This video was perfect! I picked up an old ford inline six 144 engine to tinker with and learn on for free, guy was gonna take it to the scrap yard. I think it’s rebuildable, but every book on rebuilding inline sixes includes $1,000 worth of machine shop work. Something I’d like to avoid for a free engine. This video hit the nail on the head
The last video I saw you were working out of what looked to be a storage unit. Now you're in a high ceiling pole building. Nice! Great to see the upgrade! Love your shit
I have 25+ years of experience and training in Automobile Service and Repair. In my opinion, UNCLE TONY IS THE Mechanic to listen to and believe! I can tell by viewing his videos, Uncle Tony is passionate about his work and knows what he is talking about!
You are the only engine guy that I’ve found on TH-cam that relates to me. You do a great job explaining thing to a know nothing like me who wants to learn while not sounding condescending and spend spend spend. You bring the enjoyment to fixing engines up. I’m working on an old 50’s 218 with kids. Watching your vids has allowed me to talk with a little bit of know how with my engine machinist, thank you
Just want to thank you for taking the time to share your knowledge with the rest of us. thanks for not letting the people who "know it all" discourage you from continuing to share.
It's a dying art an its nice to be able to look back on this history lesson from many moons ago an will be here for another generation of gear heads like me
I cant tell you how weird it is to not see a sponsored add somewhere in the video. Every channel these days is getting sponsored. I don't really have a problem with it, but its refreshing to see someone truly old school.
Me and my buddies did everything we could to salvage the reusable parts. Nobody had any money, could barely afford fuel. We had older, knowledgeable friends that knew all the tricks to keep cars alive. I had boxes of spare everything in my parents attic. I taught my son and daughter what it really took to keep cars running, now I am doing the same with my grandsons. Good, solid content, Tony!
I am not going to read any of the comments, I am only going to listen to you! Because I want to Freshen up my engine! Thank You for all of your videos. I have learned things I don't think I would live long enough to learn in my own . Thanks once again Lancer
Just started watching your videos, I really like what you say. 1 thing daddy taught me, FYI I'm 62, is break an old ring and use the broken sharp edge to clean and cut imperfections from the grooves. Works better than a groove cutter
This is why I love this channel ! Most of the other ones remind me of why I quit reading car magazines. You start thinking an engine rebuild won't even run unless you spend thousands at the machine shop balancing and blueprinting, don't forget the honing plates! Then stuff in every conceivable aftermarket part made for the motor and top it off with aftermarket heads, and fuel injection.
Too many on some Facebook groups I'm in, think exactly that. Mention a 'freshen up' and cop abuse from all angles. These are not racing groups, just average Joe, classic car groups. Minimum many of those consider are: acid dip, sonic test bores, rebore no matter what, decked, crank grind, expensive pistons ($400 ebay ones not good enough) and the list goes on.
You just described why I quit watching some of the big name car building shows. The average backyard car builder can't afford to put the the kind of money into their engines. They say over and over again "We went to our friends at (insert sponsor name here) and for $3200 we got a (totally unnecessary part for a weekend cruiser)."
@@hershellhodge1814 Most of those are just "credit card builds" like the car magazines started doing years ago. Any idiot with a high balance can order new parts and bolt them together and hire professionals to do their dirty work. I have zero interest in reading about or watching builds where the only OEM part is the freaking engine block, and I'm at a point in life where I could do that but it just doesn't appeal to me in the least. The old Volvo wagon in my pic was a blast to build, engine block and heads came out of an old boat. Probably should start driving the thing again, parked it in 18. 😆
I spent $5k building a ford small block. Catastrophic failure out of the gate. Was so burned out I bought a $500 302 out of a grand marquis at a junkyard. Motor has 80k miles on it and runs perfect in my f100. Lesson learned!!
Tony, buddy, pal. NOBODY is watching your videos and then sifting through the comment cesspool for wisdom. It's all above the fold. If anyone is, they deserve what they get. Please skip the negativity and just be happy Tony with useful tips. For the sake of those of us who are here for what you've got on offer.
Man, the value you provide in these videos is unbelievable. Just came across your channel and being in the process of one of my first rebuilds - on my own at least. I cannot express how grateful i am for this information! Cheers dude!
Those "Perfectionists" are going to have nightmares thanks to this video😂😂😂 Great content Uncle Tony. I grew up watching/helping the older guys do everything you covered. I usually had to scrub & clean parts, oh boy, We also used to go get 2 engines from a junkyard and make a running 1 out of the 2 and take the leftovers back for a little money 😏 to go riding around or fishing.
A lot of people cite the work of Smokey Yunick when it comes to rod ratios, but no one seems to even know about David Reher's or Nick Ferri's Pro Stock work on rod ratios... Reher said practically verbatim what Vizard did and Ferri says their rod ratios have gotten shorter over the years... Both of these guys have multiple Pro Stock championships. The longest rod ratio is not always the right answer.
This is the kind of stuff I was taught in shop class rebuilding engines because students generally can't afford nerw fancy parts all the time. This is what I generally consider a rebuild. Once you start putting in new pistons, heads, magnafluxing the block, that's essentially a new engine build. It's not much different than what the factory would be doing anyways.
@@fastinradfordable He also included magnafluxing the block and new heads. An old block that's been very thoroughly machined with new heads etc would almost feel like new during reassembly. Can't just take one part of a sentence and berate the guy when he's got a point.
"Remanufactured" when buying a reconditioned engine for example includes any industry improvements over the years since it was new, and "rebuilt" means putting it back to original with necessary oem parts. I believe that is the technical difference in marketing.
Ignore the the trolls they have no life ! Sensible people understand and appreciate your content. There is many ways to do things and I really like the options you provide. Thank you UTG keep up the great work.
