@@Moparmaga-1 with flipping the rods comes better angularity at max cylinder pressure which for most engines, especially naturally aspirated ones that run out of cylinder pressure so early in the power stroke, will make more horsepower even to peak, assuming the RPM isn't so high that you begin to mechanically "outrun" the power stroke, in which case advancing ignition beyond what is considered safe would make or break the engine for a few extra horsepower.... but for a street motor making peak at well below 7000rpm its a great modification
@@dylanhartz8473 Seems like this will increase compression, since it will raise the piston. How does this effect requirements for timing and fuel octane?
@@MultiPleaser moving the pin slightly off of center on a piston shouldn't affect how high it climbs in the cylinder, only how early or late it will reach TDC relative to the crankshaft rotation so compression should remain the same... it will however change the ignition timing because the piston will reach TDC earlier on crank rotation after the flip procedure which would mean 0 degrees on the timing marks doesn't exactly mean TDC on the piston, the piston will have already past TDC by a few degrees and will need to either be compensated with new timing marks or if you know your vehicle you could remember how many degrees advanced to set it.... hope that helps explain it, its easier with a visual aid
@@dylanhartz8473 I redrew the visual aid in my head, and you're right. But, only if the cylinder is aligned radially outwards from the center of the crank. I've read about some that are slightly askew, nowhere near tangential, but definitely off. That must have been what threw me off.
I had a problem with my pressed in rocker studs pulling out in my SBC, because I put a bigger than stock cam and stiffer springs to keep the valves from floating at higher RPMs. My friends were all like, "take the heads to a machine shop and have them install screw in rocker studs". An older friend took me aside and told me to buy some hardened roll pins and a couple of the correct size drill bits. He gave me all the info I needed and even offered to help at a later date, but not to tell anyone. Drilling and pinning the studs worked like a charm and didn't cost me an arm and a leg. He was known to us as "Uncle Kenny", sound familiar? Love your videos, keep passing on that Old School Knowledge.
Worked around cars for 30 years, dealerships, speed shops and shade trees. This man is the real deal! Reminds me of the seasoned old mechanic that taught me so much and how to work that I could never repay him. Pay attention young bucks this is how we did it before software and computers and thank this man showing you why and how!
When I was in college one of my drafting instructors was preparing a hypothetical situation. He asked, "who's got an example of something at least 400 pounds". He was hoping for something like "a car engine" but I yelled out "MY MOTHER INLAW!!!" The poor guy, it took at least ten minutes before he and the rest of the class was able to composes themselves. I'll never forget that if I live to be a hundred!
Pro tip- practice awhile first on several old worthless valves and try different files or other grinding polishing items and get real comfortable before you do this on you good valves . Tony can just do it as it were becuase he has been doing it his whole life and has good skills
There is no true evidence about reversing piston hp/torque gains. One guy from mopar forum tried to dyno difference and on 350hp engine difference was less than 1%, which is can be dyno error. And he can't state that he got any true gain from that. That difference can come even from air humidity and temperature.
I do the valve back cut but didn't think about the tips on curving the exhaust and edging the intake. Was taught about the piston pin in my A&P course but when I looked at engines I rebuilt I didn't see it was offset so I gave up on it years ago and forgot about it, LOL. I usually do a basic power combo on the parts going into a stock engine of mine that I rebuild, knowing it will be getting bolt on parts. Usually enhances the bolt on parts when done. Bowl porting, polishing piston rod beam, valve back cut, distributor recurve, And a shit load of deburring, LOL.
It would be very interesting to see a stock engine be tuned with all these little tricks and see how it does, no fancy new parts, just these small things that is shown on the channel
This video is what Hot Rodding is all about. Nothing more and nothing less. Thank You Tony. I thought all the "real" old school badasses were extinct until I found your channel
I also want to say, now that I watched all the video, between you and Gale Banks, you both make me smile when you explain how things work. It is guys like you and Banks that help keep me going when it comes to cars, even Hondas. You guys are my kind of heroes, the ones that share your knowledge freely, and in such a laid back sort of way :) I am so glad I found this channel!
I remember reading about similar things a few years ago. It was a book by a prominent Circle track racer from the 60's. Like you said Uncle Tony, this holds pretty well much for all engine makes, and I can see how the small things like this can be easily missed and not be addressed. It was until you actually showed these that I remembered the Book where the bloke was talking about chev engines in particular. Cheers for the video Uncle Tony :-)
Never heard about flipping the piston like that, but I'm getting into it with VW type 1's, and I believe they're all symmetrical pistons. Neat trick. I just read an old book on porting heads, it mentioned similar things about the valves. I saw some flow charts showing quite a lot of improvement with a 3 angle valve job, but even those simple tricks make a significant difference.
Piston pin offset trick was used by Formula V (Volkswagen open wheel) engines, "free horsepower" I think the Formula V all parts had to be OEM VW. Third gear from a VW typ ll (Bus) was desirable over the stock sedan due to closer ratio. Re sizing the intake manifold with a set of ball bearings pushed through. Pulling everything out of the OEM carb that offered any restriction, including the removable venturi.
Common sense, hands-on, inexpensive tricks & tips- not to mention entertaining to watch...making old rides more affordable & enjoyable. Great work "Uncle Tony & 'Uncle' Kathy!"
You are a National treasure Uncle Tony ! This information has been more useful than the last four American Presidents and the sum total of Congress and Senate !
Another "free" mod I just remembered: removing the head gasket. This is like an expensive head milling job, or buying expensive high compression pistons. However, you need some awesome chemical gasket of some sort. Definitely not free, but cheap.
I used a file on the intake valve and a Dremel die grinder with a grind stone for the harder steel on the exhaust valve. You can also use a flapper wheel for the die grinder and swirl polish the valves for maximum cool looks and a little more flow.
I love hearing about these old school tricks, can listen for days. Cant mention the builder but have had the opportunity to borescope one-off motors that nobody was allowed into trying to learn something and pick up anything i could. Needless to say borescoping didnt tell me everything but the mere taboo of it was just plain cool.
I worked on cars for 12 years professionally and l lost interest. Here more than 25 years after leaving with no interest ran into this channel. So well done, such a great guy, I'm interested!
