Here is the one thing I completely respect "Uncle" Tony for- he loves his vintage Mopars, but never fails to acknowledge the positives/benefits/good things from GM, Ford, whomever....not a blind-ass, arrogant "Fan boy" type
@Richard Hiller Anything Dodge/Jeep/"Mopar" these days is, in the end, a FIAT product- but soon to be a PSA/FIAT product...and neither the Italians or French have been know for reliability, durability or resale with the vast majority of their products. It's a shame, but reality "Is what it is."
Richard Hiller There’s absolutely NOTHING preventing a new Challenger from going 200k and more. Even a Hellcat/Redeye/Demon with their monster power can and will make 200k+ with absolute ease and nary a hint of a problem. Somebody done rung your stupid bell
@@moparproud3978 While I like puttering around with old Mopar stuff, I won't touch anything of theirs made in the "Modern" era. They have acres of issues, and I don't see them becoming a Franco-Italian Auto company as a positive. Neither PSA or FIAT have ever been known for their quality or longevity- and they are not an American company, haven't been since '97. www.hotcars.com/problems-every-fiat-chrysler-car-has-and-drivers-shouldnt-ignore/
I was in high school from 73 to 76. Steve Ray's father had Ray's Auto Wrecking. The cops drove 440s in Polaras, so did the CHPs. Motors for $50 to $100. If you could get a motor with 80 to a hundred thousand miles on it. They were loose, so all you had to do is add a Isky cam, a torker intake, 780 Holley double Pumper, and Hooker fender well Headers. Stuff it in a 67 notchback Cuda. Cheater slicks. Smokey toasty. You could punch it at 60 and it would jump sideways. 440 six pack- complete, from the air cleaner to the pan, $1500. You could just wait for your friend to stack it. The windage tray, reduced the probability of spinning a bearing while doing donuts. We loved windage trays..
eric heine, Damn Son, you just gave me a Genuine PTSD. Flashback!!! Well Done! Back in 73 to 76, I’d had done 3 tours in Vietnam as an F4 fighter pilot and did my part to make us G.I.’s hated! SEMPER-FI!
this was the "LS with a cam" of its day. The cop engines at least got regular maintanance, and all carbon was "Blown out". otherwise, a general engine with 80K was in the junkyard for a reason :) Steep rear gears, thick piston rings, and parafin wax in the oil....gas stations had repair garages, not convenience stores, due to the amount of repair work needed. Up in the rust belt, tho, there was a chance the engine ended up in the junkyard because the car rusted out first, or the gas crisis of 1973 made someone toss the gas guzzler since the dealer didn't want it either.
hell 440 h/o fury 3 had a couple myself black with gray interior,as i remember it from 60 to 150 mph just plain fun usally wen u got up in the morning we would need at least 2 new tires that was the fun gauge,thanks fer the reminder
The #4 reason junk yard engines are desirable. It's already broken in and well tested. Dyno tests are good but there is nothing like putting a 100k plus miles and a few thousand thermal cycles on an engine to prove it was well built. There is something about a stock factory built motor and its durability and reliability that is hard to beat.
Uncle Tony's Garage Most I ever got was around 300 back then too. Of course that was SBC on a budget getting parts at swap meets and junkyard. No internet for advice or research. It was a very expensive task back then to achieve those numbers for most of us.
I was gonna say same thing uncle tony did I had a car in high school in the the late 90s early 00s that ended up making 340hp on a chassis dyno and there were plenty older guys with cars they had built in the 80s way fast than that thing was
When we were young lots of us got misled, too. Kid I went to school with was selling a Chevelle claimed to be a 327 with 2 x 4bbl. Well, my cousin, the 'vette expert, did a PPI for a family friend that was interested in the car. Thurns out it was a 283 GM Marine block and the linkage was so messed up that only the primaries on the rear carb were operational. (think how happy the intake valves were about that). So, absolutely no knock on Chump or Jim but when we were 17-19 dat's da best some of us could do with only here say "technical help"
The 5.2L/5.9L Magnums are also great junkyard engines for lots of power on the cheap. I have a 5.9L in my '70 Duster, high-mileage block with nothing replaced other than rod bearings (old ones had copper showing). Runs like a beast with ported Edelbrocks and custom-grind hydraulic roller cam, you can even reuse the old lifters if they're in good shape. If you happen to get one made before about 1996 it will even still have the oil passage drilled to feed the rocker shafts on LA heads so totally interchangeable.
Ive always wondered about those magnums. 318 and 360 ci right? I remember them being really solid in stock form and at one point a long time ago heard about aftermarket alum heads for them.
I drove a stock 2002 Silverado for years, then after seeing a turbo LS video on youtube I was like "Wait my truck has that same engine in it" fast forward a few years that once stock Silverado now makes 700rwhp lol
How could anyone thumbs down this video? I'm not an LS fan myself but they are a tough engine and He's right about a worn engine being a "happy engine" all the slightest misalignment is gone and the building flaws such as assembly scratches are worn away the stress points are gone and the cast iron and aluminum parts are all normalized and it's pure harmony! Keep up the good work UTG great video!
Once again Uncle Tony holds the key. Understanding How Things Work! The kind of practical knowledge he holds is the real secret to success. At anything. Not often shared for free! This is an amazing channel.
Yeah sure Mr.Jetson they haven't even cured the common cold and you're dreaming that your kids will be flying space ships in 20-30 years ... they are far more likely to be riding a bus .
@@albertgaspar627 Well at the rate we're going now they'll be pulling a rickshaw with a tracking device in them and you'll be telling your kids about the day when the democrats used a flu like cold virus a stepping stone to strip away their constitutional rights .
@@yerwrng used to work in receiving, i was surprised the day i found out the pallets had gps trackers b/c it was cheaper than to lose one and buy another. The dems are the least of your worries, everyone's using this pandemic to hone their drone skills to track people via their phones, test their temps from the sky, and face recognize who they've been with after looking them up on CCTV. Its the USA PATRIOT ACT all over again, as scared people throw away their rights for a temporary problem. just don't swallow disinfectant. Those kids who did tide pods last year were not ahead of the curve :)
"Rode hard and put up wet" separates the wheat from the chaff. Those monday and friday assembled mills already gave up the ghost, the wednesdays survive so the drag necromancers can build zombie rocket ships, lol
I had a junkyard 318 in the early 00s that we were shoving 20psi into on the track and it lasted a few hard years of drifting, autocross and being daily driven. Finally died when the carb picked up trash and leaned out melting piston lol
Back in the 80’s my buddy’s dad used to say a school bus engine was properly Stress Relieved. Seasoned Was his other word. He used to race and he liked the Chevy 400 small block found in a school bus for all the reasons you’re getting at. Keep the videos up Uncle Tony!
