The Hidden Plug that Could Wreck your Engine! SBC Build
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 28 มี.ค. 2023
- The hidden plug that could cost you an engine! Tech Tip for building a SBC. This is something you need to know about and need to check, or serious engine damage can result.
Factory blocks have a hidden gallery plug that needs to be checked and should be removed for proper block cleaning.
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Great information! I bet most average guys doing their own work for the first time did not know this! You may have just saved some folks some heartache.
great tip for sure! One can also tap out the boss and install a pipe plug so theres no worry of it ever popping out, similar to oil galley plugs by camshaft. Thanks for sharing!
It almost did
The factory plug was inside still i didnt even know it was inside it and i put the flush mount abd relized on my stand i had zero oil pressure and checkef the fliter it was dry i even measured the hole depth from top to the plug it was good athe i relized that i out 2 plugs and jt was mine thst plugged the oil pressure
That god for my oil presure tool
That saved my engihe
Machine shop removed mine never replaced it, never even knew it was there after several other SBC builds. Well 2 camshafts and couple of pushrods through the rocker arms later read about this plug on line, Took the crank out then rear bearing cap and no plug down in there. There is now on this rebuild never to be overlooked again..
Sorry to hear that man! That sounds like a nightmare. But that's exactly why I made this video. Hopefully, it helps a few guys out there and prevents trashing some new engines.
I think David Vizard mentions this in one of his SB Chev how-to books. He said a lot of shops don't knock them out when they tank blocks. Seems to me my frost plug kit didn't come with a replacement so I had to scrounge one too!
I can't understand why more SBC builds don't mention this. It's imperative that it be in the block. My first build the machinist put in the cam bearings and the hidden plug without asking. This is a guy I had dealt with for customer heads for a while so I knew him. When I asked about the plug and bearings he said he always does that. Kinda gave me the mechanic shrug. I take them out and gun brush all the galleries now. ps. for extra credit, galleys are boat kitchens, galleries are passages. Like for oil.
Never had a problem all these years of not taking that plug out. I course I jet wash all blocks and run brushes thru and air. If gunk is removed from this before machining and block is recleaned after, it will be fine. But if you remove you better install perfectly. WOULD NOT tap for threaded plug! Too many think they're doing something great and end up even worse. This plug serves the same purpose as the plastic barbell looking plug in the LS engines.
Yeah im not sure why some want to tap them. They install nicely, and theres a step in the block where the plug stops, but its a good idea to meausre and record the depth before the plug is removed. You are correct it does the exact same thing as the bar bell in the LS engines
Very important tech tip for sure , by the way the small block Chrysler has that plug too a friend of mine left that plug out of his 360 it didn't take too long for it to wipe out the bearings .
Yeah man, such an easily overlooked plug that's soo important. Gotta wonder how many new engines have failed early because of it being forgotten
Great tip. Saving all these vids for future reference. Thank you and keep it going
Thanks Jerry!
Wow! Great tip!
great info👍
Thanks for the Video....First I ever heard about that Thanks for the Tip...
Alot of guys dont know about it, it seems. I actually decided to make the video after having a conversation with a 45+ year hotrod mechanic friend who looked at me like I had two heads when I talked about not forgetting the gallery plug under the rear mian cap. He was freaked right out when I showed him
Well...I've been in to this since I was a kid and never ever heard of that plug. I bought two kit SB motors from PAW when they were still in business. One of them has 80k on it and I gotta say if its been running without filtered oil I'm going to be pissed. Its stored out of the car now so I can't check, but I will when I go to use it again. The other is long gone.
@Lang Strimpel they dont last long without it, so i can almost guarantee its in there with 80k on
@@cuttersperformance Well thanks for the positive outlook...Its going to be a while before I do the refresh, but I will know to look now...Thanks Again.
Never knew that thx …
what about telling us how far to fit the new one back in......
I recommend measuring your old before removal for reference, but there is a step where it will stop in the gallery
@@cuttersperformance Awesome thanks😃
Well I’m a dummy but if you don’t remove the plug and the it’s always been there what’s the Harm in just not touching it ?
Just the potential of not getting debris out of the passage
Do you address l31 timing covers and gears? I have stock style gears and have a new stock plastic cover. Can I run a balancer of a older engine or is the length different with the gears do I have to run the l31 balancer. I have already purchased and installed the timing gear set and wanted to use them with this build for a 80s caprice.
