Always liked the Buick Grand Nationals. Tried talking my uncle into buying one new. They always bought the nicer cars new. Remeber the deal breaker for them was the interior they thought looked cheap and plastic. So they purchased a Ford Turbo Coupe. Had push button door locks, high tech dash display. 24 years later the GN looks timeless and the Turbo Coupe high tech stuff looks so chintzy and cheap. Lol
Same with my parents. Took the GN out for a test ride, then a Mercury Cougar with a V6. They really liked the digital dash in the Cougar. So thats what we got. The Cougar was $2,000 more than the GN to boot.
@@fortyshooter1 I was in tech school and was dreaming of a 5.0 LX..They were about $16500 new in Canada...so when I graduated I paid off my student loan...😕
I did the same, and ended up going for a new 88 Mustang GT. Fully loaded (minus cruise and Titanium rocker paint) cost me ~$23,500 CDN. Glad i opted for the 3.08 rear end. Ran one GN from stoplight to stoplight (0-120kmh), and i held him by a bumper...really close. lol The Mustang was faster up top though, and i did speed runs several times/week. My friends' 88' Turbo Coupe was surprisingly close!
@@Mr1Tanker I had a silver 87 Turbo Coup. It was Motor Trends car of the year in ‘87. I bought it used, but it only had about 30,000 km on it, so it was practically brand new. Then I bought a Dodge Stealth. I had both for a while and had my Turbo Coup up for sale , so it was just parked. Then one day I had to take my Turbo Coup out for some reason. As I was driving it along I realized It was much nicer to drive than the Stealth, so I sold the Stealth. The Turbo Coup was pretty fast and advanced for its day, with a turbo charged engine, electronic controlled suspension, anti-lock brakes, adjustable seat bolsters under your knees and large wheels for the day. It was a great looking car, with a nicely done interior, standard transmission and it handled amazingly well for its size. It also had some mechanical problems like most cars of that era. The turbo died at 120,000 km, the fuel pump went, the transmission needed to be rebuilt, it chewed up alternators and one even caught on fire and the headlight switch would overheat in the winter from the heat coming off the heater. I remember driving on the highway on a few cold winter nights around -30° C and suddenly my headlights would flicker and go out for a minute or so and then come back on and stay on for a while and then the whole thing would repeat itself. Luckily, the snow reflects so much light at night, I could still see where I was going. The alternator issues were all caused by the clip together electrical connector they decided was better than the old style eye attached directly to a bolt on the alternator. Once the clip-on connector leads got a bit of oxidation on them they would arc and melt the wiring. But despite those issues, that 87 T-bird Turbo Coup was one of my favourite cars of all time. I still have the original brochure somewhere, but the car is long gone. Eventually, it started to rust and I traded it in on a used BMW 535i with an in-line 6 and a manual transmission. A few years later, I sold that and bought a used low mileage 1995 Mercedes C36 AMG, which I only drove in the summers.
Nick, I watched the Hemi aluminum vs. cast iron head comparison with great interest. A co-worker engineer I was good friends with worked as a power train development engineer at GM on the 427 cubic inch L-88 engine back in the 60's and he said all things being equal between the aluminum and the cast iron head, the cast iron head made more power due to better thermal efficiency between the the iron block and iron cylinder heads. It seems to be the same case with the Hemi motor. I really enjoyed watching this segment. Thanks to you and your guys.
thats why ally heads need more cr, they loose it as you say , but up the cr, and it,ll be a different story lots of alloy heads can run low grade fuel with high cr,s, some thing iron heads cant do, cos they retain the heat.
I am an old guy (76) and love your reports. I taught dyno testing and tuning (both chassis and engine), along with high performance engine machining and building at a tech college for 10 years so I have experience doing what you do. I also grew up in the golden years of muscle cars and owned a bunch. I have a suggestion for you to do a "tips and tricks" video - actually 3 operations. The first one is something very rarely done but it is important on modified engines. It reduces friction. It is checking and correcting "rocker arm geometry". If you see this reply to me and I will reply with more.
Nick, years back I worked in a speed shop in Barrie, ON. Any of the engines we dyno, we took them to John Rossiter's in Toronto. I was like 19/20 yrs old back then. One of the things I enjoyed doing was going outside to listen to the dyno pull. It sounded great. Love to see you do it once for the audience.
Just to let everyone know that only the Chamber design and valve sizes are the same in both cylinder heads. Port volumes, bowl design and valve guides in the bowl are not the same. Both cylinder heads are made by different manufactures for Mopar Performance.
@The94GTC The extra horsepower with the cast iron heads could be attributed to the slight increase in compression. Due to the use of a thinner head gasket. For longevity and reliability the cast iron heads are probably best suited for a street car. I like the way Nick does a thorough job with his dyno testing.
Hi nic i watched your vidio comparing the Heads.& i was impressed. bout i have a question could be the aluminium heating evaporating more fuel den the cast iron. Because we 'v ben told that aluminium more performance but its not. Like the 18 valves. Mickey mouse.. it could be loss of compression. In the long run..while closing valves & when closed..
The more I watch Nick in action the more I admire his skills. It feels to me that I'm looking over the shoulder of a master. Sight, sound, all the senses. Fabulous channel gentlemen
I'll take the Aluminum heads anyday over Cast Iron 15 to 20 Horse Power on the Street you'll never know the difference. But a 100 Pounds off the nose you can feel it in the way the Car handles
Yep the 100lbs and lower-end of the torque curve improving will be a net overall gain for the aluminum heads on the street and maybe even on the track. Any experienced racer will tell you the motor that performs best on the dyno doesn't always perform best in the race car. That's where experience comes in. Watching Nick in his element is always a pleasure - a master in the horsepower game.
@@zangzang1268 498 horsepower aftermarket headed hemi is straight terrible. very underwhelming. 1.16 horsepower per cubic inch.... That's an intake, camshaft and some very mild porting on stock bbc/sbc/sbf. Very mediocre.
@@juliennacer8871 I don't know if he did any mods or tuning to this engine vs. stock. He pointed out that he stitched the block, so it is likely that the engine was in for that repair, not a performance rebuild. He was just interested in comparing aluminum vs. cast iron on the same engine. We all know that when he wants to he can tune the crap out of a stock engine, but that wasn't what he was doing here.
Over an hour of Nick's Garage on Labor Day (or Labour for our Canadian friends) is a great great way to spend a Monday! I really thought the aluminum heads would make the better power but 20 hp is a decent amount more. Hats off to the Chrysler engineers - they really were rocket scientists! Thanks for fun and informative videos! I learn a lot watching the Mopar Master at work
QMopar. I had to clean up the bowl area behind the valves on the cast iron heads. They were very rough so I cleaned them up to match the aluminum heads.
that little tool on your breaker bar is called a ( torque adapter ) used when torquing down a bolt or nut that a socket can not get to. made to go on a torque wrench . they save so much work and cuss words . Love watching you guys be safe much LOVE.
Thanks for the cool video. I had a young customer drive in with a Saab 9-5 2.3 turbo with a missing piston. It was misfiring, obviously, and uneven compression when turning over, but no noticeable noises. After finding a smashed spark plug, I looked in the hole with a borescope, and no piston, just the rod and pin. It didn't damage the cylinder like this Buick, though. Just some slight gouges. I think it had hypereutectic pistons and it just shattered into a thousand pieces.
@@NicksGarage Great show. "So I was just driving along, then I heard a rattle up front, then the engine stopped. Could you have a look at it Nick?" Funny. You should start putting mug shots on the walls starting with Jean-Guy and Gary.
