Another great video AG. I am taking your advice and writing my notes today for the rebuild of my Cleveland engine. It's going to a very reputable shop here in Aus, all the same I want them to have an understanding of what I want and how the rest of the car is set up. Going with a big stroke, Alloy heads and a Hyd roller stick. The main limitation is bonnet clearance, that will determine the type of manifold and therefore heads that can be used. We have some great cyl heads available for Cleveland's in this country. So the choice is between an Air gap and 2V, or single plain and 3V CHI heads. The 3V has a raised IN port and also the option of a raised Ex port. They are well priced here too. Tim Australia 🇦🇺
I learned some of this over the years. You're far more detailed and honestly "professional" than I ever was. Everything you talk about here rings absolutely TRUE to my experience in 1978 when I build my first engine to the late 80s when I built the last one of four in total. Stuff comes up. Parts that can be fixed or need replacement. Stupid stuff like what I had thought was a good deal on a used intake that had been milled at some point and wound up being useless to me. Bolt on parts too beyond the engine itself that weren't compatible. It all adds up. Then the stuff outside your control. The potential for even a reliable machine shop to get something wrong or miss something. (i got lucky and never experience that one but we've all heard the stories). A process such as you describe is without any doubt the best possible shot at a successful build that comes in at least as close as possible to an expected budget. On a side note: All of this and the potential for problems, cost over runs and the fact that there are now so very many builders out there doing SBC at scale explains the route I've taken here in 21st century. The last 3 cars I've put engines in all received crate engines. It's a little pricier but with so many options available and what is usually a 3 year warranty attached it's hard to make the case for building today. I certainly understand having to build a numbers matching engine for a car that needs this (that Z/28 is a great example) but I've come to find a lot to like in Blueprint Engines offerings for any car that doesn't require that original engine rebuild. Order, ship and drop it in doesn't have that same level of self satisfaction I got when something I built works well but it also eliminates a lot of the concern for all the things that can go wrong that highlight the need for your "process".
Great comments Dogboy and your thoughts on Blueprint engines are right on. It is impossible to compete with them on price, and as far as I know the quality is great, due to their process. AG
@@robertwest3093my favorite is 212-218 on a 350ci it’s not aggressive at all on a 283 it lopes some but puts power right we’re you need it for fun torque cam
First engine I rebuilt was in 1987 in the summer after graduating high school. Big block 402 in a 72 Caprice coupe. I should have kept that car because I've never seen another one like it so it must not have been a common set up. Only problem with keeping most all of my cars before the age of 25, they all would have had to gone on the frame straightener followed by a fair amount of body work. LOL Sweet Camaro. Thanks for the story and sharing your knowledge Mr. Gold.
I’m glad that you learned from your mistakes and kept on learning and about and building engines. I know a few people who had their first engine building experience go badly and never trusted themselves with it again.
I find everything you share helpful. I try to gleen information from all the builders more learned than I. Thank you for spending the time and effort to share your experience and wisdom with us.
Many preassemblies and checking all clearances with gages YOURSELF don't just trust the Machine shop. Then for final assembly clean, clean, clean and then clean everything again. There is no such thing as TOO clean. I just spent $6,500.00 on a 1967 STOCK 327 rebuild in parts & machine work for my daily driver. True it is balanced & blue printed now with new everything, but money can NOT be any issue plus never EVER push your machinist, it takes as long as it takes, the Machine shop had my 327 for almost a YEAR before I picked it up (pretty common anymore for a fully blueprinted engine). Then took me about 2 weeks more of just cleaning before final assembly. Also remember, the oil today is NOT FIT for use if it doesn't have zinc in it. Also, in the first 5,000 miles you should have done 6 or 7 oil changes with new filters every time. (I did 8 in the first 5K miles) The first 3 should be with the best brake in oil you can find. The correct oil and lots of changes is overlooked way to many times and can be death to a new tight motor. Just an old Machinists opinion. P/S the fresh 327 now has 10,000 miles on it and runs like a clock towing a big trailer.
Some really good advice here for the novice Alan. Don't worry about catching up to Nick you don't want to be that busy. I have watched many of his videos too and now that you came along we have both of you to enjoy. One of the attractions for me was that both of you, and a couple of others are in Canada so I wanted to support all of you. I am currently restoring a really rare Lucerne Blue with pearl white interior 1971 Firebird Formula 455 HO M22 4 speed 3:73 geared Ram Air car that has the original drive train in it. Not my first build and I can tell you it is really important to be well organized in order to do this properly. I keep a clip board on the wall above the bench. Every time something relative to the job pops into my mind I stop what I'm doing and add it to the list, or cross of what has already been completed. Love your Lemans blue? 68 Z28! Story time with your car as a back drop is perfect. My blue with white stripes 70 Chevelle SS would be right at home beside it haha.
Thank you for the video Alllan! Hope your knee is healing up! Even NASA makes mistakes but they learn from them. David Vizard opened my eyes to many things I took for granted, he can find power and longevity in just about everything. Happy hollidays!