I love this video, so much good info here. We rebuilt my f100 engine very similar to this style of build. It chucked a wrist pin through the cylinder wall of the original 360 FE so I found a couple of 390 FE on fb marketplace and we used the best of what we had to patch together a 390. We re used the original pistons, rods, and rod bolts from one of the 390's bought fresh bearings, polished the original crank. Put new rings in the pistons and honed the block with a ball hone. One of the 390's had an upgraded comp thumper cam so we re used that with a set of new summit flat tappet lifters. Since we discovered the cam I hoped back on marketplace and scored a Holley street dominator intake for it and finished it off with a vacuum secondary Holley 750 and some long tubes. People can't believe how well it runs when I tell them nothing saw the machine shop. We built it almost 3 years ago now and it's still healthy as can be. Oh we also upgraded the oil pump to a HV unit found in the other 390, and restricted the oil feeds to the rockers to prevent filling the valve covers with oil and pumping the pan dry.
This is exactly the type of re fresh i did on my f100, the 360 put a wrist pin through the cylinder wall, so we found a used 390 short block, pulled it apart, flex ball honed, new rings, new bearings, polished crank by hand... the second block we bought came with a upgraded comp thumper flat tappet cam, so we went ahead and ran that as it was small enough to run with the OEM rocker assembly. We upgraded to a HV oil pump and restricted the rocker feeds, we cleaned up the iron head ports with a dremel then lapped the valves. We also got lucky and found a used Holley street dominator intake for it, and a used Holley 750, Topped off with some cheap long tube headers. Probably have 2-3k in the entire ordeal, but it turned out really awesome and I have enough spares to put together a whole spare engine now as soon as I sleeve the original block. The current rotating assembly in my truck is 40+ yrs old original FoMoCo pistons rods and pins, even the original rod bolts... Still going strong.
Folks asking specific questions should really get a book on the engine they want to rebuild. The Vizard book on small Chevys was amazing to me back in the day. I read and studied that book till it fell apart. I changed pistons, installed cam bearings, etc all with the help of that book. I did it as a teenager working in my mom's garage. This can be a great project to do at home!
Only read the Vizard book? There was the HP Books How to Hot Rod Small Block Chevys, Bill Jenkins book The Chevrolet Racing engine, then one by Waddell Wilson that guided me in my early days....all great books
@@ericbrandt829 I was actually a reader so I would read anything I could get my hands on. The HP books were all pretty good, How to HR SBCs was I think the second book I read. I moved into the BBC series too. I can't say that I read the Wilson book, I should look into that! I mentioned the Vizard book because it was the onramp to engine work for me and encompassed most aspects of the rebuild. You can't have too much knowledge, its all good!
I just came across this channel and enjoy his videos. He is great and how he communicates his knowledge. Im not a mechanic but i am wanting to try rebuilding a motor after learning from Uncle Tony
Even though I usually know how the stories end, I like that Tony addresses the comments. This is one of the best comment communities on TH-cam, good job Tony!
I’m getting ready to rebuild my first motor and I’m glad someone like Tony is here to guide first timers. Too many misguiding, loud mouth assholes on the forums.
TONY TONY TONY! please ignore the criticisms - I've been watching your channel non-stop for about 18 months and don't even have an American car, let alone a V8. I learn so much from you and enjoy all the funny shit you do - spraying your beard, faking heart attacks, the lot. I believe everything you explain/show us and NEVER pay attention to the conflicting or negative comments. After all, it's YOUR channel I'm watching, not theirs! If I thought you were wrong I'd have switched off months ago. 😘
Back in my Day some 30 years ago I had the pleasure of working on cars in HS, I became a lifelong mechanic. I met John Tedder who was a personal favorite because he raced a Mopar, and was on a first name basis with my Voc Auto teacher Tom Allen, at Farmington High school (Michigan) I vaguely remember this same kind of instruction about the inspection of the motors we got to pick and tear down and rebuild in our Voc Auto I, as I was in the hands on kinda learning camp, it was the Most enjoyable morning class I had for the 4 years of HS. As a Senior my self and another student, Bill Critcher (R.I.P.) were independent Study students in Voc Auto III. I fell in love with Motor and Chiltons manuals and have a collection of Hanyes manuals to specific cars too. I still seem to learn some things new every day! And thanks to you Tony I’ve got a little bit of a refresher course today! Thanks for what you Do!
One thing I would like to note is that some rod caps, especially Chevy rod caps, will be a tight on the rod bolts. For some engines, this is normal, but it's best to consult with either a factory engine guide or someone who specializes in the engine type for your engine. Each engine has certain nuances to it and Tony's videos are intended as a guide to engine building, not the end all/ be all. Great Content Tony!
Great point, I was going to say the same thing. I mostly deal with newer engines, but plenty of engines like Honda's K20/K24 have such tightly fitting rod caps that they are a pain to get apart. I'd say if you aren't sure and can't find anything definitive, look for consistency. If they all fit about the same, you are probably alright.
Thanks again for another informative video Uncle Tony. This is the kind of info back yard rebuilders on a budget, for their own street cars need. For all the know alls who like to scream about everything being bad and wrong, where money is no object, here's a tip. Go make your own videos!
I would love to see you tear apart an engine that has been say overheated or had some issues that the average joe like me would run into and how to tell/fix or replace what is needed. especially if its the senario where we go to a junkyard and pull a motor that was bad.
If you have been watching, Tony has addressed some things like this. On the Junkyard Jet motor they show how they surfaced a cylinder head themselves (I think there are better ways than they demonstrated) but that is typical overheating damage. Deeply Scored cylinder walls and pistons cannot be fixed at home. He covered the necessary examination you should perform for a garage freshening. If parts are not acceptable, The best thing to do is to return to the junk yard and find another core. Around here long blocks are around $200-$300. You will spend much more than that as son as you start trying to replace parts or perform machine work.