I believe the Hemi is the best engine ever made in the muscle car era, or maybe all time. 1981 I had a 69 super bee w a 426 hemi and 4 speed pistol grip w a big Dana rear end. Paid 500 bucks for it, yes 500 bucks. Needed a few hundred worth of parts. I was half owner w a guy that didn't have his license so we put it im my name. I had the registration up until a few years ago, I believe it was the 5th digit of the vin that indicated the engine type. Several months later he wanted to sell and we did for 1300 bucks! Absolutely true story. We had no idea what it was worth. PS we didn't have enough $$ to get a new carb so we only ran it w 1 of the carbs, we put 2 hush thrush mufflers on it and it backfired once and blew the backs off the new mufflers. That car had a sound like no other that i have heard since in the last 39 years. I loved the sound when reving up and shifting the gears. I was in the back seat once when another friend drove it on a long road and when he shifted my head would hit the back window. Stock specs said 425 hp and i think 490 torque, there is no way it was that low and we only had 1 carb running!
I used to play with the little toyoya 4k engines. built a beautiful twin sidedraft engine that was pretty trick for rallying. Had access to a rolling road so played a lot with bits and pieces. Things like making up auxillary venturies for the fuel signals to improve response, different cam timing, different centerline on cams etc. Bored out the followers to put in more aggressive cams without loosing bottom end. One rally the driver said it was a wee bit flat. Turned out the inlet manifold was faced on a linisher and it developed an air leak. two cylinders were driving the other two cylinders as it leaned out. Well, it got so hot inside it melted the teflon button on the gudeon pit, it ran up inside the bore gouging it up and finally it missed when the water hit the combustion chamber and he retired. That was a new block and a set of pistons and started again. I finished up "O" ringining the manifolds and put viton o ring on the exhausts as well. Sounds crazy but because they were imbedded in the aluminium head and did not leak, they did not get hot and that was the end of exhaust leaks for ever! Attention to detail is so important. Like you we ran the ignition as low as we could, torque thru the mid range was far more valuable that top end numbers. From 1300cc we were only dealing with around 110 hp at the rear wheels. I even made our own close ratio gearbox. Good video by the way.
A few benefits of iron heads: 1) MORE POWER (today's video confirms it). An engine is an air pump, and with all else being equal, the MORE heat you can keep in the chamber, the MORE power you will make. 2) Can run ARP head bolts instead of studs. Iron heads don't lift under boost the way aluminum does, so can use a lower cost fastener and not risk losing a head gasket. If you DO lose a head gasket, you WON'T torch the head the way you can with aluminum. 3) Cost. Much less than aluminum. 4) Every threaded hole is stronger in cast iron than aluminum as aluminum has to be heli-coiled or time-serted in critical areas. We all know the benefits of aluminum heads; I just wanted to throw an argument out there for iron. Thank you Nick for proving what I have been saying for a long time.
Keeping heat in the chamber is not beneficial to making power at all. Theoretically, higher temperatures would be more thermally efficient, but preventing knock is your thermal limit, and the more heat you can remove, the farther away you are from knock. If you can keep your combustion chamber cooler, then there is more margin to play with on AFR / timing.
Iron heads are way heavier, crack way more, can't be fixed after a failure like aluminum, Let's also keep in mind that the iron heads got a pocket port and had more compression with a thinner head gasket.
Awesome video! I thought "The Keeper" was the best video ever but this one has it beat. From heavy metal destruction to pure Detroit horsepower, all in one video...Wow! You've really raised the bar, Nick!
Dr. Nick, cast iron RULES!,on your last live show you said that you use a very simple tool on that hemi,well you are right,as you say keep it simple,that was a GREAT video,bad news for the owner of that Buick,and thank you George fo making that video,cheers.
Thanks Nick, Factory to Aluminum. Apparently the Chrysler boys did their their Homework as I realized racing on the street in the day. Thank you Nick for the great show! Bob
Nick I always thought the cast iron heads would be better being the original for the block from factory but having said that thought it interesting the difference it made and how much the drop was with the standard manifolds too. Great filming there to George and great to see Vasili back. That v6 was certainly a mess inside and I guess its had a hard life aye. Well the coffee and toast is finished and the video has come to an end thanks guys stay well.
My Uncle showed me a spark plug of a 460 Ford truck. 60,000 miles no tune up the plug broke & wasted the cylinder. He told me change your spark plugs!!! It was a customers truck that was brought to his garage that wasn't that old of truck they just drove the crap out of it! Beautiful cars in your shop & quality care. That white R/T Challenger WoW !
What's crazy is that the GN came with cast pistons and this was not an uncommon result once you started upping the boost. The vacuum line popped off my wastegate, which caused the boost to peg out and the engine detonated. I instantly cracked the #4 piston.
I run a Buick 231 in my Datsun pickup, it's non turbo but a blast, been beating on it for 20 years and not broke it, but rebuilt it with forged .030 over pistons and ARP rod bolts, good little engines, been a few people that had to pull me over and see what was in that Datsun that blew their doors off! I have vids of it in my videos if you're interested.
@@VG-iq8xq looked it up....the GNX used the same bottom end as the GN/T-Type. But honestly, the cast pistons really aren't the problem...a bad combustion event or ring butting is. If a cast or hypereutectic style piston has sufficient ring gap, you can boost them really hard. The fuel and tune have to be on point because the pistons will either crack or shatter.
To Nicks garage: I worked for Buick for 15 years. That turbo has oil coming out of it. It is due to bad bronze bushings for turboshaft. Replace/rebuild that turbo and send the intercooler out for cleaning.
That's one thirsty smoke'n hot 426 HEMI.........Music to my ears. Love it Nick and the horsepower these engines can put out. Never get tired of hearing a 426 scream'n like a demon! Cant get any better than that Nick. Long live Mopar Muscle. Thank you for sharing.
I just finished up a swap on my 87 grand national, I refused to ls swap it even though I have completed hundreds of ls swaps. I decided to keep it a turbo v6 and I decided to swap in a lf4 3.6tt from a Cadillac ats-v which is 464hp stock and I used the 8 speed transmission behind it. It is the most appropriate swap for a grand national or t-type regal.
I own a heavily modified 3.8 buick 109 block dynoed at 750 hp. a lot of money though it's been pretty good to me but if your customer is looking to go higher horsepower he should go to a stage 2 cast iron block with forged or billet internals. I have a good friend who is putting out 1,400 hp on his stage 2. Have a nice day. By the way, you do awesome work and have priceless knowledge on engines.
This Was an Awesome Episode Nick n Crew 😀😊 The Testing Was Really Neat I Think The Cast Iron Heads Made More Power Because The Hemi Gods Designed It 😊 That Was Some Serious Damage To The Buick Grand National Vasili Has The Engine Out Of 😮😬😳
Giasou Nikola, Absolutely a fantastic educational video for all to see. Sorry about Saturday again I got the timing wrong but I did watch the replay. The Grand National forget it, I feel sorry for the owner considering he just bought it. Back to the Hemi test. In my opinion it is one of the greatest tragedies of the muscle car era that Ma Mopar didn't offer a optional aluminum head option for the 426 Hemi, if for anything to take weight off the front. Ford did it with the 429 Boss, it had aluminum heads. Chevrolet did it with the L89 option either a 396 or a 427 could be ordered with the L89 option, no extra horsepower but weight saving. Considering the 1965 Race Hemi from the factory did come with aluminum heads, so they had already done it & proved that it worked. I am sure there would of been customers out there who would of paid the additional $700 for this option if they were given the chance. What a well presented, fully comprehensive, educational & well thought out video, this is what makes watching Nick's Garage so great you always learn something new & we are always enthralled watching Nick & what magic he is going to come up with, with his assistance Vasili. Giasou Vasili. Nick that package I have left for you from Mecum is absolutely perfect considering what we watched, you may need another pair of hands to stretch out the banner. Back to the Hemi, back in the day everyone wrote that the Hemi was a true 500 Hp engine from the factory not the 425 Hp factory rating & you know what they were right, plus the factory rating from the factory is 490 ft lb, so again almost a match. So my theory is the factory offered the correct torque rating, because who cared about torque, it was all about Hp, & underrated the Hp for insurance reasons & class homologation for drag racing. We have all been waiting for this most talked about, anticipated video & Nick & the crew get a 10 out of 10 for a video of the ages. Aluminum vs Cast Iron on a 426 Hemi. Absolutely brilliant & well done to Nick's Garage & all the crew, BRAVO a job well done. Your number 1 Fan in Australia Louis Kats from Melbourne Australia ☺ 👍 ❤
GEORGE! A one hour extravaganza? Yes, please! I know I wasn't alone as I played armchair quarterback here, watching this... Not knowing those heads and how their ports were, I bet on the iron ones simply because of the difference in the head gaskets. Turns out, that was correct. Not knowing hemi's (never could afford one!) but knowing their 440 cousins better, I egged Nick on with the timing, too. 34-35 seems to be the magic number on near-stock ones and this engine didn't disappoint there, either. Watching Nick do dyno runs in my house is a lot like when I'm listening to my favorite music - not only do I get to enjoy it, but so does my wife....and our dog....and the neighbors. :-) Oh, the Buick? Yeah, "ventilated" seems appropriate to describe that scrap iron. Next!! EVERYONE HELP SUPPORT NICK'S GARAGE ON PATREON!! It matters! Y'all be safe up there, here until I can't be, -Ed on the Ridge
Honestly....if Nicks Garage is not playing in YOUR garage while you wrench....you're not spending garage time right..... Thanks Nick. Hello to you from Arizona.
