Hey guys, I've got a '79 3.5 V8. I've had a performance filter and back box for a while and wanted to get more performance. I was recommended to port and polish the intake and exhaust. We found out they used abrasive material to do it like gritty sand. So I got with my friend that tunes Hondas and we decided to try it ourselves. We got a bag of sandblasting sand and hooked up into the intake and started the car. We had to hold the gas so it would run. He wanted to let the engine suck in the sand through the intake so it would port it out and then push it out the ehxaust so it would port the exhaust manifold.
I was worried that it might cause problems but he figured it'd be OK as long as we didn't rev the engine past the red line. After running the car and letting it suck in sand we got about half way through a 25 lb bag. The check engine light was on and the engine was bucking and kicking and sounding really weird. We stopped and hooked the car back up normal and took off the sand supply. We tried to start it again and it was really hard. Once started it couldn't idle and kept making weird noises. We took it out and drove it and it started to make scraping and knocking noises.
Help! Can anyone tell me what to do! My buddy only does Hondas so he doesn't know much about Rovers.

HOLY COW, SMIFFY!!!

I thought one had to dismantle the inlet system to polish and port the inlet and exhaust, I've never heard of this method before....

In view of the fact that air filters should extract grit and dirt preventing it from entering the engine, I should think that delibrately introducing grinding sand to the inlet system of your car can only encourage severe damage?

The cylinder bores must have been begging for mercy....

Or am I grossly out of date with some new modern system here?

PFFFF! This is old joke... It started as a joke of how stupid audi drivers are.

You may be able to fool them Audi drivers, but Rover drivers are a little more intelligent.

Yes I found it as an old post on an Audi forum. Sorry but thought it was worth repeating here.

Lol, well done Smiffy mate, you really got me there

Deep down of course I thought someone as knowledgable as you would never ever try such a thing....

Check engine light on a 70's carb engine?