Comp cams extreme energy cams have fast ramps but your cam took it to another level. Another way to do it is use higher ratio rockers. It's harder on a flat tappet cam and would wipe it out so only do it on a roller cam. My sbc has 1.7 rockers but it's a solid roller.
Excellent video with great advice! I also love hearing the old stories. Sometimes (always?) it's thru failures that we learn and move ahead. PS: Very impressive you've managed to keep that lovely car thru the years. I know how difficult that can be. Well done!
Thanks Mattew. Actually, i did sell it in the 70's and later bought it back and restored it. It's like reuniting with an old friend, lots of memories. AG
Good comments guys. Prior to GM coming out with 327 and 302, a 301 (283 bored .125") was a hot set up. And yes, sonic test it first. Also, remember, you cannot use 2.02" valves on less than 4" bore.AG
@@goldsgarage8236 Good comment on the 3.7/8 inch bore. ANY 302 or 283 with 3 inch stroke, even pure stock Z/28's love at least 6600 RPM. I don't believe you missed that much with valve springs, ( assuming about 130 on the seat and no coil bind ) quench, can be real tight, allow about .005 for rod stretch, .025 head gasket. Clay the piston for clearance and, # 1, check valve timing events. The lift was safe, the RPM way below the limits, but valves open and close earlier and later. I ran the same Crower cam and called it my square cam 35 years ago in a 350.
The 1st time I heard Zed28 I had to Google it. Learned something that day. Don't know why it would bother anyone or do harm so keep saying it. Most of us got lucky on our 1st builds with p2v. I didn't really understand quench until my 3rd build. That's a rough 1st lesson.
great info to ask yourself when an engine is being planned. Alex, as ive commented previously, I'm willing to put 500 easy miles on your Zed/28"s new engine and then do a few 7200rpm powershifts to help you and Mike dial in dial the car in. Thanks again for the quality content Alex and Mike.
Allen, knowing you’re from the great white north, hearing you say Zed instead of Zee-28 most folks understand the difference. Thanks for sharing your experience and insight.
@ Well I live in NC now but grew up in Erie and the Detroit and loved visiting Niagara Falls and Senior trip to Mackinaw Island and then dinner and a show at the Top Hat in Windsor. Good times!!
Hey Mr G. Your video struck a chord. That being the difference in building an engine in 1978 and building one today. Sure there are better parts but it's the availability of information that is a game changer. Despite having excellent instructors in technical college (late 70's), they weren't there when excessive RPM floated a valve in that ill fated 400 SBC. The destruction wasn't immediate but the misfire was. And undiagnosable for my inexperienced brain to sort out. Short story is that misfire was the result of bent valve. Despite my best attempts at locating the source of the misfire, it wasn't revealed until that valve head eventually broke off (yes, I put the car back into service as it was my daily driver at the time). You recounted the grim details with your own failure. What you didn't mention was the sound of engine bits rattling through the exhaust! Thanks again for the videos. It doesn't always have to be about triumph.
Thanks Kevin, glad we shared it with you. Your point about information is right on. When we started we has three sources, Hot Rod Magazine, Repair Manuals, and bitter experience.AG
had a friend went from working in a gas plant to finishing engineering school to exec in a few yrs, he said the first two-three times you sink a drill hole at 2 million per and hit nothing. that sucked.. but keep learning and advance
I took a chance on my last 355sbc. Scat rotating assembly, nodular crank. 2 bolt main. Arp bolts everywhere though. Edelbrock aluminum heads. Hydraulic flat cam. 228-234 535 lift 114lsa. 9psi boost. Hvhp oil pump. Oil is the only thing keeping it alive i think. 3 years of beating it real hard , just starting to see bearing wear. The chance i took was the 2 bolt mains and cast crank at 600hp and 600ftlbs.
Thanks Soldier, yes, you were pushing the envelope for sure. It just shows how underrated these engines are. This is good information for someone worrying about 2 bolt mains and cast cranks, they are fine!.AG
It is really amazing that you were able to keep that car all these years!!! Having two fairly new cars was really hard for me to justify when was young and something I was never able to do. I commuted a lot of mile and bought a new pick up every 3 to 5 years. A blowed up motor in one year old out of warranty car must have really been hard on you. Even though you built the motor. I just hope you were able salvage the block and at least have a numbers matching car. I hope it wasn't your daily!! After I know what motor is going be used for smog, no smog and what type of running gear. Then specially these days, the very first thing I figure out is what type of induction system is going to use ie factory, after market, carb / how many, fuel injection what type TBI, PFI, DFI. And or there any power adders now or in the future. I have found each induction system requires different hard parts. Even on a motor like 70 year old SBC. Once that is 100% for sure. The machine work, heads and internal parts perimeters can be work up.
I agree for the most part . But I’m reminded that to much thinking can also be an anchor . Many of the greatest inventions were not planned . It was taking a chance . And yes that includes motors as well .