Amazing vid. Thanks Nick, and et al. I wonder what a good port and polish job would do to those cast iron heads? Do you chamfer the oil holes on the rotating assemblies when you build your engines? Last but not least do you blueprint and balance your engines? Love watching your vids down here in Scottsdale Arizona. Hopefully we'll get back our perpetual car shows this Winter/spring down here. We usually get a big Canadian populous down here in the winter, it's always a pleasure, but this year we may not.
@Donnell Austin and then there is the irrefutable fact,taking 100.lbs in the very front of the car makes tha handling (especially in corners) much ,much better. 👏
This is one of my favorite videos right after the Pontiac 455 that started a fire excellent video and we learn more information thanks Nick and great video George keep them coming
Hello Mr.Nick & Crew from San Antonio Texas I really enjoy watching all of your videos here and i never fail to learn tips & tricks from a Maestro of engine building and dyno testing the only wish i have is for Nicks Garage to relocate to my neighbor hood and i would gladly sweep the whole shop just to be able to hang around with persons of your caliber. Im 65 yrs old with a still young at heart driving my Dads 1966 Ford F-100. With an original 352 FE big block with 390 FE unleaded heads due to the lack of lead in todays
I was 9 yrs old when i went with my Dad to pick up his brand new long bed i have it fully restored to better than new specs it still runs like a swiss watch Thank you Jesus the only thing i haul is ass lol
Way back in the late '90's, I went to an auto recyclers of some sort(everything was new, nothing used) in Detroit. They had brand new GN engines stacked like cord wood. Ready to drop in like on the assembly line( fully dressed including turbo). They had about 30 of them. I think they got them direct from GM. Every now and then I think of this, and how cool it was.
Buick City always had a problem with theft from the experimental/ engineering division. In the mid 80s there were a lot of prototype cars that never made it to the crusher. Some engineers had been involved in aiding the salvage yards with supplying bogus vin numbers. Then sold the cars to dealers in the US.
@@Hanzyscure I remember seeing some Fiero prototype/showcar sitting out in a yard at Buick city. Late '90's also. It was in all the magazines when the Fiero debuted in '84.
Hey Nick... does anyone ever ask You to build an engine to be its most efficient? What would that look like? Balances and blueprinted, all ports matched and ported, fuel injection. In other words to have the highest flow rate to a matched cam, optimal compression ratio and fuel delivery. What kind of power would this deliver... what would be fuel consumption?
@@kevindowd7769 . My clients ask me to build an efficient engine and when it comes to fuel consumption, does not matter. Reason why, not a full time driven car.
Great comparison Nick, really enjoyed watching the difference in the results when you changed the timing by one or two degrees. I wished I lived closer to you and could bring my Hemi to you to tune before I drop it back into my car. Thanks.
The destroyed Buick reminds me of a saying regarding care and maintenance of cars told to me by an old drag racer. "If you want to keep the tiger, you have to feed the tiger."
@@gregrogers3030 I think it was original to Gene. He had raced a Chevy II with a 427 in it and had many trophies. It was also his daily driver at that time and he'd swap in lower gears when he got to the track.
I noticed a fram filter on the Buick g/n. I do not use fram on anything after seeing the insides of one thirty five years ago. Wix or Bosch for my engines. The Hemi heads will be different from different metals for each head due to thermal dissipation. As always, I thoroughly enjoy watching Nick and his guys. It is rare to see someone with knowledge and tremendous skill building incredible engines.
Damn that evaporation off the headers.. I swear I could smell it... I can't wait to see if there is a difference.. That just dumbfounds me.. how is that possible? that much horsepower? there should be almost no difference if they were the same displacement and valve set up.. Very interesting Nick.. wish we had this kind of stuff back in the day.. what a difference it would have made... thanks Nick.. always a great pleasure to come here.. carry on!
Mr. Nick Panaritis you are A No.1! That Hemi on the dyno though, PheW! Simply Amazing!! No wonder it's said & proven "The Hemi destroying the competition since forever!!!"
Cast iron vs cast aluminium can't wait to get into em Engines so strong they warp the time space continuum Vasili is back he's on a Buick attack It's a bit of a trudge because it's full of sludge Lucky Nick and the team don't hold a grudge. Hemi 426 Nick's got all the tricks so for Nick it's easy to fix Time for some Dynamo fun to test Cast iron vs aluminium Nick's Garage on a Monday is my number one
It's fun watching Nick work on those old V8's. Those engines are big heavy lumps of cast iron and while not very power efficient, they sound awesome and appeal to the old fogeys...of which I am one. I drive a BMW M car but I remember and respect the late 60's muscle cars. Some day, good examples will be as rare as hen's teeth.
Thanks Nick, I was debating replacing the Cast Iron heads on my Hemi with the Aluminum, your tests were great in comparing both. Interestingly too was your test of Factory manifolds versus the aftermarket headers of 35hp difference!! thanks again will continue to follow your lead!
Same power if they are truly the same (ports, valves etc.). Now I’ll finish the vid. 👍 Finished watching. Very surprised that the c.i. heads did better and also with more timing. Usually you have to dial the timing back with iron because of heat soak and pre-ignition issues. Very entertaining stuff right here. Looking forward to the Grand National project. 👍
I bought my grand National brand new in 1984 I still have it and it still has the same motor in it with 39.128 miles on it . Iv been told I should put a bigger TBC on it but as you can see with this one in nick’s garage that is not always a good idea . Good luck George !
Hey I got an 84 Chevy that keeps cracking my water punp.I have had to replace 6 so far and about to put the 7th on one. I'm about to go electric pump and fan which could eliminate this issue. Any other suggestions before I go electric?
Great episode!!! There is no better engine sound, than a 426 Hemi at WFO!!! The test between cast iron heads & aluminum heads was very interesting!! Between the exhaust manifolds & headers, was to be expected... I suspect that the higher amount of Heat loss of the Aluminum combustion chambers, made the difference in the lower output, than the lower heat loss of the cast iron heads... Very interesting!!! This concept was described in a book called 'How to Build Horsepower' by David Vizard...
@@dennisrobinson8008 if the fuel will handle the higher pressure & heat, before self ignition occurs... Just 0.001 second less time to reach full cylinder pressure can make a big difference if the fuel will burn or detonate....
@@michaelmartinez1345 True but the difference between Iron and aluminum is approximately the same difference as a point of compression. Its also in Vizards book and works out in the Real world.