Thankyou Uncle Tony for showing us on how to save money on rebuilding a motor and also the other tips in general. I bet a good portion of people watching this channel are operating on a beer budget, keep doing what you are doing and again thankyou for the free information.
Smokey Yunick’s power secrets along with David Vizards how to make horsepower were revered reading when I was young. Combine these books with a specialist book pertaining to your motor and you couldn’t go wrong.
I wish I knew someone like this great man to be an apprentice under and learn over time all the minutia of it. Just sweeping the floors/cleanup duty and listening/watching would be priceless knowledge gained. Thanks for all the videos!
Hey Tony, as usual great info & great video . Sorry but I'm just cheer leading on your behalf , I've never seen anybody other than yourself except for the late George Panela that has such a good understanding of the internal workings of an engine and the special knowledge to assemble one correctly . Thanks , Mark Battista
I recently pulled the original unmolested never been opened 92,000 mile, and it still ran strong , Chevy 350 4bbl engine from my 1972 Chevy C10 pickup. I will be installing a rebuilt, new everything except crank and block, Chevy 400 small block in the truck this Spring. Been thinking about taking the 92k 350 apart and refreshing it as a bucket list thing. This video really hepled me along in that thought process. Love Tonys real world channel..
the know-it-all's are usually correct within a very narrow scope, but sifting out whether that's relevant to my context is difficult Really appreciate the way you address that aspect
Excellent video! This is exactly the kind of stuff needed to have a successful engine rebuild without paying someone else a ton of money to do it AND knowing it was done right.
I'm not sure why some people express their opinions in hurtful ways. Just like everyone else I've been watching TH-cam videos for many years. I've never once sent a toxic comment to anybody. Tony has been working on cars at a high level for years. Instead of us being unkind we can be thankful for him sharing info. Sometimes when we have a miserable day, we might be tempted to take out our unhappiness on people who are trying to enjoy living their life. What if the people who leave unnecessary comments lead Tony to do less videos or stop? That would be very unfortunate. Tony has probably rebuilt over a hundred engines. Maybe 200? If someone like me, who has done less than 4, were to think he / she was an expert it would be a tad silly. If someone sees himself as an expert, he can start his own TH-cam program. There is a reason he has 230K subscribers in only 2-3 years. His life is a testimony that he has earned the reputation as being an expert concerning the topics he covers in his videos. I know it is arrogant of me to share my thoughts so boldly but I want Tony to continue to make videos. It is easy to be discouraged by the haters. There are more than 4 reasons why I like his videos. First, he is extremely knowledgeable. Secondly, he helps people like me who have a tight budget have fun with their cars. Thirdly, he has a cheerful personality which is helpful for us who have a long day and want to watch something informative and peaceful. Fourthly, he is an ordinary person, not a fancy multi-millionaire. People like me who work hard but don't have an expensive lifestyle relate to him. I'm a Christian blue-collar guy who enjoys programs like the ones he does. I film TH-cam videos. I don't read my comments anymore. I have someone else filter them. I don't want to be miserable as a result of immature people expressing their thoughts using unkind wording. I like to hear opinions and advice when it is done in a Christian respectful way. This is how I learn. I learn by listening to nice people sharing their insights. Concerning comments, I have someone who deletes the hate and then I happily respond to the rest. I hope Tony hires someone for a few hours a week to filter the comments before he gets discouraged. This is the only time I have left a comment like this on TH-cam. I hope I have not offended anybody. I wrote this to encourage Tony to keep smiling and doing videos.
Thank you Uncle Tony. Too often youtubers talk about themselves or their commercial supporters in pursuit of dollars. You get straight to the point. Thanks alot.
You brought me back to 1982 and 83 helping out my Uncle freshen up a 1974 Dart Slant 6 and a 1973 SS Chevelle 350 4- bolt main.. I was 15yrs old.. Fun Times.. Thanks Tone..
Great job showing and telling, keep up the good work showing telling its helping to do a good job and not doing it wrong thanks see ya next time see ya bye.
I freshened my 70 455 in my Cutlass 21 years ago still going strong rolling burnouts all day, all new bearings, honed with new rings on stock pistons, it still had cross hatch in the cylinders with no ridge, "freshened" heads, mild cam, although I did use ARP rod bolts😁
Thanks so much for the practical advice - with older 'interesting' engines new parts are either ridiculously expensive or simply unavailable and tossing serviceable parts is extremely wasteful.
I really appreciate videos like these. This is one of the most valuable car videos on line. Having an experienced mechanic go into depth on how to know things like this,is like finding diamonds. This along with the other videos utg has made in the past,and showing cheap little tricks,is what makes this channel so great. I do have one request though, could uncle tony show us how to align our front end at home? On a mopar please. Thanks for this channel tony. Craig Mitchell.
We did the L67 in my Buick. Factory rods are powdered metal forged. Funny thing? ARP bolts & stud kits were less expensive GM. The pistons? The skirts were very short, so bought Mahle pistons with longer skirts. The counter-rotating balance shaft was removed (double roller chain install forced it to be removed & block the oil holes for the CRBS), so the balancing had to be dead nuts. It was not a cheap engine to build, but it is over 7 years on and still rock solid. Runs more boost, an intercooler, better cam, headers, exhaust..
Really good information here, and you’re not going to hear this kind of advice anywhere else. It’s been a very long time since I’ve done one of these rebuilds, but once, they weren’t uncommon. I’m getting all nostalgic for the English Zephyr I rebuilt on the garage floor, minimal tools. It worked great, breathed years of life into the old car, able to climb steep hills that had been impossible before. Really good stuff Tony.