Just pulled a 30-30 cam out of a blown up 265 in my 55 wagon. Valve busted through a piston years ago. Way too much lift and 254 duration in a wimpy 265! Luckily block and cam were good cuz it blew within seconds judging how everything looked practically new.
Thanks Robert, it was already a legend for us. A showroom full of L-88 Camaros and Nova's, even a ZL-1 Corvette, a parts counter for Performance Parts. Can't remember the main sales guy's name, he was a good talker. Pretty Cool. Later in 1972 i was also a distributor for Johnson Speed Warehouse in Lancing. Being close to Michigan was great. AG
My 1st Z/28 I purchased while in College here in Ontario Canada was a 1968, British Green with whir stripes and black interior that cost me $3,000. A friend of mine is the current owner. Has Canada Doc from GM Vintage Group. My current one is a 1970 non RS Z/28 4 speed, cranberry red with white stripes, black custom cloth interior and a console. Canada Doc of course. I purchased it in 1981 from the original owner who still asks me if I’m ready to sell it. I told him a friend of mine has 2 and could sell one but he said that he wants his back.😮 Cost me $5,500. A friend of the original owner owned a Mulsune blue RS 4 speed black interior Z/28 but he wanted $1,500-$2,000 more. I could barely scrape up $5,500 and yes of course I would have rather bought a RS but the pickings were slim back then.
Ontario guy here. Love the content. I also have a good set of small camel hump "492's", date code F,23,8 and has accessory bolt holes, that I would like to trade for a good set of complete aluminum heads for a 350 or a 4 bolt main sbc 400 short block. Thank you sir.
Many preassemblies and checking all clearances with gages YOURSELF don't just trust the Machine shop. Then for final assembly clean, clean, clean and then clean everything again. There is no such thing as TOO clean. I just spent $6,500.00 on a 1967 STOCK 327 rebuild in parts & machine work for my daily driver. True it is balanced & blue printed now with new everything, but money can NOT be any issue plus never EVER push your machinist, it takes as long as it takes, the Machine shop had my 327 for almost a YEAR before I picked it up (pretty common anymore for a fully blueprinted engine). Then took me about 2 weeks more of just cleaning before final assembly. Also remember, the oil today is NOT FIT for use if it doesn't have zinc in it. Also, in the first 5,000 miles you should have done 6 or more oil changes with new filters every time. (I did 8 in the first 5K miles) The first 3 should be with the best brake in oil you can find. The correct oil and lots of changes is overlooked way to many times and can be death to a new tight motor. Just an old Machinists opinion. P/S the fresh 327 now has 10,000 miles on it and runs like a clock towing a big trailer.
@hydroy If you need that many oil changes there is something wrong with your engine. That many oil changes is massive overkill and extremely wasteful. Every new car comes with a new engine and nowhere in the owner's manual does it say to do that many oil changes. 2 weeks to clean the parts before assembly? What did you do, clean one part every hour? And the last thing. If your engine shop took a year to blueprint your engine, find a different shop.
Great advice all the way around. I like that "contingent cost!" I usually call them "over runs," but for the last few years I've been calling it "Bidenomics!" Great video. By the way, Nicks videos are too long. Keep up the good work Alan.
Ramps are the area between the base circle and peak lift. If the cam lobe looks more pointy from the side like his OEM drawing, that indicates slow ramps. If the lobe looks like a big oval with a wider lobe at peak lift it means a fast ramp. Fast or slow refers to the speed that the valve comes off the seat to peak lift. Fast ramps, or ramp rates as it is often called, give you more valve open time. "Area under the curve" ergo more flow for a given lift. You will find faster ramp rates on solid flat tappet cams and roller cams.
@@ericuncapher9922 Thanks, I really thought I understood this and worse I thought your original comment was a question of what is a ramp rate. Sorry about that. And on further inspection of some more clear zoomed-in drawings... I see the relationship to ramp, flank, and duration.
I’m hoping to build a 327. I have a 307 and a 0010 350. From the info that I got. I use the 307 crank the 350 rods and buy 327 piston’s. The 350 is out of a 3/4 ton truck. Slim chance it maybe a 4 bolt main anything to look out for.
had a crankshaft"tuffrited".put motor together.first time rev up timing chain blew. tuffriting heats crankshaft.timing gear got brittle. could have taken off or new.
Finding a reputable machine shop I can trust is my first challenge AG. How do I find a reputable machine shop that is going to be honest and true for me without ripping me off or, doing terrible machine work? I live in Tampa Florida area.
That's a tough one Steve. Do your homework, look at online websites and reviews, word of mouth with other builders you may know. Make a short list, visit the top 3. Ask for an RFQ, see how they respond. Ask for a tour of their shop, ask for a description and capability of the equipment. DO any other viewers in Steve's area know of a shop they would recommend? Please post it on my channel.AG
I'm curious, was it all the intake valves hitting, or all the exhaust valves? (in the 302) It sounds like the rules were quite strict compared to later years where only the lift is measured. The current rules are an abomination allowing roller rockers, etc.