@@michaelmartinez1345 So with David Vizard book in 1997, I knew i could run 10.5:1 on iron heads on the street and 11 to 12:1 on the street with aluminum heads if i ran 93 octane. I knew for my iron heads it would be best to polish the chambers so there are no hot spots. I did this and had an advantage over my peers at the time who were afraid to go over 9.5:1 even if they put aluminum heads on. The people who knew you could run more compression were the extreme minority probably less than 1%. Now adays its more common knowledge with the manufacturers building cars with 11-12:1 with aluminum heads of course must use 93 octane. So the rule of thumb is aluminum with the same compression as an iron head will lose you equivilent of 1 pt of compression due to heat transfer. So that's like 4% or so. So when you run aluminum you should run at least 1 point more compression than you would on the same combo with iron.
@@dennisrobinson8008 It is interesting that Aluminum makes that much of a difference , by how much energy the heads absorb through heat dissapation... There is a fella who does failed stock engine disassembling on You Tube.. The channel is called 'I do cars' , and there is a later Corvette with a later LS series engine with aluminum heads that had holes melted into both of those heads on exactly the same positions... The heat caused the aluminum heads to loose their temper... That engine compartment was very cramped, so not enough heat.was radiated from surrounding air circulation.... Aluminum begins to loose it's tempering at around 475° F. Cast iron will take about 3 times that temperature before structural failures begin to take place... Just saying , Aluminum is good at anything below 450°F. , but anything higher than that, and the costly aluminum heads and other aluminum parts will be worth about $1.75 a pound, as scrap metal... This is WHY so many heavy duty engines are made of cast iron... They are tough...
Cool comparison and thanks for a look at the cam card. I can tell you from personal experience on the dyno that Comp's smallest grind does not belong in a Hemi. They don't lie with a 2000-5000 powerband, the graph absolutely falls off a cliff beyond 5000, and the engine barely made 390 HP, an absolute disgrace of an engine. It was built by another shop over 10 years ago, and the customer wasn't happy with the results so he eventually pulled the engine and brought it to us to dyno. We converted to a hydraulic roller cam as well as an Edelbrock dual quad intake (so he could run Edelbrock 750's) and made a bit over 500 HP for our efforts.
Seems to me when I was wrenching in my dad's performance machine shop, he taught the extender changed the torgue. Probably no big deal as you feel the torgue. When you put an extension on a torque wrench (e.g. a crow foot or a dog bone) the torque applied to the fastener increases as the lever arm extends. The calculator will work out what value you should set into the wrench to achieve the required fastener torque. The following formula has been used: M1 = M2 x L1 / L2 Where: M1 is the torque setting of the wrench M2 is the actual torque applied to the nut L1 is the normal length of the wrench L2 is the extended length of the wrench
Wow awesome hemi test! And the Gran National buick 3.8L (specialty based on homologated gm) V6 turbo is a finely balanced engine from the factory, and not normal GM fare. The GN engine and tuning has many quirks, a buick grand national specialist is required. Hence Nick and crew on the scene. 35:12 , uh oh, time for a turbo 4.3 build.
Hey Nick! I've got a suggestion for you. Set up the ball valve on your water brake with a push/pull Morse cable so you don't have to run back and forth to the dyno. You can use a parachute handle to control it. Just a though that popped in my head while watching you.
The driveability and throttle response is probably better with the iron heads as well. Those aluminum heads really need more cubes under them to really shine. Polish the irons, back face the valves, and maybe port match with an aftermarket intake and you'll really be into some good street power with good manners and good throttle response.
Y'all notice Nick doesn't use power ratchets or impact drivers to install the heads like some mechanics do. Everything is done with hand tools. Good vid.
I'm figuring if the cc's in each head are the same they'll be equal. But the fun is in the testing! Your Kowalski is looking beautiful,factory fresh! I remember the day you posted buying it years ago. Awesome Nick,I'm so glad for you!!!!
That extension you were using is called a spline wrench we use them in fighter jet manufacturing with spline bolts which match the wrench. Their used for high yield load carrying fastners for engines, pylons, bomb carry stations, bulkhead to nacelle mounting, and many other things, etc,.
Very informative comparisons! It's great you are doing these types of videos. Very interesting the cast iron heads beat the AL heads. A 100lbs. lost is good, but the cost...wow. Another great video!
Always liked the Buick Grand Nationals. Tried talking my uncle into buying one new. They always bought the nicer cars new. Remeber the deal breaker for them was the interior they thought looked cheap and plastic. So they purchased a Ford Turbo Coupe. Had push button door locks, high tech dash display. 24 years later the GN looks timeless and the Turbo Coupe high tech stuff looks so chintzy and cheap. Lol
Same with my parents. Took the GN out for a test ride, then a Mercury Cougar with a V6. They really liked the digital dash in the Cougar. So thats what we got. The Cougar was $2,000 more than the GN to boot.
yep a cheap interior, had a regular regal, and the dash cracked in only a couple months, and seats ripped at 30K miles.
@@fortyshooter1 I was in tech school and was dreaming of a 5.0 LX..They were about $16500 new in Canada...so when I graduated I paid off my student loan...😕
I did the same, and ended up going for a new 88 Mustang GT. Fully loaded (minus cruise and Titanium rocker paint) cost me ~$23,500 CDN. Glad i opted for the 3.08 rear end. Ran one GN from stoplight to stoplight (0-120kmh), and i held him by a bumper...really close. lol The Mustang was faster up top though, and i did speed runs several times/week. My friends' 88' Turbo Coupe was surprisingly close!
@@Mr1Tanker I had a silver 87 Turbo Coup. It was Motor Trends car of the year in ‘87. I bought it used, but it only had about 30,000 km on it, so it was practically brand new. Then I bought a Dodge Stealth. I had both for a while and had my Turbo Coup up for sale , so it was just parked. Then one day I had to take my Turbo Coup out for some reason. As I was driving it along I realized It was much nicer to drive than the Stealth, so I sold the Stealth.
The Turbo Coup was pretty fast and advanced for its day, with a turbo charged engine, electronic controlled suspension, anti-lock brakes, adjustable seat bolsters under your knees and large wheels for the day. It was a great looking car, with a nicely done interior, standard transmission and it handled amazingly well for its size. It also had some mechanical problems like most cars of that era. The turbo died at 120,000 km, the fuel pump went, the transmission needed to be rebuilt, it chewed up alternators and one even caught on fire and the headlight switch would overheat in the winter from the heat coming off the heater. I remember driving on the highway on a few cold winter nights around -30° C and suddenly my headlights would flicker and go out for a minute or so and then come back on and stay on for a while and then the whole thing would repeat itself. Luckily, the snow reflects so much light at night, I could still see where I was going. The alternator issues were all caused by the clip together electrical connector they decided was better than the old style eye attached directly to a bolt on the alternator. Once the clip-on connector leads got a bit of oxidation on them they would arc and melt the wiring. But despite those issues, that 87 T-bird Turbo Coup was one of my favourite cars of all time. I still have the original brochure somewhere, but the car is long gone. Eventually, it started to rust and I traded it in on a used BMW 535i with an in-line 6 and a manual transmission. A few years later, I sold that and bought a used low mileage 1995 Mercedes C36 AMG, which I only drove in the summers.
Nick, I watched the Hemi aluminum vs. cast iron head comparison with great interest. A co-worker engineer I was good friends with worked as a power train development engineer at GM on the 427 cubic inch L-88 engine back in the 60's and he said all things being equal between the aluminum and the cast iron head, the cast iron head made more power due to better thermal efficiency between the the iron block and iron cylinder heads. It seems to be the same case with the Hemi motor. I really enjoyed watching this segment. Thanks to you and your guys.
Aluminum bleeds off heat/power faster... L-88 iron head 560 HP... aluminum head 530 HP...
L
That's right plus the hemi combustion chamber has a large surface area that further robs heat. Power is heat heat is power!
thats why ally heads need more cr, they loose it as you say , but up the cr, and it,ll be a different story
lots of alloy heads can run low grade fuel with high cr,s, some thing iron heads cant do, cos they retain the heat.