Years ago it amazed me how many guys would send a basic rebuild block to a machine shop to be checked and the crankshaft also. Then you would have the guy that pulled his motor Friday after work pull it apart and by Saturday or Sunday he would be driving it. Maybe put in a cam and intake and had a good running motor.
Some of the guys I know that run pure stock class for dirt track. They give a refresh to their engine every winter. The rules state factory / stock components. Not a loud to have more than a .030 over bore.
Good video. And yes cleaning the block with a torch is right. I have put in lots of rebuilds and any of us who has. Has had to top up oil once or twice because the blocks do absorb it into the cast iron . And lots of people have run hard at the track with these kinds of rebuilds . Because not everyone has big sponsors
I fully agree with the torch your block. I’ve been a welder for many years you always preheat to remove moisture from steel. It’s the easiest way and you cleaned with acetone. No brainer!!
Gonna be rebuilding my chevy 2.5 soon. Dont want to do expensive maching shop work, already spent $500 getting the head done. The engine was good, just broke the fiber timimg gear so decided to pull it. Im gonna enjoy this common sense video. If im wrong, I'll edit it.👍
Admire you UT, probably thousands of people will have your knowledge and skills, but only a few can really explain so clearly and patiently what is going on.
You're 100% the kind of guy I would work on engines with after work every day lmao. I miss the working with an old head big block builder back home. He has forgotten more than I will ever learn.
Being a blacksmith working with railroad bridges and steel drawbridges. Yes steel holds alot of moisture. Anything over 3/4 inch thick has to be preheat before welding due to moisture in it and so the weld cools slowly and becomes less bridle .
Uncle Tony always the best! On a 345 international there was carbon build up behind the top ring formed to the piston pushing the new ring open and not seating always need to inspect👍
UT, First, I recommend not getting upset about these so called “Know It Alls” entering comments on you’re channel. Unfortunately, there are tons of these people on the Internet and it’s not good for you’re blood pressure and health to chase their view of the world. Just thinking about you’re health. I know Kathy would agree. Second, great video on old engine inspection techniques. Really valuable stuff. I realize this is a backyard mechanic type of video on a budget, but if it were me, to have that added insurance, I would have all the piston and rod assemblies X-Rayed to ensure there are no hair line cracks that we cannot see with the naked eye that may develop into bigger cracks later on.
Still loving your come-backs on the comments!!! Sure, we all have certain opinions about things, or certain tricks we use. But when people are just wrong, sometimes you just hafta call it out. I just recently did that, and made a quickie vid and posted it on my channel, just to prove an insistent commentor wrong. Theres just too much disinformation out there...so if you think, but don't KNOW... Shadddup!!! Great vid as always Uncle!!
Tony. Funny you should mention that video that showed lubing the back of the bearings. I saw the same thing and wanted to throw my coffee cup through the monitor. From the looks of the guys shop he is a respected engine builder who should know what he is doing. I am glad to see you doing these videos because what you are doing is passing on knowledge that is dying off in todays world. The skill set you have is rare indeed. Keep it up buddy and keep the back of those bearings DRY!!!!!!!
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Hopefully someone sees this and starts a new generation of interest. Keep it alive.
i got you my bro
its a good explaniti0na about pistons, but the correct is to mesure it.
This video was perfect! I picked up an old ford inline six 144 engine to tinker with and learn on for free, guy was gonna take it to the scrap yard. I think it’s rebuildable, but every book on rebuilding inline sixes includes $1,000 worth of machine shop work. Something I’d like to avoid for a free engine. This video hit the nail on the head
But you get a new engine...making and engine is not easy work...
I made a lot
they mesure and check things that you dont check..
The last video I saw you were working out of what looked to be a storage unit. Now you're in a high ceiling pole building. Nice! Great to see the upgrade! Love your shit
I have 25+ years of experience and training in Automobile Service and Repair. In my opinion, UNCLE TONY IS THE Mechanic to listen to and believe! I can tell by viewing his videos, Uncle Tony is passionate about his work and knows what he is talking about!
i dont knopw whay he call himself uncle,,
You are the only engine guy that I’ve found on TH-cam that relates to me. You do a great job explaining thing to a know nothing like me who wants to learn while not sounding condescending and spend spend spend. You bring the enjoyment to fixing engines up. I’m working on an old 50’s 218 with kids. Watching your vids has allowed me to talk with a little bit of know how with my engine machinist, thank you
Tony the engine whisperer I love it. 😁
Just want to thank you for taking the time to share your knowledge with the rest of us. thanks for not letting the people who "know it all" discourage you from continuing to share.
It's a dying art an its nice to be able to look back on this history lesson from many moons ago an will be here for another generation of gear heads like me
Burning a fresh block with a torch and then priming it with “brush on” rusty metal primer was positively one the best bits of advice from UT!!!
I am an old guy also, I can't stop watching this channel I finally found someone with common sense along with experience keep it up !!!!!!!
some videos are very boring and useless shit, other are good.
I cant tell you how weird it is to not see a sponsored add somewhere in the video. Every channel these days is getting sponsored. I don't really have a problem with it, but its refreshing to see someone truly old school.
Me and my buddies did everything we could to salvage the reusable parts. Nobody had any money, could barely afford fuel. We had older, knowledgeable friends that knew all the tricks to keep cars alive. I had boxes of spare everything in my parents attic. I taught my son and daughter what it really took to keep cars running, now I am doing the same with my grandsons. Good, solid content, Tony!