Aye man props for admitting when things are better, I’m a rotary guy myself and I grew up on small block v8’s but I don’t ever try to shit on other platforms because they are all great at different things, but god damn some people are butthurt over ls engines
@@frigglebiscuit7484 So what? Ya don't think there's just as many guys obsessed over Fords, Mopar, AMC, or even foreign makes? Brady Arnold is a man who has his head screwed on straight. I've never even owned an LS myself, but there's no denying they are plentiful, cheap, and tons of aftermarket support to make real power.
I've never even owned an LS myself.......only raced SB Chevy's and Fords at my family's drag strip decades ago. But you're right, it's a damned shame to see a bunch of grown men ( or they pretend to be on the internet ) get all jacked out of shape over something that someone else likes or runs. And there's no denying GM knocked it out of the park when they produced the LS engines. I'm like you Bro, I like and appreciate them all.
@@bentboybbz Exactly. Same here. Yet I'm already being attacked by 2 "Mopar or no car" guys in another thread under this video, because one of em said "leave the LS for the kids". One is calling me "LS BOY"......that's awful damned funny, because I've never owned an LS myself. Like a bunch of junior high cheerleaders waving their pom poms and picking on whoever "ain't on their cheerleading squad".......enough already.
wrecker Jonny can’t find them in the wreckers anymore at least not up here in Saskatchewan. Over the years I knew that would happen. So I grabbed what I could. Have let some go but I’ll be keeping these
@@Welcometofacsistube that's what I been doing . Grabbing every big block I can get. I have an older gentleman that has an A100 pickup with a big block and a blower on it. He's letting go of his stash in spring so I have to wait for him to migrate back from Florida in late spring. Already have my foot in the door .
I don't care about boost but I do care about power. I'm a GM guy myself, but I actually like most brands. Right now, I have seven 400 small block Chevy blocks, a few 454s (and 2 more in the "negotiation stage"), and a couple 360 Mopars on the shelves just waiting for projects to give them a new home. The sole 302 Ford I have is currently mocked up in my Ranger project. I think the reason that I don't care about boost is because I've never had a blown or turbo engine. I'm sure experience would change my mind pretty quick though!
Hal 1000 I can believe it. Low compression goes hand in hand with supercharging. I wonder if/how much work was done on the heads. If they were stock, imagine how it would run with head work done!
I was reading David Reher's tech articles in high school. He has long been a proponent of looser tolerances to make a high powered engine happy under load. He would always run bigger piston skirt clearances and scotch-brite or even mismatch bearings halves to get that looser fit on the crank. Of course, lots of ring gap, always erring on the big side. Loose engines are happier.
Yes, that’s certainly true. And tolerance is not directly synonymous with clearance. I was referring only to the virtues of erring on the cautious side of clearances in many places, but yes, a zero ring gap is perfect, but we all know what happens when it binds. And yes, excessive valve guide clearance wears on an exponential curve and that’s not god for anything. So, no... more clearance on everything isn’t good, but liberal clearances are better in more applications than some people would give them credit.
Very well said. I ran junk yard 360’s in my circle track cars for years just for this reason and i had a very small budget. Slap a set of J heads on and did very well. Once i could afford to build my motors, i built them with very loose tolerances and kicked butt.
I was surprised some years back by one of my machinist, without taking off any stock from cap faces he machined the mains and rods to stock specs. He explained that heating and cooling actually shrinks the parts over time and cycles. I should have known about this as I used to make patterns for foundry work. He foundries will cast parts then leave them outside for several years to season before sending them to the machinist. When the machining is complete it will stay true. Awesome work and Mopar to you from the high plains of Texas.
Thirsty too. A buddy bought a 65 pickup with a 390 in it. Late 80s in high school and we put 175$ in gas in it the first week. Yea you gotta cruise around a little but wow she's a thirsty girl.
i had a 69 merc with a 390..over heated it real bad..it wouldnt even shut off..kept dieseling ...when it finally shut off,,,it made all kinds of cracking and popping noises...so bad it rocked the car everytime it made a noise just sitting there...after it cooled i dorve it to my garage,,put a new rad in it...and it was fine..never hurt the motor...and i street raced it and all out abused it,...it never died ,,,remember..fear begins with ,F,E,
Sam Hagins ya as far as any big block ford I’ve had experience with I’d have to agree my buddy had a 67 galaxy with a 390 he added a eddy intake and matching cam and some long tubes to it and it woke that 390 up I loved driving that thing. Then he got the opportunity to get 3 428 CJ motors so he jumped on it and then swapped on of them into the galaxy with a custom ground comp cam and a factory tri power intake and I swear the 390 was still faster I wish he had ran the car with the 390 with our buddy’s gtech thing to get a estimate of what it was gonna run in the 1/4 cuz it was still in the 15s with the CJ motor
So... the fact it takes me several years to get a built engine installed and plumbed up doesn't mean I'm slow, I'm just seasoning the block! I love it!
I am a AKM (AK47 rifle) guy. I just realized a lot of why I love that rifle carries over to my love of old vehicles (especially Mopar). Well engineered, better with age, and adds character, and loose tolerances that despite negatively impacting accuracy in the case of rifles, it drastically improves reliability especially under harsh conditions, and when it counts the most. Thanks for the great content.
I really appreciate your channel Uncle Tony. I've been watching for a few weeks now and I have learned so much from you. I love absorbing all of your experience and information through your videos. It's great to just light up a smoke and sit back and learn from guys like you. Keep it up man
my uncle who builds pulling tractor in Europa told me once that BMW used to buy only used engines for racing because it was loose and seasoned great story UTG
ZIGgassedUP, heck yes, about .003 on the mains and .0035 on the rods. Add a high volume, high pressure Mellings oil pump to cushion the clearances and you were “shifting in high cotton” Old South Georgia term!
I have been into cars all my life. This is the first time I have heard an explanation like this. I have always wondered why a fresh built high dollar engine would shit the bed when a well used cheap 350 smokes fools all day and twice on Sunday. Now I'm thinking of that Roadrunner with a stockish 440, cam and blower that runs down the strip time after time happy as can be.
My bearings checked out. Not even gonna bother checking rings - it's got about 150k miles on it, and you can count on them being gapped enough for what I'm doing. The 5.3 otoh is getting bearings and rings (and gapped for nitrous) - I think it was knocking when I got it.
How true it is the LS architecture is phenomenal combined with the electronics just imagine if you can go back to the 60s with one of these LS powered vehicles it will be a Slaughter!......
You would have to go back with a bunch of today's power adders as well. You forget all the 1-plus HP per cube engines available back then. Also, remember the architecture of the Early BBC and Chrysler Hemi are still at the top of the HP heap today...10,000 horse and up
This spring I'm taking all my SBC parts to the swap meets and getting rid of them. Keeping just the parts to build my old faithful 327 one last time. I picked up a 6.0 LS engine from a school bus and planning my next project around the LS.