@@marcusbewley1 - you're correct. Aluminum heads are generally better overall.
I am an old guy (76) and love your reports. I taught dyno testing and tuning (both chassis and engine), along with high performance engine machining and building at a tech college for 10 years so I have experience doing what you do. I also grew up in the golden years of muscle cars and owned a bunch. I have a suggestion for you to do a "tips and tricks" video - actually 3 operations. The first one is something very rarely done but it is important on modified engines. It reduces friction. It is checking and correcting "rocker arm geometry". If you see this reply to me and I will reply with more.
I, for one, would love to hear what you know. I am sure there are others like me. (if you dont mind)
Nick, years back I worked in a speed shop in Barrie, ON. Any of the engines we dyno, we took them to John Rossiter's in Toronto. I was like 19/20 yrs old back then. One of the things I enjoyed doing was going outside to listen to the dyno pull. It sounded great. Love to see you do it once for the audience.
What was the shop called. I live in barrie
Just Got home from Mondays generator repairs. Time for Nick's Garage and a cuppa coffee. Time to unwind with Nick's Garage.
Just to let everyone know that only the Chamber design and valve sizes are the same in both cylinder heads. Port volumes, bowl design and valve guides in the bowl are not the same. Both cylinder heads are made by different manufactures for Mopar Performance.
Made by different manufacturers FOR Mopar Performance
Do you gain power to weight from the aluminum heads ?
@The94GTC The extra horsepower with the cast iron heads could be attributed to the slight increase in compression. Due to the use of a thinner head gasket. For longevity and reliability the cast iron heads are probably best suited for a street car. I like the way Nick does a thorough job with his dyno testing.
@The94GTC I had always believed you needed to raise the compression one point to make up for aluminum heat removing properties.
Hi nic i watched your vidio comparing the Heads.& i was impressed. bout i have a question could be the aluminium heating evaporating more fuel den the cast iron. Because we 'v ben told that aluminium more performance but its not. Like the 18 valves. Mickey mouse.. it could be loss of compression. In the long run..while closing valves & when closed..
Nick is the fountain of knowledge. There's no one else like him, plus the fact he's a really nice guy..
The more I watch Nick in action the more I admire his skills. It feels to me that I'm looking over the shoulder of a master. Sight, sound, all the senses. Fabulous channel gentlemen
Topp. Thank you.
Thanks for being here. We really appreciate it.
Yes grasshopper.
Does the gas you use have ethanol in its fuel?
@@michaelm00n88 Yes, 10%
I'll take the Aluminum heads anyday over Cast Iron 15 to 20 Horse Power on the Street you'll never know the difference. But a 100 Pounds off the nose you can feel it in the way the Car handles
Yep the 100lbs and lower-end of the torque curve improving will be a net overall gain for the aluminum heads on the street and maybe even on the track. Any experienced racer will tell you the motor that performs best on the dyno doesn't always perform best in the race car. That's where experience comes in. Watching Nick in his element is always a pleasure - a master in the horsepower game.
@@zangzang1268 498 horsepower aftermarket headed hemi is straight terrible. very underwhelming. 1.16 horsepower per cubic inch.... That's an intake, camshaft and some very mild porting on stock bbc/sbc/sbf. Very mediocre.
@@juliennacer8871 Brilliant - now, go troll somewhere else.
@@zangzang1268 Not trolling. Just stating the obvious.
@@juliennacer8871 I don't know if he did any mods or tuning to this engine vs. stock. He pointed out that he stitched the block, so it is likely that the engine was in for that repair, not a performance rebuild. He was just interested in comparing aluminum vs. cast iron on the same engine. We all know that when he wants to he can tune the crap out of a stock engine, but that wasn't what he was doing here.
What a episode ♥️, never gets old listening to a Hemi do it's thing !
You know it buddy. That engine sounds ritious
Over an hour of Nick's Garage on Labor Day (or Labour for our Canadian friends) is a great great way to spend a Monday! I really thought the aluminum heads would make the better power but 20 hp is a decent amount more. Hats off to the Chrysler engineers - they really were rocket scientists! Thanks for fun and informative videos! I learn a lot watching the Mopar Master at work
QMopar. I had to clean up the bowl area behind the valves on the cast iron heads. They were very rough so I cleaned them up to match the aluminum heads.
See Aluminum bleeds off heat/power faster... L-88 iron head 560 HP... aluminum head 530 HP...
1952 was a magical year for design engineers at Chrysler, it was a spark of creative genius
Glad to finally get to see how that welded 426 was done. Excellent work.
Thanks!
I love it when nicks in his element at the controls , I swear he thinks he's piloting the Millennium falcon !!! .
Yup, some people work for a living...Nick plays for a living. hahahaha
That's because he is piloting a big block Mopar..he doesn't care about no stinking Millennium Falcon!!
He's the master at the controls - make it simple.
Maybe he has piloted the Falcon🤣
I think that man could give Chewbacca a lesson lol :-)
Nicks is the goto guy for the older stuff .
the same, coffee and nicks garage ---good Labor Day.
Yes sir it is!
what's NOT good is commercials every 3 minutes. I'm sick of it, I can't even relax and watch, I have to actively get involved.
@@RockerDave12 Blame RUclips.
that little tool on your breaker bar is called a ( torque adapter ) used when torquing down a bolt or nut that a socket can not get to. made to go on a torque wrench . they save so much work and cuss words . Love watching you guys be safe much LOVE.
Backyard. Nice to know, Thanks.
I had a 421 SBC dirt racing engine do that at 7200 RPM's.Over $15 grand gone in the blink of an eye.A real season ending event for sure.
Thanks for keeping these classic engines going.There is nothing like the sound of a duel quad hemi.
Stud removers are a godsend. One of the first things I bought when I started buying tools.
Thanks for the cool video.
I had a young customer drive in with a Saab 9-5 2.3 turbo with a missing piston. It was misfiring, obviously, and uneven compression when turning over, but no noticeable noises. After finding a smashed spark plug, I looked in the hole with a borescope, and no piston, just the rod and pin. It didn't damage the cylinder like this Buick, though. Just some slight gouges. I think it had hypereutectic pistons and it just shattered into a thousand pieces.
Got my coffe and toast.
Ladies and Gents.
Start your Monday.
Love it guys
Thanks for spending your morning with us, Scuff.
@@NicksGarage
Great show.
"So I was just driving along, then I heard a rattle up front, then the engine stopped. Could you have a look at it Nick?" Funny.
You should start putting mug shots on the walls starting with Jean-Guy and Gary.
I believe the Hemi is the best engine ever made in the muscle car era, or maybe all time. 1981 I had a 69 super bee w a 426 hemi and 4 speed pistol grip w a big Dana rear end. Paid 500 bucks for it, yes 500 bucks. Needed a few hundred worth of parts. I was half owner w a guy that didn't have his license so we put it im my name. I had the registration up until a few years ago, I believe it was the 5th digit of the vin that indicated the engine type. Several months later he wanted to sell and we did for 1300 bucks! Absolutely true story. We had no idea what it was worth. PS we didn't have enough $$ to get a new carb so we only ran it w 1 of the carbs, we put 2 hush thrush mufflers on it and it backfired once and blew the backs off the new mufflers. That car had a sound like no other that i have heard since in the last 39 years. I loved the sound when reving up and shifting the gears. I was in the back seat once when another friend drove it on a long road and when he shifted my head would hit the back window. Stock specs said 425 hp and i think 490 torque, there is no way it was that low and we only had 1 carb running!
OMG that sound when you reved it up, the same sound I heard 39 years ago!