I am not going to read any of the comments, I am only going to listen to you! Because I want to Freshen up my engine! Thank You for all of your videos. I have learned things I don't think I would live long enough to learn in my own . Thanks once again Lancer
Just started watching your videos, I really like what you say. 1 thing daddy taught me, FYI I'm 62, is break an old ring and use the broken sharp edge to clean and cut imperfections from the grooves. Works better than a groove cutter
I love a good Uncle Tony rant.
This is why I love this channel ! Most of the other ones remind me of why I quit reading car magazines. You start thinking an engine rebuild won't even run unless you spend thousands at the machine shop balancing and blueprinting, don't forget the honing plates! Then stuff in every conceivable aftermarket part made for the motor and top it off with aftermarket heads, and fuel injection.
Too many on some Facebook groups I'm in, think exactly that. Mention a 'freshen up' and cop abuse from all angles. These are not racing groups, just average Joe, classic car groups. Minimum many of those consider are: acid dip, sonic test bores, rebore no matter what, decked, crank grind, expensive pistons ($400 ebay ones not good enough) and the list goes on.
You just described why I quit watching some of the big name car building shows. The average backyard car builder can't afford to put the the kind of money into their engines. They say over and over again "We went to our friends at (insert sponsor name here) and for $3200 we got a (totally unnecessary part for a weekend cruiser)."
@@hershellhodge1814 Most of those are just "credit card builds" like the car magazines started doing years ago. Any idiot with a high balance can order new parts and bolt them together and hire professionals to do their dirty work.
I have zero interest in reading about or watching builds where the only OEM part is the freaking engine block, and I'm at a point in life where I could do that but it just doesn't appeal to me in the least.
The old Volvo wagon in my pic was a blast to build, engine block and heads came out of an old boat. Probably should start driving the thing again, parked it in 18. 😆
@@bobbyz1964 yes! You should drive it!!
I spent $5k building a ford small block. Catastrophic failure out of the gate. Was so burned out I bought a $500 302 out of a grand marquis at a junkyard. Motor has 80k miles on it and runs perfect in my f100. Lesson learned!!
I like how you cut through the crap.
Tony, buddy, pal. NOBODY is watching your videos and then sifting through the comment cesspool for wisdom. It's all above the fold.
If anyone is, they deserve what they get.
Please skip the negativity and just be happy Tony with useful tips. For the sake of those of us who are here for what you've got on offer.
Man, the value you provide in these videos is unbelievable. Just came across your channel and being in the process of one of my first rebuilds - on my own at least. I cannot express how grateful i am for this information! Cheers dude!
Ditto!
You specifically happily showed us Tony. Some people are not listening in class and it shows. 😎
Thank you. No one teaches this stuff but uncle Tony.
Those "Perfectionists" are going to have nightmares thanks to this video😂😂😂 Great content Uncle Tony. I grew up watching/helping the older guys do everything you covered. I usually had to scrub & clean parts, oh boy,
We also used to go get 2 engines from a junkyard and make a running 1 out of the 2 and take the leftovers back for a little money 😏 to go riding around or fishing.
Thank you for mentoring me on the other side of the world
A lot of people cite the work of Smokey Yunick when it comes to rod ratios, but no one seems to even know about David Reher's or Nick Ferri's Pro Stock work on rod ratios... Reher said practically verbatim what Vizard did and Ferri says their rod ratios have gotten shorter over the years... Both of these guys have multiple Pro Stock championships. The longest rod ratio is not always the right answer.
@@AndyGeesGarage If I recall, I think he built that engine with a junkyard 348 crank.
@@johnwilburn he did... Talk about cool stuff!
This is the kind of stuff I was taught in shop class rebuilding engines because students generally can't afford nerw fancy parts all the time. This is what I generally consider a rebuild. Once you start putting in new pistons, heads, magnafluxing the block, that's essentially a new engine build. It's not much different than what the factory would be doing anyways.
Some ppl have different positions on the definition of “rebuilt”
New pistons in an old engine is not a new engine.
Some ppl have different positions on the definition of “rebuilt”
New pistons in an old engine is not a new engine.
@@fastinradfordable He also included magnafluxing the block and new heads. An old block that's been very thoroughly machined with new heads etc would almost feel like new during reassembly. Can't just take one part of a sentence and berate the guy when he's got a point.
"Remanufactured" when buying a reconditioned engine for example includes any industry improvements over the years since it was new, and "rebuilt" means putting it back to original with necessary oem parts. I believe that is the technical difference in marketing.
Back in my youth, rings, bearings and a valve job with a hone job. Maybe cam bearings.
I gotta drop a comment to get UTG higher in the algorithms! UTG national treasure!
That squirrel dude does pretty good.
Ignore the the trolls they have no life ! Sensible people understand and appreciate your content. There is many ways to do things and I really like the options you provide. Thank you UTG keep up the great work.
Tony. We need a whole video of you just going off on some of these comments. I love that shit.
I love this video, so much good info here. We rebuilt my f100 engine very similar to this style of build. It chucked a wrist pin through the cylinder wall of the original 360 FE so I found a couple of 390 FE on fb marketplace and we used the best of what we had to patch together a 390. We re used the original pistons, rods, and rod bolts from one of the 390's bought fresh bearings, polished the original crank.
Put new rings in the pistons and honed the block with a ball hone. One of the 390's had an upgraded comp thumper cam so we re used that with a set of new summit flat tappet lifters. Since we discovered the cam I hoped back on marketplace and scored a Holley street dominator intake for it and finished it off with a vacuum secondary Holley 750 and some long tubes.
People can't believe how well it runs when I tell them nothing saw the machine shop.
We built it almost 3 years ago now and it's still healthy as can be.
Oh we also upgraded the oil pump to a HV unit found in the other 390, and restricted the oil feeds to the rockers to prevent filling the valve covers with oil and pumping the pan dry.
"Hope you got something out of that"
You bet UT. YES I did!