Work with a guy years ago who said he spent time with big daddy Don G and all ways believe motors should be tightly built but Big Daddy showed him a thing or two and one of them was to have a loose motor Never knew why but he impress me with a few tricks i Thanks Tom i hear years ago of letting blocks set out side to cure them and never knew why
Per other manufacture stories (Jaguar) - they used to cast their blocks during the XX season so they could be seasoned and ready for machining six months later. I also heard that BMW and their 1500 hp 80's F1 motor was nothing more than a 2002 engine that turbos were bolted to. Rumor (per youtube story) stated that they would get these used blocks set them outside for seasoning....and urinate on them to continue the seasoning. Like the channel and how knowledgeable you are....Thanks for making the videos!
circle track guys would put in a nasty cam and port the heads. Favorite was a 350 chevy from a truck 4 bolt main ,z28 oil pump and windage tray. When it blew just swap the parts to another one.
I am super grateful for the Ls motor. I grew up in the 90’s an there was no power to be had unless u had lots of money in your setup. I recently made 507whp 6.0ls hot cam and a cheap powerdyne blower, I had 500$ in the whole motor setup.
We messed with turbos and nitrous back in the 70's long before it was fashionable. The learning curve was steep, but what great fun it was other than leaving crankshafts laying in the street. You could buy 454 truck motors for next to nothing and they lived longer than they should have for all the reasons you stated.
Exactly as you said, the Formula Ford guys used to leave their blocks out in the weather to season them. Some chose to short-circuit the process by overheating them. then overboring and rebuilding.
I remember going to the local speed shop and they had tons of pallets with blocks standing front side down. I asked the engine guy why they were just rusting away, and said “those are the best blocks money can buy. There’s a reason my engines win and don’t come back”. He would buy up every standard bore big 3 block he could find and once a year rotate the pallets so the oldest ones were up front. After an acid bath, he deburred and polished every block by hand.
Hi Uncle Tony, I recall that BMW Formula One engines in the 1980s turbo era developed around 1500hp in qualifying tune from 1.5 litres. The engines were built on standard BMW 1500 four cylinder blocks pulled from the highest mileage old road cars they could find, including from wrecking yards. They did that as they were seasoned or stress relieved from years of use. Thanks again for a fascinating video.
Omg i just learned so much, PLEASE keep making these videos. Im 23 and rebuilding my dodge 5.9 360 and trans for my pickup truck, love learning in ways i can actually understand.
"Seasoned" aka stress relieved. I had the three in a bit different order than you related, but the same three. I could never convince my dad that the ring gaps and clearances were too tight for the performance engines we built....they ran ok, but i thought they were capable of much more than we got out of them.
My experience reinforces all of Tony's comments. I have strapped a junk yard Turbo onto a 1.8l Honda non-vtec with 200k on it . Had an 89' 5.0 trunk with every bolt on and same mileage. Both cars got smashed on every day ... the Honda w/ just cams , intake and a good tune Made almost 300 whp for years and the Ford did more . Both motors remain legends in my circle to this day .... All for the beatings they took and never gave in .
Great Info ,Henry Ford Used To Bury Blocks Next To The Railroad For The Vibration From The Trains ,Plus the Heating And Cooling Cycles From The Weather ,Enjoy Your Videos ,Thank You !!!
my dads 72 Plymouth satellite.... 440 making about 425 that was a SERIOUS engine back when i was a kid.... and im only 25! 425hp is still a LOT of power.... especially in a 72 Plymouth with a 25 year old behind the wheel lol
There's an article HotRod magazine wrote years ago about twin turboing a 4.8 where it was assembled with all its junkyard parts except they re-gapped the top rings to .040 for expansion at the 1200hp level.
Back in the early 90s I think and late 80s my uncle owned a speed shop down here in Pensacola Florida. He always had blocks laying around. I always thought they was bad. He would say not the correct season for them. Makes since I get it finally. Yehawww
Ls's are great engines and all but I still love the old school small block Chevy, especially a 400 block with a 350 crank (377) ;) Have always had a sweet spot for Mopars too my mom had a 66 belvedere and a 66 fury when I was a kid
I just got a chance to finish this video. I agree seasoning the engine is very important. As long as it’s running well I find cars or trucks with engines at over 200,000 miles especially work trucks that run every day. The 6.0 LS/LQ4 for the Buick GS was out of a work truck with 195,000 miles on it. The 1uzfe for my Toyota supra has 220,000. The I had the 1uzfe laser scanned and it was with in .002 within manufacturers specification
I was just thinking about throwing a turbo on a 5.9 magnum engine I got in my garage. This really makes me want to do it now. With 7-10 psi the thing will probably live for a good while with no problems. Now I gotta make myself pull the 318 out of my charger to swap it.
BMW's first turbo F1 cars were built using junkyard 1.8L four cylinders. Legend has it that when they first decided to enter the game; The engineers put the bare used blocks behind their building and pissed on them for a year before machining.
The two great designs built into the LS are, one, the large ports. As everyone knows. The irony is the Pontiac 350 has a similar bore and stroke (and shares a long connecting rod length with the LS, relative to say a first gen chevy small block or ford windsor), which most people think is too small (under 4 inches) and that shrouds the valves. But the LS has a tall, cathedral window shaped port and of course, where does most of the air flow in a port? near the top. The second, which few notice, is the Y block design. When GM does an aluminum block, it does a deep skirt Y block design for strength (the Buick's Grand National V6 has the same design, not copied over in their FWD V6 design of same displacement, because they got the V6 from their 215 aluminum block of 1962). That increase in crankcase volume (just like a big block Mopar) means that as the piston races down to BDC, it acts like a parachute (For want of a better description) and compresses the air/aerated oil inside the crankcase. On a smaller crankcase volume like most small blocks, there's not a lot of room, so compressing this mass of "atmosphere" offers resistance to the piston. Some engines like the new Shelby Mustangs have holes in the main webs to let the compressed atmosphere escape. But a deep skirt block design has more volume to disperse the compression.
I was under the impression that, as all pistions go down, another on the crank is going up right next to it, giving the air a place to go. (Even on a crap design) I just feel like When you pull off a oil pan the crank is not submerged, allowing the air in the case to go between pistions, or ventilate the breather? I don't claim to know, just what I always assumed.
@@drewdavis239 at a slow engine speed, your theory is correct. at a higher speed, its happening too often. Like Lassi said, the roadtube (on old cars from the 1960's) and crankcase ventilation systems on later cars keep the oil dipstick from shooting out its tube from the pressure created by the pistons compressing the air inside a tight crankcase.
From what I have seen and read on the LS motor ;the engineers took all the faults and advantages from the big block and small block motors and merged them; The most important it, can BREATHE deeply without going to an overhead cam setup ; they are sealed well which makes boosting it easier. they are also very compact and light for given power level.
First person to bring up seasoning in a long time. Other known as "work hardened block" I've always said, if it makes it to 500,000 miles it'll make it to a million miles lol. (talking about the rotating assembly, obviously springs and chains stretch over time) Oh one more secret for you comment section scavengers: Loose is fast! < thats million dollar advice.. your welcome.