Good question Yarrda. As i recall, not all the pistons had witness marks. I know i had retarded the cam (with the Mr. Gasket kit) so i assume the exhaust valves. I may have over-revved it and floated the valves prior to that. When I removed the springs they were about 1/8" shorter than new ones. I think the springs just couldn't handle the aggressive ramps. I don't know how Jenkins and others were going 8,000 RPM with stock springs? In circle track racing today, TECK have a Cam Doctor that measures area under the curve so this cam would never pass. AG
That is a shame what happened with the valves hitting the pistons. I did not know that General Kinetics was doing this back them. I guess that is what made them kinda popular for stock engines. I would bet many a young and inexperience person assembling something like you had would follow the same route and you may have saved someone a catastrophe.
Thanks for the question Shawn. No, the 302 was not blown up. I wanted to "blueprint rebuild it" according to NHRA rules to maximize performance for competition. AG
Shops have different approaches and theories on building engines. Your best bet is to EDUCATE YOURSELF on engine building, decide what you want, then find the shop that CAN and WILL PERFORM what you request. Many shop owners are 2nd rate and either don't have the proper equipment, technical knowledge and even the ambition to build an engine that makes power and lasts. Case in point: I brought a Chrysler LA 360 for a total rebuild with all new parts. I provided a BHJ Honing plate and head gaskets TO BE USED for the honing operation. The Owner REFUSED to use my Plate because in his own words........ "I don't believe in using Deck Plates to hone a Block". I discovered this AFTER I paid my Bill. You bet I will NEVER return to that shop.
Thanks Christopher, that was a terrible experience, but thanks for sharing so we can learn from it. Dealing with Machine Shops is sometimes tricky. If you can find one that you trust, stick with them.AG
Another great video AG. I am taking your advice and writing my notes today for the rebuild of my Cleveland engine. It's going to a very reputable shop here in Aus, all the same I want them to have an understanding of what I want and how the rest of the car is set up. Going with a big stroke, Alloy heads and a Hyd roller stick. The main limitation is bonnet clearance, that will determine the type of manifold and therefore heads that can be used. We have some great cyl heads available for Cleveland's in this country. So the choice is between an Air gap and 2V, or single plain and 3V CHI heads. The 3V has a raised IN port and also the option of a raised Ex port. They are well priced here too. Tim Australia 🇦🇺
Welcome Australia, Good luck on your build, and let me know how it turns out please.AG
@goldsgarage8236 Absolutely. Great channel AG you have a wealth of Knowledge/Experience. Thanks for sharing!!
I learned some of this over the years. You're far more detailed and honestly "professional" than I ever was. Everything you talk about here rings absolutely TRUE to my experience in 1978 when I build my first engine to the late 80s when I built the last one of four in total. Stuff comes up. Parts that can be fixed or need replacement. Stupid stuff like what I had thought was a good deal on a used intake that had been milled at some point and wound up being useless to me. Bolt on parts too beyond the engine itself that weren't compatible. It all adds up. Then the stuff outside your control. The potential for even a reliable machine shop to get something wrong or miss something. (i got lucky and never experience that one but we've all heard the stories). A process such as you describe is without any doubt the best possible shot at a successful build that comes in at least as close as possible to an expected budget. On a side note: All of this and the potential for problems, cost over runs and the fact that there are now so very many builders out there doing SBC at scale explains the route I've taken here in 21st century. The last 3 cars I've put engines in all received crate engines. It's a little pricier but with so many options available and what is usually a 3 year warranty attached it's hard to make the case for building today. I certainly understand having to build a numbers matching engine for a car that needs this (that Z/28 is a great example) but I've come to find a lot to like in Blueprint Engines offerings for any car that doesn't require that original engine rebuild. Order, ship and drop it in doesn't have that same level of self satisfaction I got when something I built works well but it also eliminates a lot of the concern for all the things that can go wrong that highlight the need for your "process".
Great comments Dogboy and your thoughts on Blueprint engines are right on. It is impossible to compete with them on price, and as far as I know the quality is great, due to their process. AG
My first build was a 327 in 1983, it's still going in my work truck, had a few head swaps and 1 cam swap for a milder cam, 210 210.
Thanks Tom, great comment, the longer you have it, the more you love it.AG
Cams around 210@.050 is my favorite street cam. Think about it, the stock -929 cam is 194/202@.050 so it is still a nice step up.
@@robertwest3093my favorite is 212-218 on a 350ci it’s not aggressive at all on a 283 it lopes some but puts power right we’re you need it for fun torque cam
First engine I rebuilt was in 1987 in the summer after graduating high school. Big block 402 in a 72 Caprice coupe. I should have kept that car because I've never seen another one like it so it must not have been a common set up. Only problem with keeping most all of my cars before the age of 25, they all would have had to gone on the frame straightener followed by a fair amount of body work. LOL
Sweet Camaro. Thanks for the story and sharing your knowledge Mr. Gold.