Thank you teach 👍
Don't worry Tony, I've been looking at the skirts for 51 years.. Thanks for the entertaining videos keep em up!
This is exactly what I was taught in small engines class in high school
I looked and I couldn't find this stuff anywhere else. Thanks Tony
This kind of video content is what makes Tony's videos Gold.
This is exactly the type of re fresh i did on my f100, the 360 put a wrist pin through the cylinder wall, so we found a used 390 short block, pulled it apart, flex ball honed, new rings, new bearings, polished crank by hand... the second block we bought came with a upgraded comp thumper flat tappet cam, so we went ahead and ran that as it was small enough to run with the OEM rocker assembly. We upgraded to a HV oil pump and restricted the rocker feeds, we cleaned up the iron head ports with a dremel then lapped the valves. We also got lucky and found a used Holley street dominator intake for it, and a used Holley 750, Topped off with some cheap long tube headers. Probably have 2-3k in the entire ordeal, but it turned out really awesome and I have enough spares to put together a whole spare engine now as soon as I sleeve the original block. The current rotating assembly in my truck is 40+ yrs old original FoMoCo pistons rods and pins, even the original rod bolts...
Still going strong.
Folks asking specific questions should really get a book on the engine they want to rebuild. The Vizard book on small Chevys was amazing to me back in the day. I read and studied that book till it fell apart. I changed pistons, installed cam bearings, etc all with the help of that book. I did it as a teenager working in my mom's garage.
This can be a great project to do at home!
Only read the Vizard book? There was the HP Books How to Hot Rod Small Block Chevys, Bill Jenkins book The Chevrolet Racing engine, then one by Waddell Wilson that guided me in my early days....all great books
@@ericbrandt829 he didn't say ONLY...he said that's what someone gave or sold him years ago and he used.
@@ericbrandt829 I was actually a reader so I would read anything I could get my hands on. The HP books were all pretty good, How to HR SBCs was I think the second book I read. I moved into the BBC series too. I can't say that I read the Wilson book, I should look into that!
I mentioned the Vizard book because it was the onramp to engine work for me and encompassed most aspects of the rebuild.
You can't have too much knowledge, its all good!
@@phoenixrising4573 Very true!! ;)
"How to build max performance small block chevys on a budget" thank you Mr. Vizard 💯
I just came across this channel and enjoy his videos. He is great and how he communicates his knowledge. Im not a mechanic but i am wanting to try rebuilding a motor after learning from Uncle Tony
Been building motors and wrenching in general for a few decades and this guy is a wealth of knowledge. Great info and to the point.
It's videos like this that give me the confidence to build my own ej257
Even though I usually know how the stories end, I like that Tony addresses the comments. This is one of the best comment communities on TH-cam, good job Tony!
I’m getting ready to rebuild my first motor and I’m glad someone like Tony is here to guide first timers. Too many misguiding, loud mouth assholes on the forums.
Your book will be huge. Well done.
I always watch your videos, even if i think i already know the subject. Because i always end up learning something new. Thank you sir
TONY TONY TONY! please ignore the criticisms - I've been watching your channel non-stop for about 18 months and don't even have an American car, let alone a V8. I learn so much from you and enjoy all the funny shit you do - spraying your beard, faking heart attacks, the lot. I believe everything you explain/show us and NEVER pay attention to the conflicting or negative comments. After all, it's YOUR channel I'm watching, not theirs!
If I thought you were wrong I'd have switched off months ago. 😘
Thank your for sharing your decades of experience .
Grumpy Jenkins and Smokey yunick were good old Pennsylvania boys.
These are the best and most informative videos I’ve seen on the internet. Thank you sir for your time
Back in my Day some 30 years ago I had the pleasure of working on cars in HS, I became a lifelong mechanic. I met John Tedder who was a personal favorite because he raced a Mopar, and was on a first name basis with my Voc Auto teacher Tom Allen, at Farmington High school (Michigan) I vaguely remember this same kind of instruction about the inspection of the motors we got to pick and tear down and rebuild in our Voc Auto I, as I was in the hands on kinda learning camp, it was the Most enjoyable morning class I had for the 4 years of HS. As a Senior my self and another student, Bill Critcher (R.I.P.) were independent Study students in Voc Auto III. I fell in love with Motor and Chiltons manuals and have a collection of Hanyes manuals to specific cars too. I still seem to learn some things new every day! And thanks to you Tony I’ve got a little bit of a refresher course today! Thanks for what you Do!
Thanks Tony, it’s good of you to put out true “budget build” info for folks who aren’t dropping large amounts of cash into their projects.
Hastings Rings! Made in Hastings Michigan! My mother in law works there! Company is over 100 years old!
I buy Jegs housebrand Piston rings that are great and Made by Hastings or Muskegon
@Haffschlappe Muskegon ring is no longer in buisness I believe.
One thing I would like to note is that some rod caps, especially Chevy rod caps, will be a tight on the rod bolts. For some engines, this is normal, but it's best to consult with either a factory engine guide or someone who specializes in the engine type for your engine. Each engine has certain nuances to it and Tony's videos are intended as a guide to engine building, not the end all/ be all.
Great Content Tony!
Great point, I was going to say the same thing. I mostly deal with newer engines, but plenty of engines like Honda's K20/K24 have such tightly fitting rod caps that they are a pain to get apart. I'd say if you aren't sure and can't find anything definitive, look for consistency. If they all fit about the same, you are probably alright.
Thanks again for another informative video Uncle Tony. This is the kind of info back yard rebuilders on a budget, for their own street cars need.
For all the know alls who like to scream about everything being bad and wrong, where money is no object, here's a tip. Go make your own videos!