Tony you are dead on... A Loose Motor is a happy motor! Some of the best running engines I have ever seen... Where put together in a back yard "sometimes on the ground" and you can apply the LS logic to any late model engine and have the same result! Mod motor, Gen III Hemi, I have seen a 360 Magnum make crazy power with boost!
I dig anything that's got a reputation for being stout wether it be 4 bangers, inline six's, v8's, diesels etc. Even underdogs that most people crap on but keep chugging . Cheers to all the ICE'S out there that reliably keep ya going whatever your into!
Keep in mind ring gap doesnt enlarge as much on newer engines. You open up a 200k LS and ring gap can still be around .015. Doesnt happen all the time but not good for boost.
@silverbird58 the top ring is a compression ring and doesnt have to do with the oil. You open up the compression ring so under boost it doesn't expand, touch, and turn the top of the piston into glitter
Tony you ain't lying one bit lol we took a 383 with a million miles on it ..my uncle had sitting for 27 years the 383 is 0 deck 906 heads stock engine so just for kicks we installed a turbo gt45 from Ebay 8lbs of boots and a 150 shot makes gobs of power it's still living the damb thing runs 10s all day long in a stock Saratoga lol now that's crazy...
YES! Uncle Tony! Thank you for this explanation! The new Hemi's are great but most people when they build up there Hellcat don't understand two things... 1. The fuel rail design sucks and along with the fuel pump has been known to under deliver fuel to cylinders 2 and 7. 2. The ring lands explode when the heat and pressure expand and buckle the rings. Add the first factor to this equation and you got yourself a boat anchor. Fix these by tearing the engine down and adding ring end gap and slightly rounding off the sharp edges of the rings, then add the dual fuel pump setup thats readily available and a larger fuel line and aftermarket equalized pressure fuel rail. Plus some oversized injectors...
I gotta say I'm happy with my high mileage LS in my S10. It might not make 1,000hp but it's plenty happy to get the truck moving and get all sorts of heads turned. It's a bit of a sleeper, right down to the faux tailpipe. If you look in the right spot you can see a bit of the stainless headers 😁
I would say in addition to the fact that the LS basically has a factory girdled bottom end to withstand lots of power the fact that it comes with much better flowing heads so it takes a lot less to get more power.
Uncle Tony I give you props bro, you give credit where credit is due. I'm the same way. I'm a mopar guy through thick an thin, but I'm a closet oldsmobile lover. I love all cars that someone put heart into, cuz I understand an respect the work an busted knuckles that comes with it! I ain't no f**kin' player hater!! Lol another good one Uncle Tony! P.S. your right a loos engine is a happy engine.👍👍👍👍
Most people don't know that the LS engine platform was designed by a Ford engineer in the early 90s. Ford rejected the design as they wanted to move away from pushrod engines and into OHC designs, so the engineer sold the design to GM, and the tradition of Chevy having the most popular hot rod engine continues...
our taxi cabs in Australia predominantly ran ford barra engines on LPG so our junkyard speed scene is a little different though LS engines exist here too. I feel Uncle Tony might shine towards the straight 6 if given the choice though.
Back in the mid 80s when Formula 1 was running 1400hp 1.5 litre engines, Brabham was running BMW engines. The engines that BMW were building for them were running junkyard blocks from BMW 2002s for this reason. They weren't using the internals, but they found the seasoned blocks latest longer than new ones at 80psi.
Yes!! Loosey goosey never got stuck, LOL. Not too many people know about the seasoning thing. The old timer marine engine builders love those engines. You hear stories on how they unburied the engine half sunk in the ground and had it machined up to new, that the engine will never blow up because the block is harder then nails , LOL.
I never knew that the rings were significantly hotter than the cylinder walls. Well, at least the top ring. But it makes sense, especially when the engine is producing so much horsepower. Eric
Tony, back in the day before computers were used to design engines engineers used. Slide rules they knew that the materials meet a certain specification at a Minimum! Junk yard engines have been gone through many heat cold cycles. They’ve reached there ultimate strength!
This guy is just full of useful knowledge.
MattW , yes he does.
Here is the one thing I completely respect "Uncle" Tony for- he loves his vintage Mopars, but never fails to acknowledge the positives/benefits/good things from GM, Ford, whomever....not a blind-ass, arrogant "Fan boy" type
olikat8, Yes, you are so correct! There’s enough Arseholes on the net to go around!
@Richard Hiller Anything Dodge/Jeep/"Mopar" these days is, in the end, a FIAT product- but soon to be a PSA/FIAT product...and neither the Italians or French have been know for reliability, durability or resale with the vast majority of their products. It's a shame, but reality "Is what it is."
A true car guy is exactly that " a car guy" .They appreciate all brands. Others are not car guys but brand only car guys.
Richard Hiller There’s absolutely NOTHING preventing a new Challenger from going 200k and more. Even a Hellcat/Redeye/Demon with their monster power can and will make 200k+ with absolute ease and nary a hint of a problem. Somebody done rung your stupid bell
@@moparproud3978 While I like puttering around with old Mopar stuff, I won't touch anything of theirs made in the "Modern" era. They have acres of issues, and I don't see them becoming a Franco-Italian Auto company as a positive. Neither PSA or FIAT have ever been known for their quality or longevity- and they are not an American company, haven't been since '97. www.hotcars.com/problems-every-fiat-chrysler-car-has-and-drivers-shouldnt-ignore/
I was in high school from 73 to 76.
Steve Ray's father had Ray's Auto Wrecking. The cops drove 440s in
Polaras, so did the CHPs. Motors for $50 to $100. If you could get a motor with 80 to a hundred thousand miles on it. They were loose, so all you had to do is add a Isky cam, a torker intake, 780 Holley double Pumper, and Hooker fender well Headers. Stuff it in a 67 notchback Cuda. Cheater slicks. Smokey toasty. You could punch it at 60 and it would jump sideways. 440 six pack- complete, from the air cleaner to the pan, $1500. You could just wait for your friend to stack it. The windage tray, reduced the probability of spinning a bearing while doing donuts.
We loved windage trays..
eric heine, Damn Son, you just gave me a Genuine PTSD. Flashback!!! Well Done!
Back in 73 to 76, I’d had done 3 tours in Vietnam as an F4 fighter pilot and did my part to make us G.I.’s hated! SEMPER-FI!