Good stuff Tony! Reminds me of going to the drag strip in the late 70s and seeing this good ole boy running a 55 chevy with a small block and hes running 11s and you look under the hood and there's nothing but a greasy looking small block. I asked him how much hp he was making and said probably about 375. I'm thinking BS hes making probably 500.
I chuck up valves in the press and use a drill with a wire wheel spinning the opposite direction to clean them up really well before cutting faces. I also use the drill to lap them...much faster than the old "doodle" stick. A little paste, 4 seconds fwd/4 sec reverse x2 usually does the trick. Check everything with a sharpie if you don't have any dycum blue. Also, if you want a little "free" valve spring weight, toss in a shim or two. A lot of guys request we don't install valve guide seals on the exhaust so that a little oil leaks down through the guide on purpose just to ensure they don't seize when getting super hot on the track.
You remind me so much of my dad and grandfather. Old school little tid bits just to get a little bit more hp and run a little more efficient. Love your videos pop!!!!
Hey bud, you have the same tool box as me. So glad NOT to see a $12,000 Snapped Off toolbox so tall, you need a ladder to pull tools from the top drawers. I work at a Dealership. My best bud next bay, is 5'4" with a snapped off toolbox & he used a step ladder to get tools.
Great video. Brings back fond memories. Don't tell all our old secrets. Lol. My old boss (Herb White- Speed Specialties, Union, NJ) loved saying There's no substitution for cubic inches. I'll keep watching you brother.
Love Your videos! I have done moderate, scooter, motorcycle, or briggs and Straton type engine work, but am learning a lot from these! I have a 1990 B250 custom van with the 318 and I'm planned on doing some work on it getting it up and running a bit better. My Dad wanted to soup it up but never got to before he Passed away.
Your a beast uncle tony. Made me better at cleaning up my valves. I’ve never took the lip off by the seat. I only did it on the exshaust. Never the intake like that. Thank you Made more sense when you said it.
@@sixpacksandsrts9122 - Can't have it. I played his channel name like he played his channel name. My name's Tommy, my last name starts with an 'L'. TommyFuckYeah TommyHellYeah You probably get it. I gave 'em credit in my "about channel".
I appreciate everything you say!!, and do!!, Uncle Tony's garage (Tony)!!! Since you're old school, please talk [explain], about back pressure and why you need it!!, A LOT OF "FAKEBOOK"!!, PEOPLE THINK THEY KNOW IT ALL!!, BUT NEVER TOUCH AN ENGINE IN THEIR LIFE!!, LITERALLY!!!!!
The phrase back pressure is the real problem, you need to maintain velocity for exhaust scavenging. You don't want to hold the exhaust gas in, you want the exhaust gas to pull other exhaust gas out with its pulse as it travels through. Exhaust explodes out, pulse helps get any lingering hot gasses out creating a low pressure helping pull air and fuel in. Tapering the size of the pipes as the reach their end is best, as the velocity decreases you restrict the flow to maintain pressure. Let the atmospheric pressure being lower pull it the rest of the way out. Here is the best vid to throw at the facebook goons th-cam.com/video/jjPeP_Nn2B4/w-d-xo.html
Backpressure? No, back pressure is never good. You're thinking of having some sort of exhaust collector like a manifold or header to aid in scavenging the exhaust gasses.
I did this to a 273 commando formula s cuda and gained with fenderwell headers about a 100 horsepower,enough to go from 14.2 in the quarter to 12.9 no other changes,and that's a fact,and around 800 more rpm,over carbing is the biggest problem most racers do,never fails,and now that carbs are 400+ dollars each in the box, always start smaller,never build an engine over stock more than 15% if you want to retain fuel economy,he's pretty smart,these tricks were handed down to me by a master engine and trans builder who used to run AA fuel dragsters,i apprenticed under him,man was a genius in 1969
its a lot more than that,remember the factory built my engine ,your engine to go to the grocery store and never rev beyond 4200 even passing on the hiway,it reduces friction dramatically
@@strattuner hey brother very cool of you to share your experience. I'm 34 years old, and I'm a ford guy, been involved with mustang 5.0L (old school 302's), and 4.6L (281) both 2valve and 4valves. Ive done alot of the same tricks he is talking about and even down to indexing the plugs. What I'm wondering with the piston flip is, did you have your engine balanced again? Also, did you notice any slight vibrations when you switched them? If you can give me a shout back, thanks!
Using my wifes account here. Old school mechanic myself with decades of experience. Changing the pin offset. Will gain between one hp - four hp per cylinder. It depends on several things such as bore, head flow and camshaft mainly.
Great video, Uncles, and with a blooper, no less. Ready for a question on how this applies to the slant 6? Okay. Since there are no opposite banks on the slant 6, which pistons get swapped to account for rod chamfer? Do the even holes get switched with the odd, or 1,2, and 3 with 4, 5, and 6, or what? And by the way, great close-up work. The lighting and focus were excellent. No dim bulbs or pesky shadows.I could see all the relevant detail of the valves and pistons.
Thanks Tony. You gave me the answer on your live stream: On the slant six, only the piston, not the rod, can be reversed because the direction of the oil hole on the rod can't be changed. But it has the same affect as reversing the piston and switching banks as you would do on a V8. That's pretty ingenious. I thought the primary benefit came from reversing the rod, but it actually comes from reversing the piston. Hmmm. But it's easier if you reverse and switch banks, like on a V8, because you don't have to remove the piston pin. Yeah.
Have been back cutting valves for years. Read years ago that the max vacuum from the piston is right when it starts to travel down and the intake valve just starts to open. When that happens you can get way more air/fuel mixture into the cylinder when vacuum is at max suction by back cutting that lip.
Very cool tips! Of course now you’re going to cause arguments between the machine shops and engine builders who know it all and the diy’er who (they think) doesn’t know anything. Can’t wait to learn more power tips. Thanks Smokey Jr.! 😂
Good stuff Tony. Maximum torque is transferred when the connecting rod and crank are 90° to each other. This will happened earlier when the Piston are higher up in the cylinder, under more pressure. I didn't know that flat spot right before the seat was for emissions purposes on the Valves.. thanks!
