got lean diet,fried a valve ,and burped the whole stuff left right in the intake where it caught fire right ?

[@flyingmerkel6]

Those cars scare the shit out of me standing still with their tires in the air.

[@detaart]

It was running lean and pinging like crazy.

[@MrTheHillfolk]

Heard it change tone a few seconds before it blew up...that was the notice...

[@browntrout3994]

+MrTheHillfolk i think that was the POOP hitting back of the shorts!!!

[@dennys1541]

Wow, bummer.... but there is SO much WRONG and DANGEROUS things going on here! No driver in car, running driveline WAY too fast, owner climbing all over front of driver's compartment while engine running...... scary stuff!

[@hdcuz1]

@cfaulc Thanks for giving me the heads up Its been a few years for me now running comp. I run a 70 Nova with and NRE twin turbo charger now 402 with an alien intake and on pump gas shes pullin about 1500hp, switch to both fuel systems on the fly and increase boost she pulls 2100 with 1950ft lbs at the rear wheels. Daily drive runs like a kitty kat with the AC on.

[@wide7340]

1:55 for all of you who don't want to watch the whole video.

[@s_wggns]

Search “Twin Cam Tommy” to see this death trap make a pass.

[@joelgarrard]

Looks like it's back to "U PULL IT" for some more parts..

[@nickcage633]

what if that car shook off the jacks.

[@oldschooldiy3240]

This could've been way worse than it was!

[@perrymac]

See the way he disconnected the starter? Stepped on the cable and yanked the plug off. Nice!!

[@kushweedfaded]

Somehow, the first thing I noticed when the engine blew, was the deformation of the tires. The centripetal force starts pulling the tire at the center as it rotates faster, and you can see the affect right before the blow blows if you watch the tires. Physics has always interested me

[@dude55man]

The walls of those tires are extremely soft and ran at such low pressure that during launch, they crinkle, then at speed they balloon out, which weirdly changes the gear ratio acting like a transmission of sorts

[@kushweedfaded]

dude55man yea I believe they run as low as 5 psi. Physics playing a part everywhere lol

[@shaun7057]

Physics might have interested you but english language and participating in an elementary school spelling bee is where all of your attention should have gone

[@777cerovski777]

Was that the ignition switch the Old Man turn off and on and off and on? What was that?

[@AspentheGuardian]

I like how the engine still runs afterwards

[@mrmidnight32]

When back yard racers get enough money to buy a last gen top fuel 🤣🤣

[@anonymousplanetfambly4598]

Yup.

[@hawkeyepierce3199]

2:19 Random bystander chomping on a hotdog and sipping a soda is like " fire , fire , YO GOT A FIRE " as he's pointing at it with his food hahaha idk why but it was funny

[@grahamlaster4687]

He poured some of his soda on the fire! Hah! Not even fazed.

[@Shnierpiffle]

What do jack stands have to do with the engine blowing up?

[@christophergilpin9663]

Kickers and stickers you are correct well put.

[@MattsMadnessOfficial]

lmfao I like how the guy was still trying to read temps even after it blew the intake of it

[@Joetrout]

He was trying to see how hot the fire was!

[@MattsMadnessOfficial]

lol

[@DDS029]

It is still valuable info. If you get to it before it cools. They now know what temp is the danger point for that motor, and stop it before it gets there the next time.

[@f34dave]

Grandpa Blew that shit up!

[@Grumpy_old_Boot]

To be fair, anything above 4 liters these days, is a large capacity engine. Heck, the amount of power they get out of a measly 2L engine in rallying these days is incredible. They are also pushing a LARGE amount of Air into the cylinders at the same time, because you get no burn without oxygen ... thus it would be real difficult to hydrolock. But yeah, they do go trough a lot of fuel in an awful short amount of time ... that's part of why they are so exciting. :)

[@Grumpy_old_Boot]

@farmerbrown29 naw, most modern engines have direct fuel injection, so the blower only compresses the air, thus there would still be enough compression and fuel in the cylinder to keep the engine running without the blower, but power goes way down.

[@EVAUnit4A]

It's interesting to see how flexible those back tires are- every time you increased throttle, the diameter of the tires got larger. Quite the contrast to your average road tire!

[@MrTheHillfolk]

EVA_Unit_4A That’s how they change “gearing” as they go down the track.

[@i8otm1ning]

at idle those wheels are moving faster than my car probably tops out at, let alone the fact that if i passed it sitting still while i was at top speed it could zoom past me literally less than a second and a half later.

[@bigsoundize]

Glad no one was hurt! I'd like to see her run sometime. Keep at it.

[@tpvalley]

so; what was the cause? running lean or wromh timing causing a spit back that ignited between blower and inlet valves?