@@arttafil6792 A marine referring to himself as a G.I.? An aviator no less... Something's fishy and it's not the chicken
@mad ass Who said Hemi? I read 440....
this was the "LS with a cam" of its day. The cop engines at least got regular maintanance, and all carbon was "Blown out". otherwise, a general engine with 80K was in the junkyard for a reason :) Steep rear gears, thick piston rings, and parafin wax in the oil....gas stations had repair garages, not convenience stores, due to the amount of repair work needed. Up in the rust belt, tho, there was a chance the engine ended up in the junkyard because the car rusted out first, or the gas crisis of 1973 made someone toss the gas guzzler since the dealer didn't want it either.
hell 440 h/o fury 3 had a couple myself black with gray interior,as i remember it from 60 to 150 mph just plain fun usally wen u got up in the morning we would need at least 2 new tires that was the fun gauge,thanks fer the reminder
The #4 reason junk yard engines are desirable. It's already broken in and well tested. Dyno tests are good but there is nothing like putting a 100k plus miles and a few thousand thermal cycles on an engine to prove it was well built. There is something about a stock factory built motor and its durability and reliability that is hard to beat.
My brother bought a 40 ford coup 50 years ago and dropped a 69 gto motor in it .now his son has it still going today. That's old school .Thanks
Back in the 80’s, if you had 300hp, you were the big boy in the neighborhood
Not really. Back then, a stout street car was in the 6-750 horse range
Uncle Tony's Garage
Most I ever got was around 300 back then too. Of course that was SBC on a budget getting parts at swap meets and junkyard. No internet for advice or research. It was a very expensive task back then to achieve those numbers for most of us.
I was gonna say same thing uncle tony did I had a car in high school in the the late 90s early 00s that ended up making 340hp on a chassis dyno and there were plenty older guys with cars they had built in the 80s way fast than that thing was
Uncle Tony's Garage , yeah but I was 18- 19 then, 6-700 was unreachable
When we were young lots of us got misled, too. Kid I went to school with was selling a Chevelle claimed to be a 327 with 2 x 4bbl. Well, my cousin, the 'vette expert, did a PPI for a family friend that was interested in the car. Thurns out it was a 283 GM Marine block and the linkage was so messed up that only the primaries on the rear carb were operational. (think how happy the intake valves were about that). So, absolutely no knock on Chump or Jim but when we were 17-19 dat's da best some of us could do with only here say "technical help"
The 5.2L/5.9L Magnums are also great junkyard engines for lots of power on the cheap. I have a 5.9L in my '70 Duster, high-mileage block with nothing replaced other than rod bearings (old ones had copper showing). Runs like a beast with ported Edelbrocks and custom-grind hydraulic roller cam, you can even reuse the old lifters if they're in good shape. If you happen to get one made before about 1996 it will even still have the oil passage drilled to feed the rocker shafts on LA heads so totally interchangeable.
Ive always wondered about those magnums. 318 and 360 ci right? I remember them being really solid in stock form and at one point a long time ago heard about aftermarket alum heads for them.
@@bentboybbz yup, cant kill the motor. I just haven't found a dodge transmission that will hold up to even a stock smallblock.
727,904, and A833 will a lot of power and aren’t expensive or hard to build.
@@Mr.Killswitch I have a 904 built to the gills... No issues.
Henry Dillard you haven’t looked.
I drove a stock 2002 Silverado for years, then after seeing a turbo LS video on youtube I was like "Wait my truck has that same engine in it" fast forward a few years that once stock Silverado now makes 700rwhp lol
I've got two matching turbo's sitting in my shed, stop tempting me to destroy the 4L60E in my Sierra lol
How could anyone thumbs down this video? I'm not an LS fan myself but they are a tough engine and He's right about a worn engine being a "happy engine" all the slightest misalignment is gone and the building flaws such as assembly scratches are worn away the stress points are gone and the cast iron and aluminum parts are all normalized and it's pure harmony! Keep up the good work UTG great video!
Once again Uncle Tony holds the key. Understanding How Things Work! The kind of practical knowledge he holds is the real secret to success. At anything. Not often shared for free! This is an amazing channel.
I cant wait to tell my grand kids about LS motors. While hes showing me his flying spaceship
Yeah sure Mr.Jetson they haven't even cured the common cold and you're dreaming that your kids will be flying space ships in 20-30 years ... they are far more likely to be riding a bus .
most likely, a self driving electric car.
@@albertgaspar627 Well at the rate we're going now they'll be pulling a rickshaw with a tracking device in them and you'll be telling your kids about the day when the democrats used a flu like cold virus a stepping stone to strip away their constitutional rights .
@@yerwrng used to work in receiving, i was surprised the day i found out the pallets had gps trackers b/c it was cheaper than to lose one and buy another. The dems are the least of your worries, everyone's using this pandemic to hone their drone skills to track people via their phones, test their temps from the sky, and face recognize who they've been with after looking them up on CCTV. Its the USA PATRIOT ACT all over again, as scared people throw away their rights for a temporary problem.
just don't swallow disinfectant. Those kids who did tide pods last year were not ahead of the curve :)
"Rode hard and put up wet" separates the wheat from the chaff. Those monday and friday assembled mills already gave up the ghost, the wednesdays survive so the drag necromancers can build zombie rocket ships, lol
I had a junkyard 318 in the early 00s that we were shoving 20psi into on the track and it lasted a few hard years of drifting, autocross and being daily driven. Finally died when the carb picked up trash and leaned out melting piston lol
Back in the 80’s my buddy’s dad used to say a school bus engine was properly Stress Relieved. Seasoned Was his other word. He used to race and he liked the Chevy 400 small block found in a school bus for all the reasons you’re getting at. Keep the videos up Uncle Tony!
Aye man props for admitting when things are better, I’m a rotary guy myself and I grew up on small block v8’s but I don’t ever try to shit on other platforms because they are all great at different things, but god damn some people are butthurt over ls engines
and some people are obsessed with ls engines.
I like most of them. Its always nice to see something unique making big power though. ✌
@@frigglebiscuit7484 So what? Ya don't think there's just as many guys obsessed over Fords, Mopar, AMC, or even foreign makes? Brady Arnold is a man who has his head screwed on straight. I've never even owned an LS myself, but there's no denying they are plentiful, cheap, and tons of aftermarket support to make real power.
I've never even owned an LS myself.......only raced SB Chevy's and Fords at my family's drag strip decades ago. But you're right, it's a damned shame to see a bunch of grown men ( or they pretend to be on the internet ) get all jacked out of shape over something that someone else likes or runs. And there's no denying GM knocked it out of the park when they produced the LS engines. I'm like you Bro, I like and appreciate them all.
@@bentboybbz Exactly. Same here. Yet I'm already being attacked by 2 "Mopar or no car" guys in another thread under this video, because one of em said "leave the LS for the kids". One is calling me "LS BOY"......that's awful damned funny, because I've never owned an LS myself. Like a bunch of junior high cheerleaders waving their pom poms and picking on whoever "ain't on their cheerleading squad".......enough already.
I’ve watched a bone stock “smog” bb mopar 400 run low 11” with a blower bolted on it for years.
Ps. I have 7 bb mopars “seasoning” in the barn
Me too. I have 383's , 400's and 440's stacked up on shelves like chord wood.
wrecker Jonny can’t find them in the wreckers anymore at least not up here in Saskatchewan.