I tried this on my ford 302 and it works, really!!! It's my drive daily f150 and it's not stock except the block. Long story short cracked a piston and changed it before it broke apart, saved the engine. I heard about that and while the motor was apart I did what UT said and dropped 18 tents off my 1/4 mile time. This is what I could do differently on the tune. Whet from 35 degrees adv. to 38 degrees and the motor revs alot faster, quicker. Also not knocking or funny sounds and wait for it, I'm at 23 plus thousand miles and no burning oil or any problems. It's a 95 ford f150 5.0 12.37 1/4 mile all motor.
Them some rough neck tactics for sure, but it's free horsepower! This dude is exactly right with what hes explaining and doing. Just be very careful with them valve seat sealing surfaces on the valves with that file. If u hit that area and the valves dont seal to the valve seats anymore, you just went backwards. Nice video man!
For me and all the TH-cam videos when I really need to know something I always refer to your videos because so far you've been right on everything then I have done according to your directions on your video
I remember doing these tricks back in the 70's. Great for Sleepers back in the day! There were some other simple mods that we used to do back then as well.
while you've got the valves in the drill press how about smoothing them further with sandpaper and steel wool, polishing them up so they're really super smooth. Don't know if it would help much, but it couldn't hurt.
Super smooth finishes are not needed, infact lots of evidence suggests a rough finish is better. And yes it can hurt, if the surface of the back of the valve when it's rough helps keep fuel in suspension then polishing it can make it so the fuel puddles
@@TL-angzarr sounds logical, but if it's all about air flow... then smoother should be better. How about polishing the exhaust on a fuel injected engine? No fuel suspension worries there. I knew a guy that put a fine mesh screen in the intake, and swore by it, said it gave him better performance on less fuel. All I know is that that intake would get really hot, that can't be good. this was on a carburated engine. Heating the fuel up can be bad, but if you only heat it to a gaseous state, it might actually perform better than liquid fuel, assuming you can still get enough in the engine that way. Years ago I saw a pickup truck that was setup to run on wood. well smoke from the wood. It had a burner in the back, with very little air going to it, so the wood would just smolder, and give off the smokey gasses. I know from high school chemistry that wood gives off a couple of things when heated that are flammable, a gas and a gasified liquid that is actually Methylalcohol. I did not get to see under the hood so I could see any adaptations there I would assume it would need the kind of carb that they use on propane powered vehicles, but I don't know for sure. My idea is that you could heat anything that will burn and compress the gas with a blower or turbo setup, and it could run on that. Might not make the same power, but would run and be cheap to run. If you had a dual blower or turbo setup, one to compress the gas another to push air into the engine, it might really run. Off the topic I know, but I'd kinda like to know what someone that knows mechanics thinks about the idea. You could burn nearly anything, with the right setup like an auger system to feed more solid fuel, you could go a long ways on a bit of trash.
@@tootall5559 You make a couple basic errors in your thinking. First polishing doesn't increase airflow due to the boundary layer. The boundary layer is slow almost stopped air that flows close to the surface. A surface finish provided by say 60 grit sandpaper is not big enough to stick up through this layer. Not even close most finishes left by carbide cutters won't stick through it. Infact having a rough finish can actually help the boundary layer pull down and give you more usable port area. Second polishing the exhaust on any engine is a waste of time. Soon the valves and ports will be covered in carbon negating the effort also it's simply not needed. The exhaust in the engine is pressurized to 2500 psi or more. It needs no help to go out only needs a sufficient path way. As far as the off topic the idea is feasible but suffers in practicality from the lack of energy density of the fuel. I.e. the power you can get out of one cubic inch of gas, diesel or other petroleum bases products is incredibly higher than the energy in one cubic inch of wood. Wood also suffers from having a far higher amount of non combustibles in it. Basically all the stuff that forms ash. Even in smoke the amount of particulate matter in smoke is much higher than diesel or gasoline exhaust and this presents it's own set of challenges.
Oh and side note it's not at all just about airflow. Flow is more important on the intake but is not the only consideration. The type of flow and how it happens are much more important. This is why bigger is not simply better. This is why engines even though they have sewer sized airflow don't run well. Infact on the exhaust side we now ignore what flow bench says. IF the port has the correct dimensions and much more importantly if the bowl area and seat are right then the exhaust is sufficient. No grinding to increase flow will be met with extra power if those other things are correct
@@TL-angzarr I don't know how it worked, but the ash stayed behind in the only actual working one I've ever seen. Must have had some system to keep it out of the engine, but what it was I don't know. As for the valves, you know more about that than I do, obviously. as for the off topic, I'm thinking that while you're right about the energy density, that isn't an insurmountable problem. Might be why the only working one was on a pickup that could carry a lot of wood.. or wood pellets or corn pellets... or whatever fuel. There has to be some way to separate out the usable from the not. As I recall from science class experiments so long ago, it isn't that difficult. Least ways not in that setting.. enough to run an engine... maybe more difficult but not impossible.
Glad you explained how you swap the offset on pistons pins Now i understand Thanks Tony / i have a 302 sbf with oversized chevy valves so i,ll defena lee use that trick ! UTG Great as always .
Other tips: if you're going to bore an engine block without torque plates, you may not need them if the heads bolt into the walls of the block rather than the deck (this means four bolts around the cylinder, not five). But if you need a torque plate and your budget machine shop doesn't have one, use a stack of washers or a wrist pin to replicate the thickness of the plate at each head bolt, and torque down to spec. When you are done with the bore and hone, bolt on your head before putting in the pistons and shine a light up the bore. See how much those valves are shrouded by the cylinder walls? This is the time to either grind a little off the top of the cylinder to unshroud those valves (use the head gasket to show you how far you can go), or use offset dowels to move the cylinder head further from the intake manifold (which will require you to work on it to fill in that gap) and towards the centerline of the bore. another tip, oil filters: There may be a truck engine (same displacement) oil filter for your passenger engine that is longer to contain more oil. Or maybe you need the shorter V6 version of your V8 engine to clear a header. Perhaps that V6 has a serpentine belt system that fits your V8. You may find an old cast iron exhaust manifold that has a header style to it (compared to a log type) for real cheap, or you just don't like the noise of a header or don't have the clearance. Chop saw that sucker from front to rear, port it out like a cylinder head, and reweld it together.