The thing I like about Nick is that he enjoys the cars and working on them, and his always continuing to learn
I used to play with the little toyoya 4k engines. built a beautiful twin sidedraft engine that was pretty trick for rallying. Had access to a rolling road so played a lot with bits and pieces. Things like making up auxillary venturies for the fuel signals to improve response, different cam timing, different centerline on cams etc. Bored out the followers to put in more aggressive cams without loosing bottom end. One rally the driver said it was a wee bit flat. Turned out the inlet manifold was faced on a linisher and it developed an air leak. two cylinders were driving the other two cylinders as it leaned out. Well, it got so hot inside it melted the teflon button on the gudeon pit, it ran up inside the bore gouging it up and finally it missed when the water hit the combustion chamber and he retired. That was a new block and a set of pistons and started again. I finished up "O" ringining the manifolds and put viton o ring on the exhausts as well. Sounds crazy but because they were imbedded in the aluminium head and did not leak, they did not get hot and that was the end of exhaust leaks for ever! Attention to detail is so important. Like you we ran the ignition as low as we could, torque thru the mid range was far more valuable that top end numbers. From 1300cc we were only dealing with around 110 hp at the rear wheels. I even made our own close ratio gearbox. Good video by the way.
A few benefits of iron heads: 1) MORE POWER (today's video confirms it). An engine is an air pump, and with all else being equal, the MORE heat you can keep in the chamber, the MORE power you will make. 2) Can run ARP head bolts instead of studs. Iron heads don't lift under boost the way aluminum does, so can use a lower cost fastener and not risk losing a head gasket. If you DO lose a head gasket, you WON'T torch the head the way you can with aluminum. 3) Cost. Much less than aluminum. 4) Every threaded hole is stronger in cast iron than aluminum as aluminum has to be heli-coiled or time-serted in critical areas. We all know the benefits of aluminum heads; I just wanted to throw an argument out there for iron. Thank you Nick for proving what I have been saying for a long time.
Keeping heat in the chamber is not beneficial to making power at all. Theoretically, higher temperatures would be more thermally efficient, but preventing knock is your thermal limit, and the more heat you can remove, the farther away you are from knock. If you can keep your combustion chamber cooler, then there is more margin to play with on AFR / timing.
Iron heads are way heavier, crack way more, can't be fixed after a failure like aluminum, Let's also keep in mind that the iron heads got a pocket port and had more compression with a thinner head gasket.
Watching Nick's videos is like going to a school that you never want to leave. I love Nick.
Awesome video! I thought "The Keeper" was the best video ever but this one has it beat. From heavy metal destruction to pure Detroit horsepower, all in one video...Wow! You've really raised the bar, Nick!
Dr. Nick, cast iron RULES!,on your last live show you said that you use a very simple tool on that hemi,well you are right,as you say keep it simple,that was a GREAT video,bad news for the owner of that Buick,and thank you George fo making that video,cheers.
Buick guy "I heard a noise", no sh!t? One of the best back to back dyno tests I've seen and on my favorite engine too, great work guys.
Thanks Nick, Factory to Aluminum. Apparently the Chrysler boys did their their Homework as I realized racing on the street in the day. Thank you Nick for the great show! Bob
Nick I always thought the cast iron heads would be better being the original for the block from factory but having said that thought it interesting the difference it made and how much the drop was with the standard manifolds too. Great filming there to George and great to see Vasili back. That v6 was certainly a mess inside and I guess its had a hard life aye. Well the coffee and toast is finished and the video has come to an end thanks guys stay well.
My Uncle showed me a spark plug of a 460 Ford truck. 60,000 miles no tune up the plug broke & wasted the cylinder. He told me change your spark plugs!!! It was a customers truck that was brought to his garage that wasn't that old of truck they just drove the crap out of it! Beautiful cars in your shop & quality care. That white R/T Challenger WoW !
Nick's scientific approach to his passion is absolutely wonderful. Especially in an era where science is so begrudged.
What's crazy is that the GN came with cast pistons and this was not an uncommon result once you started upping the boost. The vacuum line popped off my wastegate, which caused the boost to peg out and the engine detonated. I instantly cracked the #4 piston.
I run a Buick 231 in my Datsun pickup, it's non turbo but a blast, been beating on it for 20 years and not broke it, but rebuilt it with forged .030 over pistons and ARP rod bolts, good little engines, been a few people that had to pull me over and see what was in that Datsun that blew their doors off! I have vids of it in my videos if you're interested.
Wow cast pistons! Wonder if the GNX had that?
@@VG-iq8xq looked it up....the GNX used the same bottom end as the GN/T-Type. But honestly, the cast pistons really aren't the problem...a bad combustion event or ring butting is. If a cast or hypereutectic style piston has sufficient ring gap, you can boost them really hard. The fuel and tune have to be on point because the pistons will either crack or shatter.
To Nicks garage: I worked for Buick for 15 years. That turbo has oil coming out of it. It is due to bad bronze bushings for turboshaft. Replace/rebuild that turbo and send the intercooler out for cleaning.
It doesn't take much oil mist from a worn turbo to wipe off about 20 octane points. Result, piston damage from detonation.
Upgrade to an aftermarket ball bearing turbo, time to upgrade this whole motor!
Hello Nick good program waiting for another of your adventure with cool engines. San Diego Ca
What an episode! Great side by side comparison, and a great lesson on different engine options. Thank you Nick!
I've been using copper coat on steel shim head gaskets for 25 years not a single issue with head seal on many many different makes of engines
I love watching this channel. This video was over the top with great information.
That's one thirsty smoke'n hot 426 HEMI.........Music to my ears. Love it Nick and the horsepower these engines can put out. Never get tired of hearing a 426 scream'n like a demon! Cant get any better than that Nick. Long live Mopar Muscle. Thank you for sharing.
I just finished up a swap on my 87 grand national, I refused to ls swap it even though I have completed hundreds of ls swaps. I decided to keep it a turbo v6 and I decided to swap in a lf4 3.6tt from a Cadillac ats-v which is 464hp stock and I used the 8 speed transmission behind it. It is the most appropriate swap for a grand national or t-type regal.
I own a heavily modified 3.8 buick 109 block dynoed at 750 hp. a lot of money though it's been pretty good to me but if your customer is looking to go higher horsepower he should go to a stage 2 cast iron block with forged or billet internals. I have a good friend who is putting out 1,400 hp on his stage 2. Have a nice day. By the way, you do awesome work and have priceless knowledge on engines.
This Was an Awesome Episode Nick n Crew 😀😊 The Testing Was Really Neat I Think The Cast Iron Heads Made More Power Because The Hemi Gods Designed It 😊 That Was Some Serious Damage To The Buick Grand National Vasili Has The Engine Out Of 😮😬😳
Giasou Nikola,
Absolutely a fantastic educational video for all to see. Sorry about Saturday again I got the timing wrong but I did watch the replay. The Grand National forget it, I feel sorry for the owner considering he just bought it.
Back to the Hemi test.
In my opinion it is one of the greatest tragedies of the muscle car era that Ma Mopar didn't offer a optional aluminum head option for the 426 Hemi, if for anything to take weight off the front.
Ford did it with the 429 Boss, it had aluminum heads.
Chevrolet did it with the L89 option either a 396 or a 427 could be ordered with the L89 option, no extra horsepower but weight saving.
Considering the 1965 Race Hemi from the factory did come with aluminum heads, so they had already done it & proved that it worked. I am sure there would of been customers out there who would of paid the additional $700 for this option if they were given the chance. What a well presented, fully comprehensive, educational & well thought out video, this is what makes watching Nick's Garage so great you always learn something new & we are always enthralled watching Nick & what magic he is going to come up with, with his assistance Vasili. Giasou Vasili.
Nick that package I have left for you from Mecum is absolutely perfect considering what we watched, you may need another pair of hands to stretch out the banner.
Back to the Hemi, back in the day everyone wrote that the Hemi was a true 500 Hp engine from the factory not the 425 Hp factory rating & you know what they were right, plus the factory rating from the factory is 490 ft lb, so again almost a match.