Over the years I knew that would happen. So I grabbed what I could. Have let some go but I’ll be keeping these
@@Welcometofacsistube that's what I been doing . Grabbing every big block I can get. I have an older gentleman that has an A100 pickup with a big block and a blower on it. He's letting go of his stash in spring so I have to wait for him to migrate back from Florida in late spring. Already have my foot in the door .
I don't care about boost but I do care about power. I'm a GM guy myself, but I actually like most brands. Right now, I have seven 400 small block Chevy blocks, a few 454s (and 2 more in the "negotiation stage"), and a couple 360 Mopars on the shelves just waiting for projects to give them a new home. The sole 302 Ford I have is currently mocked up in my Ranger project. I think the reason that I don't care about boost is because I've never had a blown or turbo engine. I'm sure experience would change my mind pretty quick though!
Hal 1000 I can believe it. Low compression goes hand in hand with supercharging. I wonder if/how much work was done on the heads. If they were stock, imagine how it would run with head work done!
I was reading David Reher's tech articles in high school. He has long been a proponent of looser tolerances to make a high powered engine happy under load. He would always run bigger piston skirt clearances and scotch-brite or even mismatch bearings halves to get that looser fit on the crank. Of course, lots of ring gap, always erring on the big side. Loose engines are happier.
Yes, that’s certainly true. And tolerance is not directly synonymous with clearance. I was referring only to the virtues of erring on the cautious side of clearances in many places, but yes, a zero ring gap is perfect, but we all know what happens when it binds. And yes, excessive valve guide clearance wears on an exponential curve and that’s not god for anything. So, no... more clearance on everything isn’t good, but liberal clearances are better in more applications than some people would give them credit.
Too loose, nobody knows. Too tight, everybody wants to come see the aftermath...
Knock knock... Who’s there? Cylinder #7!
Very well said. I ran junk yard 360’s in my circle track cars for years just for this reason and i had a very small budget. Slap a set of J heads on and did very well.
Once i could afford to build my motors, i built them with very loose tolerances and kicked butt.
silverbird58 funny you say that since i am in Michigan 🤪🤣🤣🤣
Fascinating.... dropping more knowledge in 5 minutes than most people drop in 5 years
I can sit here & listen to you for hours Uncle Tony. You always make sense!
Cheers😊
I was surprised some years back by one of my machinist, without taking off any stock from cap faces he machined the mains and rods to stock specs. He explained that heating and cooling actually shrinks the parts over time and cycles. I should have known about this as I used to make patterns for foundry work. He foundries will cast parts then leave them outside for several years to season before sending them to the machinist. When the machining is complete it will stay true. Awesome work and Mopar to you from the high plains of Texas.
Howdy Ryan
It's crazy all other channels aren't talking about this stuff this channel is truly a car guys treasure trove of knowledge
I love the "boat anchor" Heavy but indestructible, Ford FE 390, back in the day they were dirt cheap.
Thirsty too.
A buddy bought a 65 pickup with a 390 in it.
Late 80s in high school and we put 175$ in gas in it the first week.
Yea you gotta cruise around a little but wow she's a thirsty girl.
i had a 69 merc with a 390..over heated it real bad..it wouldnt even shut off..kept dieseling ...when it finally shut off,,,it made all kinds of cracking and popping noises...so bad it rocked the car everytime it made a noise just sitting there...after it cooled i dorve it to my garage,,put a new rad in it...and it was fine..never hurt the motor...and i street raced it and all out abused it,...it never died ,,,remember..fear begins with ,F,E,
Huh. Weird, always thought FE stood for F’in Expensive
They pull galaxies very well when done right.
Sam Hagins ya as far as any big block ford I’ve had experience with I’d have to agree my buddy had a 67 galaxy with a 390 he added a eddy intake and matching cam and some long tubes to it and it woke that 390 up I loved driving that thing. Then he got the opportunity to get 3 428 CJ motors so he jumped on it and then swapped on of them into the galaxy with a custom ground comp cam and a factory tri power intake and I swear the 390 was still faster I wish he had ran the car with the 390 with our buddy’s gtech thing to get a estimate of what it was gonna run in the 1/4 cuz it was still in the 15s with the CJ motor
School is in. HA - if only my school days held my interest as much as Tony's videos do. Have a nice day all. CHEERS from AUSTRALIA.
So... the fact it takes me several years to get a built engine installed and plumbed up doesn't mean I'm slow, I'm just seasoning the block! I love it!
Tony incredible explanation of how to answer the question. "How does that tired old girl run like that?"
I am a AKM (AK47 rifle) guy. I just realized a lot of why I love that rifle carries over to my love of old vehicles (especially Mopar). Well engineered, better with age, and adds character, and loose tolerances that despite negatively impacting accuracy in the case of rifles, it drastically improves reliability especially under harsh conditions, and when it counts the most. Thanks for the great content.
Tony everyone was waiting for your thoughts on that thanks a million
I really appreciate your channel Uncle Tony. I've been watching for a few weeks now and I have learned so much from you. I love absorbing all of your experience and information through your videos. It's great to just light up a smoke and sit back and learn from guys like you. Keep it up man
my uncle who builds pulling tractor in Europa told me once that BMW used to buy only used engines for racing because it was loose and seasoned
great story UTG
We called it "Race Clearanced" back in the day here.
ZIGgassedUP, heck yes, about .003 on the mains and .0035 on the rods. Add a high volume, high pressure Mellings oil pump to cushion the clearances and you were “shifting in high cotton” Old South Georgia term!
Guy I grew up with always said” gotta be loose if your gunna do boost”
This makes sense . I've always been told that a High miles "loose motor" is a happy motor under boost .
I have been into cars all my life. This is the first time I have heard an explanation like this. I have always wondered why a fresh built high dollar engine would shit the bed when a well used cheap 350 smokes fools all day and twice on Sunday. Now I'm thinking of that Roadrunner with a stockish 440, cam and blower that runs down the strip time after time happy as can be.
94 Dodge Dakota slant 6. Project . Thanks for all the videos and info. Your knowledge of those slant is a talking encyclopedia. Mopar 4 Life.
Only thing i did to my 4.8 ls was check the ring gap and check on the bearings then slapped it back to together with a cam and MLS head gaskets
My bearings checked out. Not even gonna bother checking rings - it's got about 150k miles on it, and you can count on them being gapped enough for what I'm doing. The 5.3 otoh is getting bearings and rings (and gapped for nitrous) - I think it was knocking when I got it.
How true it is the LS architecture is phenomenal combined with the electronics just imagine if you can go back to the 60s with one of these LS powered vehicles it will be a Slaughter!......
You would have to go back with a bunch of today's power adders as well. You forget all the 1-plus HP per cube engines available back then.
Also, remember the architecture of the Early BBC and Chrysler Hemi are still at the top of the HP heap today...10,000 horse and up
@@UncleTonysGarage 10000 horsepower plus today not in the 60s power-to-weight baby power-to-weight!