I do have a video about this coming up
I`ve seen that plug cause more trouble with more people than you can shake a stick at. There`s different sizes for different series of sbc`s. and driving it in to the wrong depth can have bad consequences to say the least. Another plug I hate is the one half-way under the cylinder head. I`ve seen and had them leak myself. You`re the first person to even mention it.
Are you talking about the water jacket drain plug near the oil pan on the outside of the block?
@@PapawCulberson no sir, the one under the main bearing cap. When removed you can see out the oil pressure hole under the distributor at the top of the block
Curious on some of the newer SBC blocks they have a ball bearing in place of that plug. Can you replace the ball bearing with the plug and vice versa?
It's not a ball bearing it just looks like one because you are looking at the radius side. It will knock out and you will see it is in fact a plug. A ball bearing would not stay there, the expansion of the plug keeps it in place. You are better off doing this: th-cam.com/video/jr5iDVAzxxg/w-d-xo.html
I've never seen a ball bearing used on these old girls, but I have seen that done on modern aluminum engines
@@michaeldose2041 some of the newer blocks are actually a ball bearing, I physically removed one myself on my 880 block. Doing some research I read it’s common in some of the the newer blocks. I just ended up putting it back in. But I am curious if it coulda been replaced with a normal plug.
Very interesting, Ive done quite a few 880 blocks and haven't come across that yet
@@Cerridius I don't like the cups, I understand they work but why take the chance? It takes a minimum investment in time and money.
It is important to knock that plug out to make sure you remove any trapped contaminants. What I did with mine is use a 1/4 pipe tap to tap the hole and screw in a 1/4 pipe plug. Much more reliable for that critical function. Here is an old video for reference: th-cam.com/video/jr5iDVAzxxg/w-d-xo.html
You can tap it if you want just like the front and rear plugs. But unlike all the other gallery plugs, it actually has bias pressure pushing it into place so it would be very unlikely for it to pop out move if installed correctly
@@cuttersperformance GM made millions of small blocks, they aren't known for spitting out their oil plugs. That said, given the minimum in time and money to thread it in. It eliminates the ''if'' in installed correctly.
So how is it reinstalled.???
Installs like a regular gallery plug. It does have a step in tue gallery where it will stop, but it's a good idea to measure and note the depth from the cap side prior to removal so you can verify the new one is seated
What you recomended new or just clean the old one ?
Install a new one. Also a good idea to write the down depth of the original from the cap side. Install the new plug to that depth and blow air through the passages to verify proper flow
@@cuttersperformance do you have a part number for that plug sorry but am doing my first build so am not a profesional
I dont have a part number, but its just a 29/64ths gallery plug that comes in a full freeze plug kit for sbc.
@@cuttersperformance ohh ok got it thank you man
Should have a video to properly put it back in so it doesn't fall down when you have it all back together 4000 miles down the road!
Did that happen to you? or are you just worried it will? Haha
@@cuttersperformance Nope didn't happen but could see a potential problem if it decides to leave the chat if not installed correctly!
That plug is a ball bearing. I never seen a block that had a threaded plug
They are a press in gallery plug like the front plugs. Some claim that some late blocks use a ball bearing, but I have yet to see that on an 880 block that I've done.
I read to flush mount the plug and that casuse zero oil pressure
Yiu need to mark tge depth from the top i cant remember the measure
I almost wrecked it
O geez yeah that would block off all oil pressure
OPPPPPS
Hey pat you happen to know the camshaft intake and exhaust lift on a factory 1998 sbc 350 vortec zz4 cam factory specs I’m trying to compare it to say a lt4 hot cam
Like a zz4 crate motor cam? or a 98 L31 stock cam?
@@cuttersperformance 98 l31 880 block came with 062 vortec heads this is all my factory stuff im naming I just can’t find any specs on the cam
But I assumed that was a zz4 motor cause the truck I yanked it out of had z71 on the quarters of the bed
A zz4 is a crate engine with aluminum heads. It sounds like you have the L31, which is what that truck would have from the factory
L31 cam specs
Advertised Exhaust Duration 263
Advertised Intake Duration 261
Exhaust Duration at .050 194
Exhaust Valve Lift 0.428"
Intake Duration at .050 191
Intake Valve Lift 0.414"
LSA 111