Thanks for your comments Gregg. A friend of mine had a 402 in a 1970 Nova, it was the L78 version. Pretty cool car. AG
To quote a friend of mine "Only the weak engine fears the Dyno!". Thanks for the overview, now if I could just apply his logic to some of my projects!
Great quote, i hope you don't mind if i use it sometime.AG
I’m glad that you learned from your mistakes and kept on learning and about and building engines. I know a few people who had their first engine building experience go badly and never trusted themselves with it again.
That is a great point Robert. Probably how i felt about it back then but the show must go on, so i built it again.AG
I find everything you share helpful. I try to gleen information from all the builders more learned than I. Thank you for spending the time and effort to share your experience and wisdom with us.
Thanks Ronnie, please keep watching, I always enjoy your comments.AG
Mr Gold I learned early precision, balance, cleanliness, and checking make them better
Many preassemblies and checking all clearances with gages YOURSELF don't just trust the Machine shop. Then for final assembly clean, clean, clean and then clean everything again. There is no such thing as TOO clean. I just spent $6,500.00 on a 1967 STOCK 327 rebuild in parts & machine work for my daily driver. True it is balanced & blue printed now with new everything, but money can NOT be any issue plus never EVER push your machinist, it takes as long as it takes, the Machine shop had my 327 for almost a YEAR before I picked it up (pretty common anymore for a fully blueprinted engine). Then took me about 2 weeks more of just cleaning before final assembly. Also remember, the oil today is NOT FIT for use if it doesn't have zinc in it. Also, in the first 5,000 miles you should have done 6 or 7 oil changes with new filters every time. (I did 8 in the first 5K miles) The first 3 should be with the best brake in oil you can find. The correct oil and lots of changes is overlooked way to many times and can be death to a new tight motor. Just an old Machinists opinion. P/S the fresh 327 now has 10,000 miles on it and runs like a clock towing a big trailer.
Thanks for commenting Robert.AG
Some really good advice here for the novice Alan. Don't worry about catching up to Nick you don't want to be that busy. I have watched many of his videos too and now that you came along we have both of you to enjoy. One of the attractions for me was that both of you, and a couple of others are in Canada so I wanted to support all of you. I am currently restoring a really rare Lucerne Blue with pearl white interior 1971 Firebird Formula 455 HO M22 4 speed 3:73 geared Ram Air car that has the original drive train in it. Not my first build and I can tell you it is really important to be well organized in order to do this properly. I keep a clip board on the wall above the bench. Every time something relative to the job pops into my mind I stop what I'm doing and add it to the list, or cross of what has already been completed. Love your Lemans blue? 68 Z28! Story time with your car as a back drop is perfect. My blue with white stripes 70 Chevelle SS would be right at home beside it haha.
Thanks Captain, you have some pretty special hot rods yourself. Glad you are enjoying my channel, lots more to come.AG
Thank you for the video Alllan! Hope your knee is healing up! Even NASA makes mistakes but they learn from them. David Vizard opened my eyes to many things I took for granted, he can find power and longevity in just about everything. Happy hollidays!
Thanks for watching and commenting Greg, Recovery going well so far.AG
Comp cams extreme energy cams have fast ramps but your cam took it to another level. Another way to do it is use higher ratio rockers. It's harder on a flat tappet cam and would wipe it out so only do it on a roller cam. My sbc has 1.7 rockers but it's a solid roller.
Thanks Joe, good points. OEM rockers were mandatory in NHRA e-Stock. More lift always helps.AG
Excellent video with great advice! I also love hearing the old stories. Sometimes (always?) it's thru failures that we learn and move ahead. PS: Very impressive you've managed to keep that lovely car thru the years. I know how difficult that can be. Well done!
Thanks Mattew. Actually, i did sell it in the 70's and later bought it back and restored it. It's like reuniting with an old friend, lots of memories. AG
I will probably never find a 302 chev, but the 289 chev I'm building now aughta run pretty dern good😊 . Aka 283 + .040 😊
Sonic check those cylinder walls of that 283. Odds are it can be bored .125 (giving you a 4" bore and the 302 you thought you wouldn't have)😅😅😅
You can always try to find a high performance 283 block and bore it .120 over for an old school 301 but that stuff is getting hard to find.
Any block with a 4” bore will work.
Just find a 3” crank.
A 302 is a 327 block with a 283 crank.
Lots of good parts in those
Good comments guys. Prior to GM coming out with 327 and 302, a 301 (283 bored .125") was a hot set up. And yes, sonic test it first. Also, remember, you cannot use 2.02" valves on less than 4" bore.AG
@@goldsgarage8236 Good comment on the 3.7/8 inch bore. ANY 302 or 283 with 3 inch stroke, even pure stock Z/28's love at least 6600 RPM. I don't believe you missed that much with valve springs, ( assuming about 130 on the seat and no coil bind ) quench, can be real tight, allow about .005 for rod stretch, .025 head gasket. Clay the piston for clearance and, # 1, check valve timing events. The lift was safe, the RPM way below the limits, but valves open and close earlier and later. I ran the same Crower cam and called it my square cam 35 years ago in a 350.