I would love to see you tear apart an engine that has been say overheated or had some issues that the average joe like me would run into and how to tell/fix or replace what is needed. especially if its the senario where we go to a junkyard and pull a motor that was bad.
This is a brilliant idea
If you have been watching, Tony has addressed some things like this. On the Junkyard Jet motor they show how they surfaced a cylinder head themselves (I think there are better ways than they demonstrated) but that is typical overheating damage. Deeply Scored cylinder walls and pistons cannot be fixed at home. He covered the necessary examination you should perform for a garage freshening. If parts are not acceptable, The best thing to do is to return to the junk yard and find another core. Around here long blocks are around $200-$300. You will spend much more than that as son as you start trying to replace parts or perform machine work.
@@professorginz2379 do you think you could post the link or the title so I can find it. Thanks again for the info
Great work BROTHER RESPECT THANK you.
You’re the best Tony !!!
Thankyou Uncle Tony for showing us on how to save money on rebuilding a motor and also the other tips in general. I bet a good portion of people watching this channel are operating on a beer budget, keep doing what you are doing and again thankyou for the free information.
Smokey Yunick’s power secrets along with David Vizards how to make horsepower were revered reading when I was young. Combine these books with a specialist book pertaining to your motor and you couldn’t go wrong.
This is true ⬆️
I wish I knew someone like this great man to be an apprentice under and learn over time all the minutia of it. Just sweeping the floors/cleanup duty and listening/watching would be priceless knowledge gained.
Thanks for all the videos!
I cannot wait to get my pretty rare but used set of pistons for my current project. This was an exceptionally useful content for me. Thank you, UT!
Hey Tony, as usual great info & great video . Sorry but I'm just cheer leading on your behalf , I've never seen anybody other than yourself except for the late George Panela that has such a good understanding of the internal workings of an engine and the special knowledge to assemble one correctly . Thanks , Mark Battista
I recently pulled the original unmolested never been opened 92,000 mile, and it still ran strong , Chevy 350 4bbl engine from my 1972 Chevy C10 pickup. I will be installing a rebuilt, new everything except crank and block, Chevy 400 small block in the truck this Spring. Been thinking about taking the 92k 350 apart and refreshing it as a bucket list thing. This video really hepled me along in that thought process. Love Tonys real world channel..
I just bought a 1976 k20 suburban that has a 400 small block and a turbo 350 it also has the big 14 bolt rearend.
the know-it-all's are usually correct within a very narrow scope, but sifting out whether that's relevant to my context is difficult
Really appreciate the way you address that aspect
Excellent video! This is exactly the kind of stuff needed to have a successful engine rebuild without paying someone else a ton of money to do it AND knowing it was done right.
I’m am so very grateful for this time capsule of knowledge Tony! Thank you
I torched a Triumph TR4a block I was working on yesterday, and your tip WORKED Tony! Thanks.
Your right can't get it anywhere else best Tony thank you
I'm not sure why some people express their opinions in hurtful ways. Just like everyone else I've been watching TH-cam videos for many years. I've never once sent a toxic comment to anybody. Tony has been working on cars at a high level for years. Instead of us being unkind we can be thankful for him sharing info. Sometimes when we have a miserable day, we might be tempted to take out our unhappiness on people who are trying to enjoy living their life. What if the people who leave unnecessary comments lead Tony to do less videos or stop? That would be very unfortunate. Tony has probably rebuilt over a hundred engines. Maybe 200? If someone like me, who has done less than 4, were to think he / she was an expert it would be a tad silly. If someone sees himself as an expert, he can start his own TH-cam program. There is a reason he has 230K subscribers in only 2-3 years. His life is a testimony that he has earned the reputation as being an expert concerning the topics he covers in his videos. I know it is arrogant of me to share my thoughts so boldly but I want Tony to continue to make videos. It is easy to be discouraged by the haters.
There are more than 4 reasons why I like his videos. First, he is extremely knowledgeable. Secondly, he helps people like me who have a tight budget have fun with their cars. Thirdly, he has a cheerful personality which is helpful for us who have a long day and want to watch something informative and peaceful. Fourthly, he is an ordinary person, not a fancy multi-millionaire. People like me who work hard but don't have an expensive lifestyle relate to him. I'm a Christian blue-collar guy who enjoys programs like the ones he does. I film TH-cam videos. I don't read my comments anymore. I have someone else filter them. I don't want to be miserable as a result of immature people expressing their thoughts using unkind wording. I like to hear opinions and advice when it is done in a Christian respectful way. This is how I learn. I learn by listening to nice people sharing their insights. Concerning comments, I have someone who deletes the hate and then I happily respond to the rest. I hope Tony hires someone for a few hours a week to filter the comments before he gets discouraged. This is the only time I have left a comment like this on TH-cam. I hope I have not offended anybody. I wrote this to encourage Tony to keep smiling and doing videos.
Thank you Uncle Tony. Too often youtubers talk about themselves or their commercial supporters in pursuit of dollars. You get straight to the point. Thanks alot.
Man, you get better and better. Long live the {Fe} V8's! As in iron. Love for series 335!!!
Don't forget us tiny little Windsors! Lol
Thanks Tony I got a 68 RT with a 1972 440 in and out of an RV I'm going to put together follow your channel thank you for everything
Love your videos man, thanks!
You brought me back to 1982 and 83 helping out my Uncle freshen up a 1974 Dart Slant 6 and a 1973 SS Chevelle 350 4- bolt main.. I was 15yrs old.. Fun Times.. Thanks Tone..
Great job showing and telling, keep up the good work showing telling its helping to do a good job and not doing it wrong thanks see ya next time see ya bye.
i love how he uses his new videos to respond to his old videos.