So my theory is the factory offered the correct torque rating, because who cared about torque, it was all about Hp, & underrated the Hp for insurance reasons & class homologation for drag racing.
We have all been waiting for this most talked about, anticipated video & Nick & the crew get a 10 out of 10 for a video of the ages.
Aluminum vs Cast Iron on a 426 Hemi. Absolutely brilliant & well done to Nick's Garage & all the crew, BRAVO a job well done.
Your number 1 Fan in Australia
Louis Kats from Melbourne Australia ☺ 👍 ❤
Louis. I will open the package this weekend Louis. It will be filmed but not live. Thanks again.
@@nickpanaritis4122
Awesome look forward to the video when it comes out
Great comparison Nick! Wow, headers made a big difference! Made my day!
Very educational! I learn something from each video. Good to see muscle cars and engines being restored.
GEORGE!
A one hour extravaganza? Yes, please!
I know I wasn't alone as I played armchair quarterback here, watching this...
Not knowing those heads and how their ports were, I bet on the iron ones simply because
of the difference in the head gaskets. Turns out, that was correct.
Not knowing hemi's (never could afford one!) but knowing their 440 cousins better, I egged
Nick on with the timing, too. 34-35 seems to be the magic number on near-stock ones and
this engine didn't disappoint there, either.
Watching Nick do dyno runs in my house is a lot like when I'm listening to my favorite music -
not only do I get to enjoy it, but so does my wife....and our dog....and the neighbors. :-)
Oh, the Buick? Yeah, "ventilated" seems appropriate to describe that scrap iron. Next!!
EVERYONE HELP SUPPORT NICK'S GARAGE ON PATREON!! It matters!
Y'all be safe up there, here until I can't be,
-Ed on the Ridge
Thanks Ed! You’re the best.
Honestly....if Nicks Garage is not playing in YOUR garage while you wrench....you're not spending garage time right..... Thanks Nick. Hello to you from Arizona.
Amazing vid. Thanks Nick, and et al. I wonder what a good port and polish job would do to those cast iron heads? Do you chamfer the oil holes on the rotating assemblies when you build your engines? Last but not least do you blueprint and balance your engines? Love watching your vids down here in Scottsdale Arizona. Hopefully we'll get back our perpetual car shows this Winter/spring down here. We usually get a big Canadian populous down here in the winter, it's always a pleasure, but this year we may not.
Nick, surprising numbers difference! Thanks for a great Labor Day!
Should be close. @ biggest reasons to go to aluminum heads is weight savings and better heat dissipation with aluminum heads.
@Donnell Austin and then there is the irrefutable fact,taking 100.lbs in the very front of the car makes tha handling (especially in corners) much ,much better. 👏
This is one of my favorite videos right after the Pontiac 455 that started a fire excellent video and we learn more information thanks Nick and great video George keep them coming
Nick is looking young with the new haircut! Keep up the good work guys
Godfather of mopar.. thanks for sharing your knowledge Nick, great stuff.
Hello Mr.Nick & Crew from San Antonio Texas I really enjoy watching all of your videos here and i never fail to learn tips & tricks from a Maestro of engine building and dyno testing the only wish i have is for Nicks Garage to relocate to my neighbor hood and i would gladly sweep the whole shop just to be able to hang around with persons of your caliber. Im 65 yrs old with a still young at heart driving my Dads 1966 Ford F-100. With an original 352 FE big block with 390 FE unleaded heads due to the lack of lead in todays
Fuels
I was 9 yrs old when i went with my Dad to pick up his brand new long bed i have it fully restored to better than new specs it still runs like a swiss watch Thank you Jesus the only thing i haul is ass lol
Good too see Vasily back
Sure is! Vasilis is the man.
@@NicksGarage Vasilis was that you? lol you da man!
Nick, I was so excited about seeing these Hemi testing results. What a great show and so informative. Great Show! Thanks again!
Awesome ! Love the side by side testing ! Cheers guys !
I have been waiting for this comparison of the heads on the 426 hemi. Can’t wait to see the results.
John. I gave the results on video. Watch it again.
thanks Nick for that tip on the corners of those cast iron heads with a small amount of silicone. never built a 426 but if i do, i'll use it.
Been waiting for the B2B Hemi tests! Thanks for doing this Nick! Very interesting results! Awesome video
this is an awesome dyno video man. it is always awesome to see comparison videos
Way back in the late '90's, I went to an auto recyclers of some sort(everything was new, nothing used) in Detroit. They had brand new GN engines stacked like cord wood. Ready to drop in like on the assembly line( fully dressed including turbo). They had about 30 of them. I think they got them direct from GM. Every now and then I think of this, and how cool it was.
TLR. Are you kidding me. WOW. I would have loved to see that.
Buick City always had a problem with theft from the experimental/ engineering division. In the mid 80s there were a lot of prototype cars that never made it to the crusher. Some engineers had been involved in aiding the salvage yards with supplying bogus vin numbers. Then sold the cars to dealers in the US.
@@Hanzyscure I remember seeing some Fiero prototype/showcar sitting out in a yard at Buick city. Late '90's also. It was in all the magazines when the Fiero debuted in '84.
Would have loved to see All Aluminum shoot out... Head and Intake
But I must say this was really cool... Thanks Nick!
Hey Nick... does anyone ever ask You to build an engine to be its most efficient?
What would that look like?
Balances and blueprinted, all ports matched and ported, fuel injection.
In other words to have the highest flow rate to a matched cam, optimal compression ratio and fuel delivery.
What kind of power would this deliver... what would be fuel consumption?
@@kevindowd7769 . My clients ask me to build an efficient engine and when it comes to fuel consumption, does not matter. Reason why, not a full time driven car.
Great comparison Nick, really enjoyed watching the difference in the results when you changed the timing by one or two degrees. I wished I lived closer to you and could bring my Hemi to you to tune before I drop it back into my car. Thanks.
The destroyed Buick reminds me of a saying regarding care and maintenance of cars told to me by an old drag racer. "If you want to keep the tiger, you have to feed the tiger."
I like that saying
@@gregrogers3030 I think it was original to Gene. He had raced a Chevy II with a 427 in it and had many trophies. It was also his daily driver at that time and he'd swap in lower gears when he got to the track.
I noticed a fram filter on the Buick g/n. I do not use fram on anything after seeing the insides of one thirty five years ago. Wix or Bosch for my engines. The Hemi heads will be different from different metals for each head due to thermal dissipation. As always, I thoroughly enjoy watching Nick and his guys. It is rare to see someone with knowledge and tremendous skill building incredible engines.
Damn that evaporation off the headers.. I swear I could smell it... I can't wait to see if there is a difference.. That just dumbfounds me.. how is that possible? that much horsepower? there should be almost no difference if they were the same displacement and valve set up.. Very interesting Nick.. wish we had this kind of stuff back in the day.. what a difference it would have made... thanks Nick.. always a great pleasure to come here.. carry on!
Mr. Nick Panaritis you are A No.1! That Hemi on the dyno though, PheW! Simply Amazing!! No wonder it's said & proven "The Hemi destroying the competition since forever!!!"
Cast iron vs cast aluminium can't wait to get into em Engines so strong they warp the time space continuum Vasili is back he's on a Buick attack It's a bit of a trudge because it's full of sludge Lucky Nick and the team don't hold a grudge. Hemi 426 Nick's got all the tricks so for Nick it's easy to fix Time for some Dynamo fun to test Cast iron vs aluminium Nick's Garage on a Monday is my number one
Thanks Roberto! Rockin' the Rhymes, and always in good times.
@@NicksGarage If rhyme was a crime I'd be doing serious time hope you are all well and doing fine!
It's fun watching Nick work on those old V8's. Those engines are big heavy lumps of cast iron and while not very power efficient, they sound awesome and appeal to the old fogeys...of which I am one. I drive a BMW M car but I remember and respect the late 60's muscle cars. Some day, good examples will be as rare as hen's teeth.