This spring I'm taking all my SBC parts to the swap meets and getting rid of them. Keeping just the parts to build my old faithful 327 one last time. I picked up a 6.0 LS engine from a school bus and planning my next project around the LS.
Work with a guy years ago who said he spent time with big daddy Don G and all ways believe motors should be tightly built but Big Daddy showed him a thing or two and one of them was to have a loose motor
Never knew why but he impress me with a few tricks i
Thanks Tom i hear years ago of letting blocks set out side to cure them and never knew why
Per other manufacture stories (Jaguar) - they used to cast their blocks during the XX season so they could be seasoned and ready for machining six months later. I also heard that BMW and their 1500 hp 80's F1 motor was nothing more than a 2002 engine that turbos were bolted to. Rumor (per youtube story) stated that they would get these used blocks set them outside for seasoning....and urinate on them to continue the seasoning.
Like the channel and how knowledgeable you are....Thanks for making the videos!
circle track guys would put in a nasty cam and port the heads. Favorite was a 350 chevy from a truck 4 bolt main ,z28 oil pump and windage tray. When it blew just swap the parts to another one.
I am super grateful for the Ls motor. I grew up in the 90’s an there was no power to be had unless u had lots of money in your setup. I recently made 507whp 6.0ls hot cam and a cheap powerdyne blower, I had 500$ in the whole motor setup.
We messed with turbos and nitrous back in the 70's long before it was fashionable. The learning curve was steep, but what great fun it was other than leaving crankshafts laying in the street. You could buy 454 truck motors for next to nothing and they lived longer than they should have for all the reasons you stated.
Thanks for taking time out of your day to pass on your knowledge to the next generation. I learned alot in 9 minutes
Damn, still fighting that cold.
Smoking can't help things
He needs to start smoking more to keep the illness at bay
Exactly as you said, the Formula Ford guys used to leave their blocks out in the weather to season them. Some chose to short-circuit the process by overheating them. then overboring and rebuilding.
I remember going to the local speed shop and they had tons of pallets with blocks standing front side down. I asked the engine guy why they were just rusting away, and said “those are the best blocks money can buy. There’s a reason my engines win and don’t come back”. He would buy up every standard bore big 3 block he could find and once a year rotate the pallets so the oldest ones were up front. After an acid bath, he deburred and polished every block by hand.
Hi Uncle Tony, I recall that BMW Formula One engines in the 1980s turbo era developed around 1500hp in qualifying tune from 1.5 litres. The engines were built on standard BMW 1500 four cylinder blocks pulled from the highest mileage old road cars they could find, including from wrecking yards. They did that as they were seasoned or stress relieved from years of use. Thanks again for a fascinating video.
Omg i just learned so much, PLEASE keep making these videos. Im 23 and rebuilding my dodge 5.9 360 and trans for my pickup truck, love learning in ways i can actually understand.
"Seasoned" aka stress relieved. I had the three in a bit different order than you related, but the same three. I could never convince my dad that the ring gaps and clearances were too tight for the performance engines we built....they ran ok, but i thought they were capable of much more than we got out of them.
My experience reinforces all of Tony's comments. I have strapped a junk yard Turbo onto a 1.8l Honda non-vtec with 200k on it . Had an 89' 5.0 trunk with every bolt on and same mileage. Both cars got smashed on every day ... the Honda w/ just cams , intake and a good tune Made almost 300 whp for years and the Ford did more . Both motors remain legends in my circle to this day .... All for the beatings they took and never gave in .
Well sounds to me like Uncle Tony wants to build an LS, wish it was mine could you imagine what that man could do to one with no budget....
Great Info ,Henry Ford Used To Bury Blocks Next To The Railroad For The Vibration From The Trains ,Plus the Heating And Cooling Cycles From The Weather ,Enjoy Your Videos ,Thank You !!!
Uncle tony is the man just full of knowledge and happy to share
i swear i always learn something new from your videos, they're amazing for young guys like me who are starting out with building old cars!
I love it! You just can't fake that kind of experience and wisdom.
my dads 72 Plymouth satellite.... 440 making about 425
that was a SERIOUS engine back when i was a kid.... and im only 25!
425hp is still a LOT of power.... especially in a 72 Plymouth with a 25 year old behind the wheel lol
I wish i had a OG like you. I would be at your house every morning like an alarm clock 💯
There's an article HotRod magazine wrote years ago about twin turboing a 4.8 where it was assembled with all its junkyard parts except they re-gapped the top rings to .040 for expansion at the 1200hp level.
Back in the early 90s I think and late 80s my uncle owned a speed shop down here in Pensacola Florida. He always had blocks laying around. I always thought they was bad. He would say not the correct season for them. Makes since I get it finally. Yehawww
Ls's are great engines and all but I still love the old school small block Chevy, especially a 400 block with a 350 crank (377) ;) Have always had a sweet spot for Mopars too my mom had a 66 belvedere and a 66 fury when I was a kid
I didn't know all that about "seasoning". I didn't realize those blocks sitting around shops were more desirable! Wow!
I just got a chance to finish this video. I agree seasoning the engine is very important. As long as it’s running well I find cars or trucks with engines at over 200,000 miles especially work trucks that run every day. The 6.0 LS/LQ4 for the Buick GS was out of a work truck with 195,000 miles on it. The 1uzfe for my Toyota supra has 220,000. The I had the 1uzfe laser scanned and it was with in .002 within manufacturers specification
I wish I had a quarter of the knowledge Uncle T has. I don't need nitro , top fuel cars . I just need to fix my own junk. LOL
I was just thinking about throwing a turbo on a 5.9 magnum engine I got in my garage. This really makes me want to do it now. With 7-10 psi the thing will probably live for a good while with no problems. Now I gotta make myself pull the 318 out of my charger to swap it.
Awesome video I learned a lot more about racing and engine's than I knew before ,now all I need is a good junkyard LS 👍😁
BMW's first turbo F1 cars were built using junkyard 1.8L four cylinders.
Legend has it that when they first decided to enter the game;
The engineers put the bare used blocks behind their building and pissed on them for a year before machining.
@@RLRSwanson
I stand corrected.
The two great designs built into the LS are, one, the large ports. As everyone knows. The irony is the Pontiac 350 has a similar bore and stroke (and shares a long connecting rod length with the LS, relative to say a first gen chevy small block or ford windsor), which most people think is too small (under 4 inches) and that shrouds the valves. But the LS has a tall, cathedral window shaped port and of course, where does most of the air flow in a port? near the top.