I freshened my 70 455 in my Cutlass 21 years ago still going strong rolling burnouts all day, all new bearings, honed with new rings on stock pistons, it still had cross hatch in the cylinders with no ridge, "freshened" heads, mild cam, although I did use ARP rod bolts😁
Thanks so much for the practical advice - with older 'interesting' engines new parts are either ridiculously expensive or simply unavailable and tossing serviceable parts is extremely wasteful.
I really appreciate videos like these. This is one of the most valuable car videos on line. Having an experienced mechanic go into depth on how to know things like this,is like finding diamonds. This along with the other videos utg has made in the past,and showing cheap little tricks,is what makes this channel so great. I do have one request though, could uncle tony show us how to align our front end at home? On a mopar please. Thanks for this channel tony. Craig Mitchell.
We did the L67 in my Buick. Factory rods are powdered metal forged. Funny thing? ARP bolts & stud kits were less expensive GM. The pistons? The skirts were very short, so bought Mahle pistons with longer skirts. The counter-rotating balance shaft was removed (double roller chain install forced it to be removed & block the oil holes for the CRBS), so the balancing had to be dead nuts. It was not a cheap engine to build, but it is over 7 years on and still rock solid. Runs more boost, an intercooler, better cam, headers, exhaust..
Really good information here, and you’re not going to hear this kind of advice anywhere else. It’s been a very long time since I’ve done one of these rebuilds, but once, they weren’t uncommon. I’m getting all nostalgic for the English Zephyr I rebuilt on the garage floor, minimal tools. It worked great, breathed years of life into the old car, able to climb steep hills that had been impossible before. Really good stuff Tony.
Years ago it amazed me how many guys would send a basic rebuild block to a machine shop to be checked and the crankshaft also. Then you would have the guy that pulled his motor Friday after work pull it apart and by Saturday or Sunday he would be driving it. Maybe put in a cam and intake and had a good running motor.
Some of the guys I know that run pure stock class for dirt track. They give a refresh to their engine every winter. The rules state factory / stock components. Not a loud to have more than a .030 over bore.
Good video. And yes cleaning the block with a torch is right. I have put in lots of rebuilds and any of us who has. Has had to top up oil once or twice because the blocks do absorb it into the cast iron . And lots of people have run hard at the track with these kinds of rebuilds . Because not everyone has big sponsors
Tony's right I use a torch to rid scruff I didnt or cant get off stuff.
Love ya man.. Best statement of all " I get a little wrapped up with this stuff".... Its ok. We know.
I fully agree with the torch your block. I’ve been a welder for many years you always preheat to remove moisture from steel. It’s the easiest way and you cleaned with acetone. No brainer!!
Good on ya uncle tony
Keep supporting the diy home gamers
We need all the help we can get…!!!!
Gonna be rebuilding my chevy 2.5 soon. Dont want to do expensive maching shop work, already spent $500 getting the head done. The engine was good, just broke the fiber timimg gear so decided to pull it. Im gonna enjoy this common sense video. If im wrong, I'll edit it.👍
On my top fuel motors I used to file tight ring lands back open. Not if they were crushed a lot, but I had no qualms filing tight lands back open..
My dad and I did the same thing in the 80’s. Dad was a ‘leaker’ Top Fuel guy as Tony calls them haha
Admire you UT, probably thousands of people will have your knowledge and skills, but only a few can really explain so clearly and patiently what is going on.
You're 100% the kind of guy I would work on engines with after work every day lmao. I miss the working with an old head big block builder back home. He has forgotten more than I will ever learn.
Being a blacksmith working with railroad bridges and steel drawbridges. Yes steel holds alot of moisture. Anything over 3/4 inch thick has to be preheat before welding due to moisture in it and so the weld cools slowly and becomes less bridle .
You've gotta decide whether you want comments or not.
It's good that people get involved even if they get it wrong.
I can understand your frustration.
Uncle Tony always the best! On a 345 international there was carbon build up behind the top ring formed to the piston pushing the new ring open and not seating always need to inspect👍
A cheap way to check breakaway torque is to buy an old style beam type torque wrench, they read both ways.
UT, First, I recommend not getting upset about these so called “Know It Alls” entering comments on you’re channel. Unfortunately, there are tons of these people on the Internet and it’s not good for you’re blood pressure and health to chase their view of the world. Just thinking about you’re health. I know Kathy would agree. Second, great video on old engine inspection techniques. Really valuable stuff. I realize this is a backyard mechanic type of video on a budget, but if it were me, to have that added insurance, I would have all the piston and rod assemblies X-Rayed to ensure there are no hair line cracks that we cannot see with the naked eye that may develop into bigger cracks later on.
Very good words of wisdom!!! ‘Oil between bearing and rod, NO NO!’ I’ve heard people doing this and drives me crazy. Thanks!!!
Still loving your come-backs on the comments!!! Sure, we all have certain opinions about things, or certain tricks we use. But when people are just wrong, sometimes you just hafta call it out. I just recently did that, and made a quickie vid and posted it on my channel, just to prove an insistent commentor wrong. Theres just too much disinformation out there...so if you think, but don't KNOW... Shadddup!!!
Great vid as always Uncle!!
Thats exactly what im getting ready to do. Rings, pistons bearings( not mains) new stock heads.
Tony. Funny you should mention that video that showed lubing the back of the bearings. I saw the same thing and wanted to throw my coffee cup through the monitor. From the looks of the guys shop he is a respected engine builder who should know what he is doing. I am glad to see you doing these videos because what you are doing is passing on knowledge that is dying off in todays world. The skill set you have is rare indeed. Keep it up buddy and keep the back of those bearings DRY!!!!!!!
UT, my 65 Grocery Go-Getter thanks you!!!!! This is the stuff I need!!
I just love your honesty and positive attitude! Thanks Tony