THE perfect car. Beautiful!
Thanks Biclindrico. AG
The 1st time I heard Zed28 I had to Google it. Learned something that day. Don't know why it would bother anyone or do harm so keep saying it. Most of us got lucky on our 1st builds with p2v. I didn't really understand quench until my 3rd build. That's a rough 1st lesson.
Great comments Kris. Thanks for contributing to my channel.AG
great info to ask yourself when an engine is being planned. Alex, as ive commented previously, I'm willing to put 500 easy miles on your Zed/28"s new engine and then do a few 7200rpm powershifts to help you and Mike dial in dial the car in. Thanks again for the quality content Alex and Mike.
Thanks' Michael, I always enjoy your comments. Back then, I also had a 4.88:1 gear in it, so it was fun to drive. AG
Allen, knowing you’re from the great white north, hearing you say Zed instead of Zee-28 most folks understand the difference. Thanks for sharing your experience and insight.
Thanks for your understanding Judge. Some are not so kind.AG
@ Well I live in NC now but grew up in Erie and the Detroit and loved visiting Niagara Falls and Senior trip to Mackinaw Island and then dinner and a show at the Top Hat in Windsor. Good times!!
Hey Mr G. Your video struck a chord. That being the difference in building an engine in 1978 and building one today. Sure there are better parts but it's the availability of information that is a game changer. Despite having excellent instructors in technical college (late 70's), they weren't there when excessive RPM floated a valve in that ill fated 400 SBC. The destruction wasn't immediate but the misfire was. And undiagnosable for my inexperienced brain to sort out. Short story is that misfire was the result of bent valve. Despite my best attempts at locating the source of the misfire, it wasn't revealed until that valve head eventually broke off (yes, I put the car back into service as it was my daily driver at the time). You recounted the grim details with your own failure. What you didn't mention was the sound of engine bits rattling through the exhaust!
Thanks again for the videos. It doesn't always have to be about triumph.
Thanks Kevin, glad we shared it with you. Your point about information is right on. When we started we has three sources, Hot Rod Magazine, Repair Manuals, and bitter experience.AG
plan your work, work your plan
Right on! Thanks Nick.AG
had a friend went from working in a gas plant to finishing engineering school to exec in a few yrs, he said the first two-three times you sink a drill hole at 2 million per and hit nothing. that sucked.. but keep learning and advance
That is a good analogy, thanks 91.AG
I took a chance on my last 355sbc. Scat rotating assembly, nodular crank. 2 bolt main. Arp bolts everywhere though. Edelbrock aluminum heads. Hydraulic flat cam. 228-234 535 lift 114lsa. 9psi boost. Hvhp oil pump.
Oil is the only thing keeping it alive i think. 3 years of beating it real hard , just starting to see bearing wear.
The chance i took was the 2 bolt mains and cast crank at 600hp and 600ftlbs.
th-cam.com/video/EMxpjmY-cu0/w-d-xo.htmlfeature=shared
Thanks Soldier, yes, you were pushing the envelope for sure. It just shows how underrated these engines are. This is good information for someone worrying about 2 bolt mains and cast cranks, they are fine!.AG
Also, I worked at Zug Island, and worked 2 1/2 years of 7-12s for Raythen building a coke battery at Inland Steel
Thanks Don, interesting place. You know it is shut down now? 7-12's is a tough schedule, specially in Cakemaking. AG
It is really amazing that you were able to keep that car all these years!!! Having two fairly new cars was really hard for me to justify when was young and something I was never able to do. I commuted a lot of mile and bought a new pick up every 3 to 5 years. A blowed up motor in one year old out of warranty car must have really been hard on you. Even though you built the motor. I just hope you were able salvage the block and at least have a numbers matching car. I hope it wasn't your daily!!
After I know what motor is going be used for smog, no smog and what type of running gear. Then specially these days, the very first thing I figure out is what type of induction system is going to use ie factory, after market, carb / how many, fuel injection what type TBI, PFI, DFI. And or there any power adders now or in the future. I have found each induction system requires different hard parts. Even on a motor like 70 year old SBC. Once that is 100% for sure. The machine work, heads and internal parts perimeters can be work up.
thanks for your comments G. I did sleeve the block and fixed it.AG
I agree for the most part . But I’m reminded that to much thinking can also be an anchor . Many of the greatest inventions were not planned . It was taking a chance . And yes that includes motors as well .
Good point, thanks for commenting.AG
Ahh, General Kinetics! Ran one in a B/D BBC, 1969
Thanks Jim, General Kinetics made great power back then, I also use 3 different ones in my C/MP. Thanks for commenting.AG
What a coincidence that Powell Machine just did a video on extremely fast ramp rates.
thanks Robert, i will check it out.AG
I've got a 302 Chevrolet crankshaft and harmonic balancer that I have had since around 1980.