[@CP_Machinist]

Classic Example of not knowing where the fuel shutoff is. The only way to shut down a Fuel motor is to turn off the fuel to the motor When the motor is at a high RPM it is leaning out by burning more air than fuel.

[@Executiveinvestments-]

what the fuck are you talking about you moron? They shut the motor down right away. Obviously you didnt watch the video. Dumb know it all kid.

[@CP_Machinist]

nicetry64 Fuck you My dad used to Drive a AA/FC Fuel Funny Car Named Blind Faith

[@Skwisgar2322]

Nick Edstrom I think what he means is that they don't "burn" air, since it is composed of mostly inert gasses. The fuel burns. and as for the ratio of air to fuel, there is always more air then fuel if it is running. Also, this motor never gets near what would be considered high RPM, if it did the tires would explode and shortly before the motor, you don't run a motor like this anywhere near full throttle without a load. Why it takes so long to shut down is that between the time they all jump back and they older gentleman with the blue hat hits the shutoff some fuel was built up in the intake system that was enough to run the engine without any load.

[@CP_Machinist]

Skwisgar2322 I know Like I said above my Dad used to drive the AA/FC Car Blind Faith

[@B3MeccaOG]

Nick Edstrom you know the fuel pump runs like 100 gal/min so not going to be lean but being lean will melt the valves. and no one gives a fuck what your dad drives

[@MagnetOnlyMotors]

Not toooo dangerous with the tires spinning and sitting only on floor jacks!

[@ihatecrackhead]

no driver either

[@fiddlerpin]

What does the supercharger supply knothead? Do you think the engine will run without it?

[@dmpyron2]

Actually, you drop the throttle to "zero" then chop the fire. If you cut the fuel first, the engine goes way lean and THEN it backfires. But like you said, hydraulic will ruin your day just as easily. And, also like you said, by the time you're at half track, a blown nitro engine doesn't have spark plugs, it has glow plugs. A little "factoid" I saw long ago. A TF engine will turn less than 600 revs between clutch dump and shut off.

[@kffive]

"It's your fuel map, it's got a nasty hole, . . . . . ." ------- Jessie

[@slowpoke96Z28]

lol...

[@fangus503]

Amazing how it kept running lol

[@fcaughli]

Yes Jake Wood. I've never understood having any car running on jackstands or a lift without some that can operate the brakes etc. Doesn't take much of that torque jerk to cause mayhem.

[@shawnbroyles8274]

I wish you had more videos of the twin cam im dieing to see inside!!! People are hateful and ignorant comments are from jealous minds. the engineering involved is staggering i would love too see tommy at the vintage drags!!!

[@akrause2004]

ok,....that thing sounds like a death trap and judging by the way that trailer is dumped out to the back like that, I'd say these guys should not be allowed to race anything bigger than a small block Vega or something like that.

[@markhall7646]

A Vega might still be too much. Maybe a Citroen 2CV...

[@scottmcgregor2757]

Ya lots wrong with that set up thar, still feel bad though, low budget team big $$$ there just went pop

[@dmpyron2]

@Beastmaster769 No cylinder on the jack. The have solid one piece jackstands that hold up either the front of the back. Or they had better.

[@rcabbrider]

@How many blower motors have you worked on? Doing that would have lifted the blower even harder

[@DOSBrony]

Looks like the blower got blown

[@ernestjacobs3999]

Dragonslayer182 hahahahaha!!!

[@dukenukem8381]

Looks like a comment under youtube video.

[@kopronko]

;-)

[@m.a.c.8366]

lol, funny that perhaps should hav' sucked and not blowed up"...

[@sity909]

@@dukenukem8381 that was so lame

[@andrewsmart2949]

looks and sounds like it was running to lean

[@jerrywilliford6840]

"Too", not (to).

[@1973dusterkid]

@Draxindustries1 The same reason why every top fuel car uses supercharges and not even 1 used a turbo.

[@Snowbatman99]

***** I saw Gale Banks running twin turbo's in 1986 at seattle on a top fuel rail. They could never get it to make a full pass because it kept blowing the turbos but it sure made a lot of power for short periods of time. Sounded really weird too.

[@ChrisHenniker]

Is this car using a direct drive system designed by Gene Snow? The reat axle seems to be running when the engine seems to be ticking over.

[@1rahd]

THANK GOD THESE FOOLS DID NOT HURT THEMSELVES OR ANYONE ELSE.

[@Rammstein45]

How are they fools? They were doing a prerace check that every other team does. They can't help when a part decides to go bad. Lay off the caps lock and think before you type.

[@drewsmith3673]

No driver in the car. It could run away. There are rules regarding this at NHRA events for reasons. Then they grenade the thing. I guess it's not that serious until someone dies.