I originally learner this trick off of my teacher in school. (Used to build drag racing engines) when I reminded him of it, he asked me why it is only possible with cast iron pistons and gave me and the class an explanation online today. It may benefit everyone here if you could explain why you can only do this with cast iron pistons and not forged or billet.
These are all the ol'school tricks. i picked up an old Sioux valve grinder to do those valve tricks, and still finish my seats with stones. We built two motors with the same parts several years ago. One by a 70 year old engine builder who spent decade in the lower classes of circle track with very restrictive rule books and claimer rules. The other by a 28 year old mechanic, working in a high volume engine shop. One motor made just under 290hp, and the other made 330hp. A 10% difference in power with the same parts, castings, and unported heads. They were the motors for a challenger class car running at the local speedway. These speed tricks work. There isn't a single one that will give you 20hp, but 4hp here, and 6hp there adds up quick.
Seen an iron headed buick 455 with 11 to 1 compression, 3.42 gears and a th400 and full interior pull a 10.8 @120... and same track seen a fancy aluminum headed buick struggle to pull high 13's with more gear and more money spent
I have a stock looking,stock looking engine,full interior car looks brand new in/out no pieces missing 1968 Charger RT..440/727/3.23 gears 14" Magnum 500's street radial tires and run low 10.09@130 was my quickest time,132 mph was my best mph 1/4 was 10.34 ..Pump gas and reliable too,I drive it nearly every day unless its raining out.. I don't race the car at the track much..its my cruiser/stop light terror and baby!! I do go to Friday Night Drags/when I can..I run 129 -132 mph in the 1/4..I have another 440 Charger and it runs mid 11's again pretty much stock looking,and not radical no big cams,they sound like a purple cam little more than stock,less than big lumpy cam cars..My current engine does have headers besides that looks stock..
Seen many of them..Sadly back in the 80's,90's and today people build engines that sound awesome,lumpy cams,all go fast looking parts under the hood,jacked up rear ends,slicks no interior and run 12's-13's very pitiful!! It was always like that they add huge cams thinking its power,and mis match the whole engine/parts....Always was like that,in the 80's it was everywhere.. Being a Mopar guy,my stock never rebuilt 1969 383 4 speed 3.91 Super Bee blew away a guy in a cammed up,slick tire 70 Cuda 440 with 4.56's...I think that car only could run 14's as I beat him so bad in a bone stock Super Bee with bald 225 70 series tires with 140,000 miles and old spark plugs/points(I drove it 1 year and 20,000 miles like that and who knows how old they were because the car ran so good I never touched it )..
Man street racing back then just sounds so badass. Seems to me like it was more about what the driver can do rather then what you can buy. Now thats racing.
yeah it seems like it would be a lot more fun and more evenly matched since everyone was driving similar cars all the little stuff like this and driving skill determined the winner. The average backyard hot rod builder is never gonna make a car that can keep up with newer hellcats, corvettes, and gtr's with old school carburetor stuff you pretty much need a massive turbo procharger or other power adder to run with the pack now a days.
Back in the day, these tips were called SPEED SECRETS. There were held close to the vest of engine builders.
Thank you Uncle Tony for sharing.
Nice to know, I wanna give my 79 Buick lesabre with a v8 some more power.
"If that bothers you, you're watching the wrong channel." 😆
But what about gas millage????
@@dancage2446 looks like dan forgot about jokes.
Priceless
@@xtune5731 I think so.
Uncle Tony is an American treasure.
"Uncle Kathy" too. Fixes the bloopers ... ;)
My dad used to call one of our dogs "Treasure", he couldn't wait for the dog to die so he could bury him.
Uncle Treasure
The weird thing is that I typed my comment before I even saw this, lol.
That means it's true.
Doesn't actually smoke. Carries a cigarette in case he ever wants to start.
Should Dyno a control engine built normal and one with all the old school tricks with the same hardware and see which one makes more power
Tre'von Cowen
I would be curious as to the difference myself
@@Moparmaga-1 with flipping the rods comes better angularity at max cylinder pressure which for most engines, especially naturally aspirated ones that run out of cylinder pressure so early in the power stroke, will make more horsepower even to peak, assuming the RPM isn't so high that you begin to mechanically "outrun" the power stroke, in which case advancing ignition beyond what is considered safe would make or break the engine for a few extra horsepower.... but for a street motor making peak at well below 7000rpm its a great modification
@@dylanhartz8473 Seems like this will increase compression, since it will raise the piston. How does this effect requirements for timing and fuel octane?
@@MultiPleaser moving the pin slightly off of center on a piston shouldn't affect how high it climbs in the cylinder, only how early or late it will reach TDC relative to the crankshaft rotation so compression should remain the same... it will however change the ignition timing because the piston will reach TDC earlier on crank rotation after the flip procedure which would mean 0 degrees on the timing marks doesn't exactly mean TDC on the piston, the piston will have already past TDC by a few degrees and will need to either be compensated with new timing marks or if you know your vehicle you could remember how many degrees advanced to set it.... hope that helps explain it, its easier with a visual aid
@@dylanhartz8473 I redrew the visual aid in my head, and you're right. But, only if the cylinder is aligned radially outwards from the center of the crank. I've read about some that are slightly askew, nowhere near tangential, but definitely off. That must have been what threw me off.
I had a problem with my pressed in rocker studs pulling out in my SBC, because I put a bigger than stock cam and stiffer springs to keep the valves from floating at higher RPMs. My friends were all like, "take the heads to a machine shop and have them install screw in rocker studs". An older friend took me aside and told me to buy some hardened roll pins and a couple of the correct size drill bits. He gave me all the info I needed and even offered to help at a later date, but not to tell anyone. Drilling and pinning the studs worked like a charm and didn't cost me an arm and a leg. He was known to us as "Uncle Kenny", sound familiar? Love your videos, keep passing on that Old School Knowledge.
Worked around cars for 30 years, dealerships, speed shops and shade trees. This man is the real deal! Reminds me of the seasoned old mechanic that taught me so much and how to work that I could never repay him. Pay attention young bucks this is how we did it before software and computers and thank this man showing you why and how!
I can feel the old world car in this guy. I love it. It feels like home. These plastic built engines suck. Thank you Uncle!!!
The end was hilarious,, you really know your stuff, this guy Tony is a gifted master mechanic,,much respect
Leaving my mother in law at the curb, I gain about 20 horses!