Merci pour la vidéo! Parfait avec un bon café pendant la fête du travail!
One great video!! I use .020 gaskets on all my big blocks Mopar makes them. The last time I bought a set they were back ordered.
mojunk19. In Canada, .020 gaskets for B and RB are no longer available from Mopar Performance.
Great Nick, so with all your knowledge and data you have acquired through the years: when is the book coming out? Wow.
Nick is old school and I love it !!
Make sure your deck is clean. I think that's what Nick said.
Thanks Nick, I was debating replacing the Cast Iron heads on my Hemi with the Aluminum, your tests were great in comparing both. Interestingly too was your test of Factory manifolds versus the aftermarket headers of 35hp difference!! thanks again will continue to follow your lead!
Hello and thanks again. Always look forward to your videos. Keep well over there!
Our pleasure. Thanks!
Sorry, didn’t mention how great your videos are. Great videos Nick. Thanks.
Same power if they are truly the same (ports, valves etc.). Now I’ll finish the vid. 👍
Finished watching. Very surprised that the c.i. heads did better and also with more timing. Usually you have to dial the timing back with iron because of heat soak and pre-ignition issues. Very entertaining stuff right here. Looking forward to the Grand National project. 👍
I bought my grand National brand new in 1984 I still have it and it still has the same motor in it with 39.128 miles on it . Iv been told I should put a bigger TBC on it but as you can see with this one in nick’s garage that is not always a good idea . Good luck George !
Hey I got an 84 Chevy that keeps cracking my water punp.I have had to replace 6 so far and about to put the 7th on one. I'm about to go electric pump and fan which could eliminate this issue. Any other suggestions before I go electric?
MRT4T. I believe your fan is out of balance, or make sure your fan is centre on the WP shaft.
luv the long videos keep it up makes you stand out above the rest!!!!!!
Great episode!!! There is no better engine sound, than a 426 Hemi at WFO!!! The test between cast iron heads & aluminum heads was very interesting!! Between the exhaust manifolds & headers, was to be expected... I suspect that the higher amount of Heat loss of the Aluminum combustion chambers, made the difference in the lower output, than the lower heat loss of the cast iron heads... Very interesting!!! This concept was described in a book called 'How to Build Horsepower' by David Vizard...
The difference is about one pt of compression or about 4%. So you're supposed to run 1pt higher compression on aluminum.
@@dennisrobinson8008 if the fuel will handle the higher pressure & heat, before self ignition occurs... Just 0.001 second less time to reach full cylinder pressure can make a big difference if the fuel will burn or detonate....
@@michaelmartinez1345 True but the difference between Iron and aluminum is approximately the same difference as a point of compression. Its also in Vizards book and works out in the Real world.
@@michaelmartinez1345 So with David Vizard book in 1997, I knew i could run 10.5:1 on iron heads on the street and 11 to 12:1 on the street with aluminum heads if i ran 93 octane. I knew for my iron heads it would be best to polish the chambers so there are no hot spots. I did this and had an advantage over my peers at the time who were afraid to go over 9.5:1 even if they put aluminum heads on. The people who knew you could run more compression were the extreme minority probably less than 1%. Now adays its more common knowledge with the manufacturers building cars with 11-12:1 with aluminum heads of course must use 93 octane.
So the rule of thumb is aluminum with the same compression as an iron head will lose you equivilent of 1 pt of compression due to heat transfer. So that's like 4% or so. So when you run aluminum you should run at least 1 point more compression than you would on the same combo with iron.
@@dennisrobinson8008 It is interesting that Aluminum makes that much of a difference , by how much energy the heads absorb through heat dissapation... There is a fella who does failed stock engine disassembling on You Tube.. The channel is called 'I do cars' , and there is a later Corvette with a later LS series engine with aluminum heads that had holes melted into both of those heads on exactly the same positions... The heat caused the aluminum heads to loose their temper... That engine compartment was very cramped, so not enough heat.was radiated from surrounding air circulation.... Aluminum begins to loose it's tempering at around 475° F. Cast iron will take about 3 times that temperature before structural failures begin to take place... Just saying , Aluminum is good at anything below 450°F. , but anything higher than that, and the costly aluminum heads and other aluminum parts will be worth about $1.75 a pound, as scrap metal... This is WHY so many heavy duty engines are made of cast iron... They are tough...
Cool comparison and thanks for a look at the cam card. I can tell you from personal experience on the dyno that Comp's smallest grind does not belong in a Hemi. They don't lie with a 2000-5000 powerband, the graph absolutely falls off a cliff beyond 5000, and the engine barely made 390 HP, an absolute disgrace of an engine. It was built by another shop over 10 years ago, and the customer wasn't happy with the results so he eventually pulled the engine and brought it to us to dyno. We converted to a hydraulic roller cam as well as an Edelbrock dual quad intake (so he could run Edelbrock 750's) and made a bit over 500 HP for our efforts.
Seems to me when I was wrenching in my dad's performance machine shop, he taught the extender changed the torgue. Probably no big deal as you feel the torgue. When you put an extension on a torque wrench (e.g. a crow foot or a dog bone) the torque applied to the fastener increases as the lever arm extends. The calculator will work out what value you should set into the wrench to achieve the required fastener torque.
The following formula has been used:
M1 = M2 x L1 / L2
Where:
M1 is the torque setting of the wrench
M2 is the actual torque applied to the nut
L1 is the normal length of the wrench
L2 is the extended length of the wrench
Holy crap! I have seen some blown up engines before but this is definitely a Watch Wes Work "here's your problem lady"
Wow awesome hemi test!
And the Gran National buick 3.8L (specialty based on homologated gm) V6 turbo is a finely balanced engine from the factory, and not normal GM fare. The GN engine and tuning has many quirks, a buick grand national specialist is required. Hence Nick and crew on the scene.
35:12 , uh oh, time for a turbo 4.3 build.
Hey Nick! I've got a suggestion for you. Set up the ball valve on your water brake with a push/pull Morse cable so you don't have to run back and forth to the dyno. You can use a parachute handle to control it. Just a though that popped in my head while watching you.
Got it covered! A viewer built and shipped exactly what we needed.. you’ll be seeing it in action in upcoming videos.
@@NicksGarage Awesome! You have the best viewers for sure.
Hands down my Favorite channel! Nick! Nick! Nick!
Your a hemi genius Nick, so glad you're sharing your knowledge with us, learning so much..thanks.
The driveability and throttle response is probably better with the iron heads as well. Those aluminum heads really need more cubes under them to really shine. Polish the irons, back face the valves, and maybe port match with an aftermarket intake and you'll really be into some good street power with good manners and good throttle response.
Y'all notice Nick doesn't use power ratchets or impact drivers to install the heads like some mechanics do. Everything is done with hand tools. Good vid.
I've seen some RUclipsrs put spark plugs in a socket and zip them into an aluminum head. With a cordless impact driver.
Love your channel Nick! Love your passion!
Thanks James!
I'm figuring if the cc's in each head are the same they'll be equal. But the fun is in the testing! Your Kowalski is looking beautiful,factory fresh! I remember the day you posted buying it years ago. Awesome Nick,I'm so glad for you!!!!
and the vanishing point challenger made an appearence. Kowalski was the best
That extension you were using is called a spline wrench we use them in fighter jet manufacturing with spline bolts which match the wrench. Their used for high yield load carrying fastners for engines, pylons, bomb carry stations, bulkhead to nacelle mounting, and many other things, etc,.
It's a no-brainer. Headers stay! Toss the factory exhaust manifold!
Very cool video! I knew that the cast iron manifolds would be weaker. but the motor sounded way louder and more agressive with the manifolds!!
Very informative comparisons! It's great you are doing these types of videos. Very interesting the cast iron heads beat the AL heads. A 100lbs. lost is good, but the cost...wow. Another great video!