[@RandallFlaggNY]

Flux capacitor?

[@kffive]

In this case it sent them right to the closing credits.

[@r1wantone]

I like how the guy goes back to check the timing after the blower has popped

[@johnschaser]

What class would you run that in?

[@unapro3]

That looks about as dangerous as it gets, two huge tyres spinning like fuck, unguarded with guys walking past them, on axle stands, a fucking accident waiting to happen. Gotta love amateurs.

[@didididuh]

What is scary is someone so fucking stupid that they can't spell TIRES

[@jasoncalcote6016]

Darkstar17 Tyre is the correct spelling. The English spell it that way. Americans spell it tire.

[@didididuh]

That's phuqued up

[@kylelaughinghouse1893]

U must not see alot of rail cars in england this is common practice

[@SirSpinalColumn]

I think that blower blowing up saved these fools from hurting someone.

[@shaunk132]

Hey, Where do you get the starter motor? what is the model? What are the specs for the gear redution? Thanks

[@darrellrichardson310]

Dangerous group there I’d stay clear of that pit area for sure I’ve wrenched top ally and top fuel funny car and always had a driver in the car in case of any such problem they are just dangerous and a bad time waiting to bestow anyone near them you would think if they were intelligent enough to build the car they would use some sort of intelligence to prepair it No excuses for short cutting it never ends well

[@brendonk01]

2:04 sounds like a John Deere model a starting up

[@PeterWalkerHP16c]

What ever happened to the sneeze valve?

[@stratocaster1greg]

Is that considered a contained event since the blower was strapped down?

[@johnperry5396]

No biggy. Those engines are cheap.

[@TheCUTTERbyPHOENIX]

under 100k, yeah ...

[@MrTheHillfolk]

Just got one for 38$ shipped eBay

[@donrutter6765]

Thats what Warren Buffet said.

[@GeorgeVeld]

@rd2fst My point was that you dont time an engine at the headers but by way of timing marks on the balancers As for theas engines not having balancers i have seen them with and without if without then the blower pully has the marks on it The two that we sponserd had balancers on them

[@dcerame]

"One little mistake..." ~Admiral James T. Kirk, "Star Trek: The Voyage Home"

[@faerieSAALE]

You Had One Job!!!! And you BLEW IT!

[@aurtisanminer2827]

The old guy’s like ‘Fuck ear muffs, i cant hear for shit anymore anyways!’

[@ScaleCarModels]

Thank god for blower restraints!

[@scottbilger9294]

So if the explosion doesn't completely destroy the engine, we're cool to keep running?

[@fm2dmax]

How come turbo chargers dont seem to blow like a supercharger?

[@seannz100]

did you read the title?

[@jeffmartin1407]

Why wasn`t there a driver in that car? I thought it was a requirement?

[@dmpyron2]

@dozer3955 Yeah, it's when you lean it out too fast. Like say, if you pull the fuel with WOT. Or the pump quits pumping. I've seen blowers also go off after a quick rap. Fuelers (actually any mechanically injected engine) like to run at idle or full tilt (aka WOT)

[@BigRed1500LC]

Did anyone notice the rear burst plate pop before the blower blew?

[@nostalgiaramanny]

Is this an experimental dragster? It seems to be very short like the new nostalgia class but has a modern engine and rear wing! Does anybody know anything of this project?

[@JACOBHIMSELF]

Timing was off or a valve was bad that’s why that rag moved because the exhaust was sucking air when the motor backfired which will blow the top of the motor off with a blower like that

[@farmerbrown29]

how did it keep running the blower compresses the gas...if it doesnt pump in wouldnt it stop firing ....because the compression is too low

[@spikedart]

Listen folks, this guy built this twin cam motor from scratch. All you haters have no idea of the time and effort put into this. He was trying to reach 300 mph but I have not followed this build for years, so this is an old video.

[@DDS029]

Ok, I'll give them the benefit of the doubt today that they had a difficult goal to reach. That those dumbasses were probably burning through a lot of money and parts, just to fail.

[@spikedart]

Dumbasses? You try building a twin cam nitro engine from scratch in your own garage because you could, and wanted to. You are apparently the dumbass.

[@jamesa6272]

Looks like it sucked the rag in from the ground?

[@poly_hexamethyl]

I wonder why blowers explode? I mean, there's not all *that* much pressure in there. It's not 1000 psi or anything. Is it because the engine backfires through the intakes?

[@ARBInteriors]

All that off a trolley jack!! Brilliant,

[@davidmundt7081]

Reading from the comments "its running lean" is a possible reason for this blow. Why would running lean cause it to blow? Just curious on the mechanics of the fail.

[@kevinerhartjr.273]

So did someone screw up?