One less Airbag for your car😂🤣😂
When I was in college one of my drafting instructors was preparing a hypothetical situation. He asked, "who's got an example of something at least 400 pounds". He was hoping for something like "a car engine" but I yelled out "MY MOTHER INLAW!!!" The poor guy, it took at least ten minutes before he and the rest of the class was able to composes themselves. I'll never forget that if I live to be a hundred!
Hey that's bound to happen when her bra size is 401k
😅🤣
Pro tip- practice awhile first on several old worthless valves and try different files or other grinding polishing items and get real comfortable before you do this on you good valves .
Tony can just do it as it were becuase he has been doing it his whole life and has good skills
First video I've seen explaining piston swap, that I can properly understand why, and the benefits. Budget builds suit me fine.
There is no true evidence about reversing piston hp/torque gains. One guy from mopar forum tried to dyno difference and on 350hp engine difference was less than 1%, which is can be dyno error. And he can't state that he got any true gain from that. That difference can come even from air humidity and temperature.
I do the valve back cut but didn't think about the tips on curving the exhaust and edging the intake. Was taught about the piston pin in my A&P course but when I looked at engines I rebuilt I didn't see it was offset so I gave up on it years ago and forgot about it, LOL. I usually do a basic power combo on the parts going into a stock engine of mine that I rebuild, knowing it will be getting bolt on parts. Usually enhances the bolt on parts when done. Bowl porting, polishing piston rod beam, valve back cut, distributor recurve, And a shit load of deburring, LOL.
I like to polish the valve after i do everything you just did people wouldnt believe how much power you can make by reworking cylinder heads.
I'll bet this is a lot of fun for those of us who have 32 valve engines...
If you have a 32 valve engine you're watching the wrong channel😉
@@matsgranqvist9928 lol I do have a 16 valve engine.....(happens to be a 4 cylinder).
Yeah I was just kidding🙂
@@matsgranqvist9928
I know 👍
Mats Granqvist If only we had gotten a 32 Valve Doomsday Hemi
It would be very interesting to see a stock engine be tuned with all these little tricks and see how it does, no fancy new parts, just these small things that is shown on the channel
the world still needs guys like this.... Its a dying trade
THATs an understatement 👍👍👍
In another 20 years few people alive will actually be messing with engines.🤬
I will never get tired of awesome information videos like these about the nitty-gritty internal tricks of making power.
An excellent tip as usual. Speaking of clacking motors...you here my old 318 when it fires up at -30C. Lol. Block heaters are a must. Be safe UTG 👍
This video is what Hot Rodding is all about. Nothing more and nothing less. Thank You Tony. I thought all the "real" old school badasses were extinct until I found your channel
Uncle Tony AKA “ THE DODGE FATHER “ . Great video . Cheers
You sound really knowledgable at everything I've heard you talking about in a few videos, you've earned yourself an instant subscriber here.
I also want to say, now that I watched all the video, between you and Gale Banks, you both make me smile when you explain how things work. It is guys like you and Banks that help keep me going when it comes to cars, even Hondas. You guys are my kind of heroes, the ones that share your knowledge freely, and in such a laid back sort of way :) I am so glad I found this channel!
I remember reading about similar things a few years ago. It was a book by a prominent Circle track racer from the 60's. Like you said Uncle Tony, this holds pretty well much for all engine makes, and I can see how the small things like this can be easily missed and not be addressed. It was until you actually showed these that I remembered the Book where the bloke was talking about chev engines in particular. Cheers for the video Uncle Tony :-)
I just found this channel a coupla weeks ago. This guy is for real, all go, plus great show. Already one of my favorite channels.
Never heard about flipping the piston like that, but I'm getting into it with VW type 1's, and I believe they're all symmetrical pistons. Neat trick. I just read an old book on porting heads, it mentioned similar things about the valves. I saw some flow charts showing quite a lot of improvement with a 3 angle valve job, but even those simple tricks make a significant difference.
Emissions? I have heard of those things. I think mine is the pcv valve.
Piston pin offset trick was used by Formula V (Volkswagen open wheel) engines, "free horsepower" I think the Formula V all parts had to be OEM VW. Third gear from a VW typ ll (Bus) was desirable over the stock sedan due to closer ratio. Re sizing the intake manifold with a set of ball bearings pushed through. Pulling everything out of the OEM carb that offered any restriction, including the removable venturi.
"If that bothers you, you're watching the wrong channel" Perfection!
Common sense, hands-on, inexpensive tricks & tips- not to mention entertaining to watch...making old rides more affordable & enjoyable. Great work "Uncle Tony & 'Uncle' Kathy!"
You are a National treasure Uncle Tony ! This information has been more useful than the last four American Presidents and the sum total of Congress and Senate !
His tips on back cutting valve's works great. You can also do a real nice job in a old suex valve grinder machine
Excellent. I knew of the 3 angle valve grind. But I never thought to file them myself. Game changer!
This is the kind of tuning that I like! All these little thing. :D They each don't do too much, but all combined give a little extra.
I backcut the valves on a Pontiac 350 years ago and that engine made impressive power for what it was. I think helps the low lift flow considerably.
Now we know where you get your knowledge... We can distinctly hear Mona from My Cousin Vinny telling you what to say at the end! LoL !
Another "free" mod I just remembered: removing the head gasket. This is like an expensive head milling job, or buying expensive high compression pistons. However, you need some awesome chemical gasket of some sort. Definitely not free, but cheap.
I used a file on the intake valve and a Dremel die grinder with a grind stone for the harder steel on the exhaust valve. You can also use a flapper wheel for the die grinder and swirl polish the valves for maximum cool looks and a little more flow.
This is what happens when the cue cards are written in polish, and your talent is Italian...
Now THAT's good humor!lol!
I love hearing about these old school tricks, can listen for days. Cant mention the builder but have had the opportunity to borescope one-off motors that nobody was allowed into trying to learn something and pick up anything i could. Needless to say borescoping didnt tell me everything but the mere taboo of it was just plain cool.
Old school at its best. Thanks Uncle Tony
I worked on cars for 12 years professionally and l lost interest. Here more than 25 years after leaving with no interest ran into this channel. So well done, such a great guy, I'm interested!