The second, which few notice, is the Y block design. When GM does an aluminum block, it does a deep skirt Y block design for strength (the Buick's Grand National V6 has the same design, not copied over in their FWD V6 design of same displacement, because they got the V6 from their 215 aluminum block of 1962). That increase in crankcase volume (just like a big block Mopar) means that as the piston races down to BDC, it acts like a parachute (For want of a better description) and compresses the air/aerated oil inside the crankcase. On a smaller crankcase volume like most small blocks, there's not a lot of room, so compressing this mass of "atmosphere" offers resistance to the piston. Some engines like the new Shelby Mustangs have holes in the main webs to let the compressed atmosphere escape. But a deep skirt block design has more volume to disperse the compression.
I was under the impression that, as all pistions go down, another on the crank is going up right next to it, giving the air a place to go. (Even on a crap design) I just feel like When you pull off a oil pan the crank is not submerged, allowing the air in the case to go between pistions, or ventilate the breather? I don't claim to know, just what I always assumed.
@@drewdavis239 at a slow engine speed, your theory is correct. at a higher speed, its happening too often. Like Lassi said, the roadtube (on old cars from the 1960's) and crankcase ventilation systems on later cars keep the oil dipstick from shooting out its tube from the pressure created by the pistons compressing the air inside a tight crankcase.
Thanks for sharing your knowledge and humor. And please pardon the caffeine effusion.
From what I have seen and read on the LS motor ;the engineers took all the faults and advantages from the big block and small block motors and merged them;
The most important it, can BREATHE deeply without going to an overhead cam setup ; they are sealed well which makes boosting it easier.
they are also very compact and light for given power level.
First person to bring up seasoning in a long time. Other known as "work hardened block" I've always said, if it makes it to 500,000 miles it'll make it to a million miles lol. (talking about the rotating assembly, obviously springs and chains stretch over time) Oh one more secret for you comment section scavengers: Loose is fast! < thats million dollar advice.. your welcome.
In the 60's Chrysler seasoned their Hi Performance blocks outside.
This is what i'd call a heuristic approach to learning. Short on physical reasoning, but somewhat longer on practical observation and experience.
Tony you are dead on... A Loose Motor is a happy motor! Some of the best running engines I have ever seen... Where put together in a back yard "sometimes on the ground" and you can apply the LS logic to any late model engine and have the same result! Mod motor, Gen III Hemi, I have seen a 360 Magnum make crazy power with boost!
You make Very good points about using older seasoned engines, great video !
I dig anything that's got a reputation for being stout wether it be 4 bangers, inline six's, v8's, diesels etc. Even underdogs that most people crap on but keep chugging . Cheers to all the ICE'S out there that reliably keep ya going whatever your into!
Keep in mind ring gap doesnt enlarge as much on newer engines. You open up a 200k LS and ring gap can still be around .015. Doesnt happen all the time but not good for boost.
@silverbird58 the top ring is a compression ring and doesnt have to do with the oil. You open up the compression ring so under boost it doesn't expand, touch, and turn the top of the piston into glitter
Tony you ain't lying one bit lol we took a 383 with a million miles on it ..my uncle had sitting for 27 years the 383 is 0 deck 906 heads stock engine so just for kicks we installed a turbo gt45 from Ebay 8lbs of boots and a 150 shot makes gobs of power it's still living the damb thing runs 10s all day long in a stock Saratoga lol now that's crazy...
Jerry Jordan Now that, I would love to see!
YES! Uncle Tony! Thank you for this explanation! The new Hemi's are great but most people when they build up there Hellcat don't understand two things...
1. The fuel rail design sucks and along with the fuel pump has been known to under deliver fuel to cylinders 2 and 7.
2. The ring lands explode when the heat and pressure expand and buckle the rings. Add the first factor to this equation and you got yourself a boat anchor.
Fix these by tearing the engine down and adding ring end gap and slightly rounding off the sharp edges of the rings, then add the dual fuel pump setup thats readily available and a larger fuel line and aftermarket equalized pressure fuel rail. Plus some oversized injectors...
When Tony says that the Ls is the most perfectly designed passenger car engine ever, I clicked like.
Thank you , oh wise "Guru of the Garage " , for the tale of MoJo and machine !!! Amazing !!👍👍
Good points have been made here today, but it's the end of the day now and I'm still driving a Mopar or no car.
I gotta say I'm happy with my high mileage LS in my S10. It might not make 1,000hp but it's plenty happy to get the truck moving and get all sorts of heads turned.
It's a bit of a sleeper, right down to the faux tailpipe. If you look in the right spot you can see a bit of the stainless headers 😁
I would say in addition to the fact that the LS basically has a factory girdled bottom end to withstand lots of power the fact that it comes with much better flowing heads so it takes a lot less to get more power.
It’s a funny thing that mopar men recognize the good engine’s that chev and ford put out
Very smart, and informative, and it makes 100 percent cents. I have always thought this but was never vindicated and I agree completely
Thank you for sharing your wisdom. I am learning a lot about engines.
I just got my notification from "Car Craft" magazine that they are no longer in print. Sad times. We still have UTG!
Uncle Tony I give you props bro, you give credit where credit is due. I'm the same way. I'm a mopar guy through thick an thin, but I'm a closet oldsmobile lover. I love all cars that someone put heart into, cuz I understand an respect the work an busted knuckles that comes with it! I ain't no f**kin' player hater!! Lol another good one Uncle Tony! P.S. your right a loos engine is a happy engine.👍👍👍👍
You are awsome Tony I love your way of explaining things and you are full to the top of your hat with great knowledge keep it up.Thanks
Most people don't know that the LS engine platform was designed by a Ford engineer in the early 90s. Ford rejected the design as they wanted to move away from pushrod engines and into OHC designs, so the engineer sold the design to GM, and the tradition of Chevy having the most popular hot rod engine continues...
Those old 283s with that short stroke were great engines.
Zing em to 7 grand all day.
Well,that explains it.always loved how a high miler ran before she dropped something
our taxi cabs in Australia predominantly ran ford barra engines on LPG so our junkyard speed scene is a little different though LS engines exist here too. I feel Uncle Tony might shine towards the straight 6 if given the choice though.
Horsepower don't have a brand name.When l call down the thunder I don't gaf .
✌
Back in the mid 80s when Formula 1 was running 1400hp 1.5 litre engines, Brabham was running BMW engines. The engines that BMW were building for them were running junkyard blocks from BMW 2002s for this reason. They weren't using the internals, but they found the seasoned blocks latest longer than new ones at 80psi.
Yes!! Loosey goosey never got stuck, LOL. Not too many people know about the seasoning thing. The old timer marine engine builders love those engines. You hear stories on how they unburied the engine half sunk in the ground and had it machined up to new, that the engine will never blow up because the block is harder then nails , LOL.
I never knew that the rings were significantly hotter than the cylinder walls. Well, at least the top ring. But it makes sense, especially when the engine is producing so much horsepower.
Eric
Thank u uncle Tony i really needed to hear this
Tony, back in the day before computers were used to design engines engineers used. Slide rules they knew that the materials meet a certain specification at a Minimum! Junk yard engines have been gone through many heat cold cycles. They’ve reached there ultimate strength!