Thanks Carl, both pretty rare pieces. AG
Again thanks for all your information.
Thanks for watching and commenting James. More to come. AG
Just pulled a 30-30 cam out of a blown up 265 in my 55 wagon. Valve busted through a piston years ago. Way too much lift and 254 duration in a wimpy 265! Luckily block and cam were good cuz it blew within seconds judging how everything looked practically new.
Thanks Jason, lucky for you! Now you have a chance to do it over.AG
On another note it was awesome that you were doing business with Berger Chevrolet! Did you ever think back then that it would become such a legend?
Thanks Robert, it was already a legend for us. A showroom full of L-88 Camaros and Nova's, even a ZL-1 Corvette, a parts counter for Performance Parts. Can't remember the main sales guy's name, he was a good talker. Pretty Cool. Later in 1972 i was also a distributor for Johnson Speed Warehouse in Lancing. Being close to Michigan was great. AG
My 1st Z/28 I purchased while in College here in Ontario Canada was a 1968, British Green with whir stripes and black interior that cost me $3,000. A friend of mine is the current owner. Has Canada Doc from GM Vintage Group.
My current one is a 1970 non RS Z/28 4 speed, cranberry red with white stripes, black custom cloth interior and a console. Canada Doc of course. I purchased it in 1981 from the original owner who still asks me if I’m ready to sell it. I told him a friend of mine has 2 and could sell one but he said that he wants his back.😮 Cost me $5,500. A friend of the original owner owned a Mulsune blue RS 4 speed black interior Z/28 but he wanted $1,500-$2,000 more. I could barely scrape up $5,500 and yes of course I would have rather bought a RS but the pickings were slim back then.
Thanks John, they are all precious! AG
First hope your recovery is going well. I will share a crazy 302 chevy story. I was able to swap on into a car.
Thanks Phil. I have subscribed to your channel.AG
Ontario guy here. Love the content. I also have a good set of small camel hump "492's", date code F,23,8 and has accessory bolt holes, that I would like to trade for a good set of complete aluminum heads for a 350 or a 4 bolt main sbc 400 short block. Thank you sir.
Thanks for your comment Alvars, ok, you have it out there, i hope you get some interest.AG
Nice job Mr. allan
Thanks John.AG
Many preassemblies and checking all clearances with gages YOURSELF don't just trust the Machine shop. Then for final assembly clean, clean, clean and then clean everything again. There is no such thing as TOO clean. I just spent $6,500.00 on a 1967 STOCK 327 rebuild in parts & machine work for my daily driver. True it is balanced & blue printed now with new everything, but money can NOT be any issue plus never EVER push your machinist, it takes as long as it takes, the Machine shop had my 327 for almost a YEAR before I picked it up (pretty common anymore for a fully blueprinted engine). Then took me about 2 weeks more of just cleaning before final assembly. Also remember, the oil today is NOT FIT for use if it doesn't have zinc in it. Also, in the first 5,000 miles you should have done 6 or more oil changes with new filters every time. (I did 8 in the first 5K miles) The first 3 should be with the best brake in oil you can find. The correct oil and lots of changes is overlooked way to many times and can be death to a new tight motor. Just an old Machinists opinion. P/S the fresh 327 now has 10,000 miles on it and runs like a clock towing a big trailer.
@hydroy If you need that many oil changes there is something wrong with your engine. That many oil changes is massive overkill and extremely wasteful. Every new car comes with a new engine and nowhere in the owner's manual does it say to do that many oil changes. 2 weeks to clean the parts before assembly? What did you do, clean one part every hour? And the last thing. If your engine shop took a year to blueprint your engine, find a different shop.
Thanks for commenting and sharing your knowledge and experience Mike. In the end, the result was good so cangratulations.AG
Great advice all the way around. I like that "contingent cost!" I usually call them "over runs," but for the last few years I've been calling it "Bidenomics!" Great video. By the way, Nicks videos are too long. Keep up the good work Alan.
Thanks Andy, glad you found the video helpful.AG
What a beautiful car
Thank you Kaine.AG
Ramps? Ramps on a cam lobe are. Not sure if the ramps are fast or slow.lol ... great video
Ramps are the area between the base circle and peak lift. If the cam lobe looks more pointy from the side like his OEM drawing, that indicates slow ramps. If the lobe looks like a big oval with a wider lobe at peak lift it means a fast ramp. Fast or slow refers to the speed that the valve comes off the seat to peak lift. Fast ramps, or ramp rates as it is often called, give you more valve open time. "Area under the curve" ergo more flow for a given lift. You will find faster ramp rates on solid flat tappet cams and roller cams.
@christopheregan3843 I think he was thinking flank. Ramp is small area after the base . And if that changed then the duration would also
@@ericuncapher9922
Thanks, I really thought I understood this and worse I thought your original comment was a question of what is a ramp rate. Sorry about that. And on further inspection of some more clear zoomed-in drawings... I see the relationship to ramp, flank, and duration.
