It's such a pleasure to watch these old school gentlemen mechanics working together showing such respect for each other, for their tools and for the engine itself. Never a cuss word spoken nor short temper shown or corners cut, you just can't beat it!
Hey George, so nice to enjoy a video where the man who handles it keeps the background music under control, never missed a single word of Nick and Manny's dialog, excellent!
Nick, make sure you check out the rear main cap. Oil pump bolt can sometimes hit the rear main bearing if the bolt is too long. That's why I use the ARP olipump stud.
I really loved this tare down, I wish I owned this motor I know it would be a sin but I would put it in my 1966 Chevelle in front of my 4 speed. Love you guys .
Hey there Nick ! One thing that is a common failure point on Chevy engines that have been rebuilt is , the bolt that secures the oil pump . People will use the wrong bolt , and it will be too long and it will put pressure on the main bearing ! When you remove the rear main under the oil pump , you will see an imprint of the bolt in the bearing where the bolt came into contact with the bearing ! I have seen this personally from other engine builders ! I hope this helps you and gives you a place too look for problems that may be hard to find !
Sweet teardown! This 454 is in great shape, well taken care of. Anxious to see the final result on the dyno. Thank you Gentlemen, I’m reliving lots of memories. 😃
a v8? this an engine for a truck,, and ususally its diesel a cheaper fuel and a more efficient engine.. thast why Detroit went bankrupt.. well whatever peoples collect strange stuff:))
Good news on this motor, I was worried it would be much worse. I could watch this stuff all day - keep em coming! And thank you to the client and the nicks garage crew for bringing us along
This is exciting to see this LS6 in your shop. I would keep it stock, but its not my engine and leave it solid lifters. The best mechanic is working on it. Thanks Nick!
The factory 1970 LS-6's had TRW forged pistons with an advertised compression ratio of 11:1 with the closed chamber rectangle port heads and steel shim head gaskets.The 71's had the same shortblock but open chamber rectangle port heads. Seems to me they had a windage tray as well, but that could have been removed.
Love the ol 454 Chevy Big Block it is a Legend in it's own Right . Especially in a Corvette, Chevelle, Camaro .... ol Street Kings too. Big Wave to Mr.Nick ,George, and Manny ...Hope everyone is doing well and happy 😊😊😊❤
Each brand had a magnificent motor. You cant put any of them down. Back in the day it was brand loyalty,still is but they each had a bad ass motor to offer.
Great Job to Nick and Manny. 2 Master Craftsman at work. Nick is the doctor of the automotive world. Manny is just as talented as Nick as a master craftsman . It was great to see how they disected the problem of the engine. Great job guys.
Nick/Manny -thank you. For me this is what I watch the channel for. Im not into dyno runs or HP numbers. Just wrenching. So please more of this type of video.
I have a 1974 LS six Nick we built it about 15 years ago. Original bore same thing you’re doing mine ended up being the thrust bearing. It was interesting watching you. I remember everything about this engine still have it.
Nick and Manny, you guys work so nice together. It's awesome. What an awesome video I had a 454ls6 high school. With a 510 rear rock crusher, tranny car was awesome. Baddest car in the city, all stock. We're a little bit of done with the exhaust, but it was unbelievable. Thanks for the video I really enjoyed that
I did my first engine (SB Chevy) when I was 17 in 1981. It was fairly low miles but an oil burner. Re-ring and bearing, new cam, lifters and timing chain, valve job. dingle ball hone on the std bore. It appeared the machine shop did not take out the galley plugs. I did wash the block when I got it back. Spun a rod at 20,000 miles. Next engine, I pulled all the plugs myself and put the new ones in. You can never be too clean.
I spoke to a gentleman many years ago that used to work at the Tonawanda New York engine plant where these motors were born. He told me that Chevrolet put headers on the LS6 when they dyno tested it to reach the 450 hp numbers. Can't wait for the dyno test when you're finished with the build.
Uncle Nick and Uncle Manny are the greatest. Haven't had a success story auto job yet. But my oldest twin daughter has found interest in auto ICE engineering, design, function, and maintenance. She's currently discussing a new six stroke pistol design by Porsche.