Good stuff Tony! Reminds me of going to the drag strip in the late 70s and seeing this good ole boy running a 55 chevy with a small block and hes running 11s and you look under the hood and there's nothing but a greasy looking small block. I asked him how much hp he was making and said probably about 375. I'm thinking BS hes making probably 500.
I love these bits of knowledge you pass on Uncle Tony.
Cheers😊
I chuck up valves in the press and use a drill with a wire wheel spinning the opposite direction to clean them up really well before cutting faces. I also use the drill to lap them...much faster than the old "doodle" stick. A little paste, 4 seconds fwd/4 sec reverse x2 usually does the trick. Check everything with a sharpie if you don't have any dycum blue. Also, if you want a little "free" valve spring weight, toss in a shim or two. A lot of guys request we don't install valve guide seals on the exhaust so that a little oil leaks down through the guide on purpose just to ensure they don't seize when getting super hot on the track.
Every great show has bloopers. Thanks for the info AND the bloopers 😂
This is what I like, free h.p. tips I can do in my garage. Thanks.
You remind me so much of my dad and grandfather. Old school little tid bits just to get a little bit more hp and run a little more efficient. Love your videos pop!!!!
Uncle Tony your like a 2019 video of my old Hot Rod magazines of the 70's ! Mopar's Rule !!
Hey bud, you have the same tool box as me. So glad NOT to see a $12,000 Snapped Off toolbox so tall, you need a ladder to pull tools from the top drawers. I work at a Dealership. My best bud next bay, is 5'4" with a snapped off toolbox & he used a step ladder to get tools.
Love your videos Tony. Your have resurrected my desire to build a hot rod slant 6.
Great video. Brings back fond memories. Don't tell all our old secrets. Lol. My old boss (Herb White- Speed Specialties, Union, NJ) loved saying There's no substitution for cubic inches. I'll keep watching you brother.
5am,i just woke up with a killer sore back,now i'm watching this and want to head to the garage to pull my engine apart...thanks a lot Tony.....
I use these "secrets " all the time. They work very well.
Wish i'd seen this before my rebuild 18 mths ago ha ha! Great stuff, thanks for sharing your knowledge👍
Love Your videos! I have done moderate, scooter, motorcycle, or briggs and Straton type engine work, but am learning a lot from these! I have a 1990 B250 custom van with the 318 and I'm planned on doing some work on it getting it up and running a bit better. My Dad wanted to soup it up but never got to before he Passed away.
I found this channel last night. This is hands down the best channel on TH-cam. 👍
Thank you for your knowledge. This video is the first YOU TUBE video that taught me something. I have watched over 1000 videos.
Your a beast uncle tony. Made me better at cleaning up my valves. I’ve never took the lip off by the seat. I only did it on the exshaust. Never the intake like that. Thank you Made more sense when you said it.
4:35 - 'Clatter' - reminds me that Christmas is only two months away. Santa loves clatter. Thanks for the tips. 🦌
I luv the free oldschool hp tips,pls keep 'em comin,thx uncle Tony 👍today im building a honda k24a1 for my 03 CR-V
Honda Gang
TommyLYeah - Darkwraith Kaid tommyfyeah wants his name back
@@sixpacksandsrts9122 - Can't have it.
I played his channel name like he played his channel name. My name's Tommy, my last name starts with an 'L'.
TommyFuckYeah
TommyHellYeah
You probably get it.
I gave 'em credit in my "about channel".
Thank you for sharing it’s great to know there are people who care about the mopar roots
I appreciate everything you say!!, and do!!, Uncle Tony's garage (Tony)!!! Since you're old school, please talk [explain], about back pressure and why you need it!!, A LOT OF "FAKEBOOK"!!, PEOPLE THINK THEY KNOW IT ALL!!, BUT NEVER TOUCH AN ENGINE IN THEIR LIFE!!, LITERALLY!!!!!
The phrase back pressure is the real problem, you need to maintain velocity for exhaust scavenging. You don't want to hold the exhaust gas in, you want the exhaust gas to pull other exhaust gas out with its pulse as it travels through. Exhaust explodes out, pulse helps get any lingering hot gasses out creating a low pressure helping pull air and fuel in. Tapering the size of the pipes as the reach their end is best, as the velocity decreases you restrict the flow to maintain pressure. Let the atmospheric pressure being lower pull it the rest of the way out. Here is the best vid to throw at the facebook goons th-cam.com/video/jjPeP_Nn2B4/w-d-xo.html
@@Lecherous_Rex I prefer (and need) to hear it from U.T.G.!!! The way he explains things?, is straight from his experience!!!
Backpressure? No, back pressure is never good. You're thinking of having some sort of exhaust collector like a manifold or header to aid in scavenging the exhaust gasses.
Tony's hands remind me of my grandfather lol .Them hands seen some hard work. 👍👍👍
I wonder what the horsepower difference from flipping the pistons is. I’m definitely gonna keep that in mind next time I build a engine
Even if it is 1 hp per piston. It's free.
I did this to a 273 commando formula s cuda and gained with fenderwell headers about a 100 horsepower,enough to go from 14.2 in the quarter to 12.9 no other changes,and that's a fact,and around 800 more rpm,over carbing is the biggest problem most racers do,never fails,and now that carbs are 400+ dollars each in the box, always start smaller,never build an engine over stock more than 15% if you want to retain fuel economy,he's pretty smart,these tricks were handed down to me by a master engine and trans builder who used to run AA fuel dragsters,i apprenticed under him,man was a genius in 1969
its a lot more than that,remember the factory built my engine ,your engine to go to the grocery store and never rev beyond 4200 even passing on the hiway,it reduces friction dramatically
@@strattuner hey brother very cool of you to share your experience. I'm 34 years old, and I'm a ford guy, been involved with mustang 5.0L (old school 302's), and 4.6L (281) both 2valve and 4valves. Ive done alot of the same tricks he is talking about and even down to indexing the plugs. What I'm wondering with the piston flip is, did you have your engine balanced again? Also, did you notice any slight vibrations when you switched them? If you can give me a shout back, thanks!
Using my wifes account here. Old school mechanic myself with decades of experience. Changing the pin offset. Will gain between one hp - four hp per cylinder. It depends on several things such as bore, head flow and camshaft mainly.