Great discussion guy, thanks for contributing to my channel.AG
love that car
Thanks Terry. AG
In my early years a blew up a couple of engines I had just put together. Not fun hearing a rod knock after just a few minutes of run time.
Thanks Paul, pretty sure most of us have a few of those in our past. Not fun at the time, but great experience.AG
I’m hoping to build a 327. I have a 307 and a 0010 350. From the info that I got. I use the 307 crank the 350 rods and buy 327 piston’s. The 350 is out of a 3/4 ton truck. Slim chance it maybe a 4 bolt main anything to look out for.
You are correct.
Thanks guys, David is correct. a 307 is a 283 with a 327 crank. so in an 0010 block you will have a 327. A 2 bolt block is fine. AG
had a crankshaft"tuffrited".put motor together.first time rev up timing chain blew. tuffriting heats crankshaft.timing gear got brittle. could have taken off or new.
Thanks Dan, very interesting, I have never heard of that happening. AG
Finding a reputable machine shop I can trust is my first challenge AG. How do I find a reputable machine shop that is going to be honest and true for me without ripping me off or, doing terrible machine work? I live in Tampa Florida area.
That's a tough one Steve. Do your homework, look at online websites and reviews, word of mouth with other builders you may know. Make a short list, visit the top 3. Ask for an RFQ, see how they respond. Ask for a tour of their shop, ask for a description and capability of the equipment.
DO any other viewers in Steve's area know of a shop they would recommend? Please post it on my channel.AG
I'm curious, was it all the intake valves hitting, or all the exhaust valves? (in the 302) It sounds like the rules were quite strict compared to later years where only the lift is measured. The current rules are an abomination allowing roller rockers, etc.
Good question Yarrda. As i recall, not all the pistons had witness marks. I know i had retarded the cam (with the Mr. Gasket kit) so i assume the exhaust valves. I may have over-revved it and floated the valves prior to that. When I removed the springs they were about 1/8" shorter than new ones. I think the springs just couldn't handle the aggressive ramps. I don't know how Jenkins and others were going 8,000 RPM with stock springs? In circle track racing today, TECK have a Cam Doctor that measures area under the curve so this cam would never pass. AG
Should of went with the 3/4 race cam, a 600 holley vacuum secondary and a dual point ignition...
Thanks for your comments Ghost Rider. AG
Why would you only put 3/4s of a cam in an engine? Can you not afford a whole one?
Guys in are area in Ohio that ran Stock Eliminator ran General kenics cams also. They liked them.
Thanks Don, they were very popular then. Jenkins helped.AG
That is a shame what happened with the valves hitting the pistons. I did not know that General Kinetics was doing this back them. I guess that is what made them kinda popular for stock engines. I would bet many a young and inexperience person assembling something like you had would follow the same route and you may have saved someone a catastrophe.
Thanks Stovebolt. If we just save one person from a tragedy like this, the video will be a success. AG
I can’t remember if my first was a 400 Pontiac Grand Prix or a 350 Chevy out of a 71 rally nova(was going in a Vega). 🤔
Thanks Doomman, this one is easy to remember.AG
@ I am pretty sure the Chevy came first. I think I traded the Vega for the Grand Prix 🤔
My question is-why did you have to rebuild the 307?? It would only have been 1-2 years old at that time. Was it too blown up?
Thanks for the question Shawn. No, the 302 was not blown up. I wanted to "blueprint rebuild it" according to NHRA rules to maximize performance for competition. AG
@@goldsgarage8236 AG- you stated that you had to build a 307 out of junk parts to use in the car during winter. 48 seconds into the video
I would like to know, what is the name cheater camshaft ,so I don't make a mistake
It was General Kinetics, pretty sure it is not available any longer Don.AG
Shops have different approaches and theories on building engines. Your best bet is to EDUCATE YOURSELF on engine building, decide what you want, then find the shop that CAN and WILL PERFORM what you request. Many shop owners are 2nd rate and either don't have the proper equipment, technical knowledge and even the ambition to build an engine that makes power and lasts.
Case in point: I brought a Chrysler LA 360 for a total rebuild with all new parts. I provided a BHJ Honing plate and head gaskets TO BE USED for the honing operation. The Owner REFUSED to use my Plate because in his own words........ "I don't believe in using Deck Plates to hone a Block". I discovered this AFTER I paid my Bill. You bet I will NEVER return to that shop.
Thanks Christopher, that was a terrible experience, but thanks for sharing so we can learn from it. Dealing with Machine Shops is sometimes tricky. If you can find one that you trust, stick with them.AG
Chevy till i die ☠️
Thanks Marcus, AG
An imposter built that 302... Mr. Gold would never have a build e'splode! #5 mange? There are medications for that condition.
☹️☹️☹️
That is how i felt for sure, thanks for commenting Paul.AG
Ramble, ramble, ramble....