I must be old school as I've done these things a long time ago.......when Tony was a pup....Haha.
Great share 👍👍👍👍
Tony is the type of guy who'd be an astrophysicist or something if he didn't do this. You sir are an American treasure.
Thank you sir!! I can watch hot rod videos like this all day
Great video, Uncles, and with a blooper, no less. Ready for a question on how this applies to the slant 6? Okay. Since there are no opposite banks on the slant 6, which pistons get swapped to account for rod chamfer? Do the even holes get switched with the odd, or 1,2, and 3 with 4, 5, and 6, or what? And by the way, great close-up work. The lighting and focus were excellent. No dim bulbs or pesky shadows.I could see all the relevant detail of the valves and pistons.
Thanks Tony. You gave me the answer on your live stream: On the slant six, only the piston, not the rod, can be reversed because the direction of the oil hole on the rod can't be changed. But it has the same affect as reversing the piston and switching banks as you would do on a V8. That's pretty ingenious. I thought the primary benefit came from reversing the rod, but it actually comes from reversing the piston. Hmmm. But it's easier if you reverse and switch banks, like on a V8, because you don't have to remove the piston pin. Yeah.
I learn something new every time I watch an Uncle Tony video!👍😎
I appreciate you doing these videos. This really helps hotrodders of all brands.
Have been back cutting valves for years. Read years ago that the max vacuum from the piston is right when it starts to travel down and the intake valve just starts to open. When that happens you can get way more air/fuel mixture into the cylinder when vacuum is at max suction by back cutting that lip.
i was with you right up until the pin offset
Very cool tips! Of course now you’re going to cause arguments between the machine shops and engine builders who know it all and the diy’er who (they think) doesn’t know anything. Can’t wait to learn more power tips. Thanks Smokey Jr.! 😂
Dam Tony. You took me to school today. You have an elegant way of explaining complex concepts.
Thank you.
Good stuff Tony. Maximum torque is transferred when the connecting rod and crank are 90° to each other. This will happened earlier when the Piston are higher up in the cylinder, under more pressure. I didn't know that flat spot right before the seat was for emissions purposes on the Valves.. thanks!
I tried this on my ford 302 and it works, really!!! It's my drive daily f150 and it's not stock except the block. Long story short cracked a piston and changed it before it broke apart, saved the engine. I heard about that and while the motor was apart I did what UT said and dropped 18 tents off my 1/4 mile time. This is what I could do differently on the tune. Whet from 35 degrees adv. to 38 degrees and the motor revs alot faster, quicker. Also not knocking or funny sounds and wait for it, I'm at 23 plus thousand miles and no burning oil or any problems. It's a 95 ford f150 5.0 12.37 1/4 mile all motor.
Thanks Uncle Tony this stuff is priceless !!!!!
I always pictured valve cut back as cutting the fillet from the stem to the seat .. thanks for clearing that up
Them some rough neck tactics for sure, but it's free horsepower! This dude is exactly right with what hes explaining and doing. Just be very careful with them valve seat sealing surfaces on the valves with that file. If u hit that area and the valves dont seal to the valve seats anymore, you just went backwards. Nice video man!
For me and all the TH-cam videos when I really need to know something I always refer to your videos because so far you've been right on everything then I have done according to your directions on your video
I remember doing these tricks back in the 70's. Great for Sleepers back in the day! There were some other simple mods that we used to do back then as well.
Love your channel!😁😁. You r just a wealth of old school grass roots knowledge. Thank u Tony for sharing all this .
Love your channel man. Love you old school builders helping this young cat working on my 85 chevy 350
while you've got the valves in the drill press how about smoothing them further with sandpaper and steel wool, polishing them up so they're really super smooth. Don't know if it would help much, but it couldn't hurt.
Super smooth finishes are not needed, infact lots of evidence suggests a rough finish is better. And yes it can hurt, if the surface of the back of the valve when it's rough helps keep fuel in suspension then polishing it can make it so the fuel puddles
@@TL-angzarr sounds logical, but if it's all about air flow... then smoother should be better. How about polishing the exhaust on a fuel injected engine? No fuel suspension worries there. I knew a guy that put a fine mesh screen in the intake, and swore by it, said it gave him better performance on less fuel. All I know is that that intake would get really hot, that can't be good. this was on a carburated engine. Heating the fuel up can be bad, but if you only heat it to a gaseous state, it might actually perform better than liquid fuel, assuming you can still get enough in the engine that way.
Years ago I saw a pickup truck that was setup to run on wood. well smoke from the wood. It had a burner in the back, with very little air going to it, so the wood would just smolder, and give off the smokey gasses. I know from high school chemistry that wood gives off a couple of things when heated that are flammable, a gas and a gasified liquid that is actually Methylalcohol. I did not get to see under the hood so I could see any adaptations there I would assume it would need the kind of carb that they use on propane powered vehicles, but I don't know for sure.
My idea is that you could heat anything that will burn and compress the gas with a blower or turbo setup, and it could run on that. Might not make the same power, but would run and be cheap to run. If you had a dual blower or turbo setup, one to compress the gas another to push air into the engine, it might really run. Off the topic I know, but I'd kinda like to know what someone that knows mechanics thinks about the idea. You could burn nearly anything, with the right setup like an auger system to feed more solid fuel, you could go a long ways on a bit of trash.
@@tootall5559 You make a couple basic errors in your thinking. First polishing doesn't increase airflow due to the boundary layer. The boundary layer is slow almost stopped air that flows close to the surface. A surface finish provided by say 60 grit sandpaper is not big enough to stick up through this layer. Not even close most finishes left by carbide cutters won't stick through it. Infact having a rough finish can actually help the boundary layer pull down and give you more usable port area. Second polishing the exhaust on any engine is a waste of time. Soon the valves and ports will be covered in carbon negating the effort also it's simply not needed. The exhaust in the engine is pressurized to 2500 psi or more. It needs no help to go out only needs a sufficient path way. As far as the off topic the idea is feasible but suffers in practicality from the lack of energy density of the fuel. I.e. the power you can get out of one cubic inch of gas, diesel or other petroleum bases products is incredibly higher than the energy in one cubic inch of wood. Wood also suffers from having a far higher amount of non combustibles in it. Basically all the stuff that forms ash. Even in smoke the amount of particulate matter in smoke is much higher than diesel or gasoline exhaust and this presents it's own set of challenges.
Oh and side note it's not at all just about airflow. Flow is more important on the intake but is not the only consideration. The type of flow and how it happens are much more important. This is why bigger is not simply better. This is why engines even though they have sewer sized airflow don't run well. Infact on the exhaust side we now ignore what flow bench says. IF the port has the correct dimensions and much more importantly if the bowl area and seat are right then the exhaust is sufficient. No grinding to increase flow will be met with extra power if those other things are correct
@@TL-angzarr I don't know how it worked, but the ash stayed behind in the only actual working one I've ever seen. Must have had some system to keep it out of the engine, but what it was I don't know. As for the valves, you know more about that than I do, obviously.
as for the off topic, I'm thinking that while you're right about the energy density, that isn't an insurmountable problem. Might be why the only working one was on a pickup that could carry a lot of wood.. or wood pellets or corn pellets... or whatever fuel. There has to be some way to separate out the usable from the not. As I recall from science class experiments so long ago, it isn't that difficult. Least ways not in that setting.. enough to run an engine... maybe more difficult but not impossible.
This guy is a treasure trove of knowledge!
Glad you explained how you swap the offset on pistons pins Now i understand Thanks Tony / i have a 302 sbf with oversized chevy valves so i,ll defena lee use that trick ! UTG Great as always .
Im gonna say it: "Moa Powah Babeh!"
Great info on the valves. I'm going to try that.
Other tips: if you're going to bore an engine block without torque plates, you may not need them if the heads bolt into the walls of the block rather than the deck (this means four bolts around the cylinder, not five). But if you need a torque plate and your budget machine shop doesn't have one, use a stack of washers or a wrist pin to replicate the thickness of the plate at each head bolt, and torque down to spec. When you are done with the bore and hone, bolt on your head before putting in the pistons and shine a light up the bore. See how much those valves are shrouded by the cylinder walls? This is the time to either grind a little off the top of the cylinder to unshroud those valves (use the head gasket to show you how far you can go), or use offset dowels to move the cylinder head further from the intake manifold (which will require you to work on it to fill in that gap) and towards the centerline of the bore.
another tip, oil filters: There may be a truck engine (same displacement) oil filter for your passenger engine that is longer to contain more oil. Or maybe you need the shorter V6 version of your V8 engine to clear a header. Perhaps that V6 has a serpentine belt system that fits your V8.
You may find an old cast iron exhaust manifold that has a header style to it (compared to a log type) for real cheap, or you just don't like the noise of a header or don't have the clearance. Chop saw that sucker from front to rear, port it out like a cylinder head, and reweld it together.
I love this channel you guys always make me laugh I love the comment if the noise bothers you then you're watching the wrong Channel
Just an amazing guy, his knowledge, the way he presents..awesome!
If that bothers you, you're watching the wrong channel - Uncle Tony
Genuine words!
I originally learner this trick off of my teacher in school. (Used to build drag racing engines) when I reminded him of it, he asked me why it is only possible with cast iron pistons and gave me and the class an explanation online today. It may benefit everyone here if you could explain why you can only do this with cast iron pistons and not forged or billet.
These are all the ol'school tricks. i picked up an old Sioux valve grinder to do those valve tricks, and still finish my seats with stones. We built two motors with the same parts several years ago. One by a 70 year old engine builder who spent decade in the lower classes of circle track with very restrictive rule books and claimer rules. The other by a 28 year old mechanic, working in a high volume engine shop. One motor made just under 290hp, and the other made 330hp. A 10% difference in power with the same parts, castings, and unported heads. They were the motors for a challenger class car running at the local speedway. These speed tricks work. There isn't a single one that will give you 20hp, but 4hp here, and 6hp there adds up quick.
Seen an iron headed buick 455 with 11 to 1 compression, 3.42 gears and a th400 and full interior pull a 10.8 @120... and same track seen a fancy aluminum headed buick struggle to pull high 13's with more gear and more money spent
I have a stock looking,stock looking engine,full interior car looks brand new in/out no pieces missing 1968 Charger RT..440/727/3.23 gears 14" Magnum 500's street radial tires and run low 10.09@130 was my quickest time,132 mph was my best mph 1/4 was 10.34 ..Pump gas and reliable too,I drive it nearly every day unless its raining out..
I don't race the car at the track much..its my cruiser/stop light terror and baby!! I do go to Friday Night Drags/when I can..I run 129 -132 mph in the 1/4..I have another 440 Charger and it runs mid 11's again pretty much stock looking,and not radical no big cams,they sound like a purple cam little more than stock,less than big lumpy cam cars..My current engine does have headers besides that looks stock..
Seen many of them..Sadly back in the 80's,90's and today people build engines that sound awesome,lumpy cams,all go fast looking parts under the hood,jacked up rear ends,slicks no interior and run 12's-13's very pitiful!!
It was always like that they add huge cams thinking its power,and mis match the whole engine/parts....Always was like that,in the 80's it was everywhere..
Being a Mopar guy,my stock never rebuilt 1969 383 4 speed 3.91 Super Bee blew away a guy in a cammed up,slick tire 70 Cuda 440 with 4.56's...I think that car only could run 14's as I beat him so bad in a bone stock Super Bee with bald 225 70 series tires with 140,000 miles and old spark plugs/points(I drove it 1 year and 20,000 miles like that and who knows how old they were because the car ran so good I never touched it )..
Love these ole skool hot rodder tricks n tips!
Man street racing back then just sounds so badass. Seems to me like it was more about what the driver can do rather then what you can buy. Now thats racing.
Yet when racing classes make rules limiting what people can "Buy" to keep the racing between drivers fans bitch non stop about it.
yeah it seems like it would be a lot more fun and more evenly matched since everyone was driving similar cars all the little stuff like this and driving skill determined the winner. The average backyard hot rod builder is never gonna make a car that can keep up with newer hellcats, corvettes, and gtr's with old school carburetor stuff you pretty much need a massive turbo procharger or other power adder to run with the pack now a days.
Uncle Tony, you're awesome man. Really get a kick out of your channel.
Some great tips you're giving away their as always have a great day you and Aunt Kathy take care my friend