I did a rebuild on a 454 in an ambulance back in 1980. It had a water pump failure and overheated which took the tension out of the rings. The engine didn't even have a detectable wear ridge in the cylinders. It was basically new rings, bearings, camshaft and lifters. The heads were rebuilt and the camshaft had a couple of lobes that were worn unevenly. That was a fun job to do and it fired up first try because I primed the carburetor before I even connected the battery.
Wrong. I have a 180* stat in my 70 Z/28 and no matter if it’s 40*F or 100*F outside the engine always runs at 180*. In colder days it may get to 179*F. If you want fast engine wear then use a 160*F stat and visit the engine builder sooner than later. You need heat to get rid of any moisture in the block if the car is not driven everyday.
Good to see both Nick & Manny working together tearing down the 454 and looking looking like dirt in the oil which is not a good sign, hopefully a clean and refresh will do the job Nick & Many. Beaut video George.
I built two 454 chevy motors recently....yup...had to pound out a few pistons....but, when I completed this project... both I had running in my shop at same time... WHAT A THUNDER THEY MADE
Looks like we tore down a Perfect Engine. But "Now We Know" Great video. I actually have a pair of 454/330 hp engines on my boat. Nice to see the internals of one of these beasts Thanks Nick.
@@NicksGarage Great job on the video George, it felt like I was right there during the Tear Down. I really enjoyed this video, great camera work, and I liked the music. The condition of the engine surprised me, other than some scoring in the oil pump the engine was in very good shape.
I would really love to see this engine on Nick’s dyno once it’s put back together! You don’t see many muscle car engines that are this original. I looked up the cam specs and it is a solid lifter cam with 236/236 @ .050 with 110 LSA. Pretty healthy!
Hey Nick. If you could show viewers the eyebrows on the bottom of the cylinders nearest to crank for the rod clearance. I learned about this when I was young and it is only on 454. Old days all big blocks looked the same until you turned them over. Great Job guys!!
Who else here, knowing what we know now, wishes they could go back to 1970 with unlimited funds and buy a few muscle cars? You know Nick is trusted when a customer ships him an engine like this to work on! Go Nick! 👍🏻
Nice teardown fellas, I was glued to my screen to find out what went wrong with this engine! Oh, and Brakleen works wonders to remove all the oil to see more clearly any damage on the parts.
The TRW L2349 is the stock piston (forged) for the 1970 LS6 closed chamber head, it has a .265 dome ( 30.6 cc volume) and with 109.4 cc chamber heads an 10.91 compression ratio
With a Big Block Chevy, always cc the heads to know what you have. Rebuilt a 454 back in the day and assumed 119 cc heads didn’t think it was anything special. Put in L2465 TRW with .215 domes figured 10 ish to one comp ratio. Fought a bad pre ignition situation, finally tore apart and cc’ed the heads found 110 cc . Explained the issue, had about 12 to one compression ratio.
I had a lightly modded 1970 Mach 1 351W back in the mid 70’s. It had 3.91 gears with an auto and was pretty quick to about 330’. Worst I ever got beat on the street was by a 1971-72 El Camino with a transplanted ‘70 LS6 454. As if that wasn’t enough the engine had headers, a tunnel ram and 2 Holley 4bbls. We raced from a dig and I was way out on him at 330’ and was still out on him at about the 1/8th mile. And then I heard a sound like I had never heard before. That Elco went by me like I was tied to a tree with that BBC screaming like a Pro Stocker. We went back to the starting line a little later and discovered a super dark pair of fresh black marks about 400’ long left by his N50x15 rear tires. I think my buddy and I drank about a six pack each that night we were so depressed.
my buddy used to work at a machine shop. he used too tear the engines down all day everyday. never did the heads in any order when removing head bolts,never heard of a warped head from removal. some of these old myths need to be put too bed. i once put a small block chevy together with a 1/2 drive ratchet n extention. no torque pattern our spec on the tightness. the thing ran for years,you would be surprised at how forgiving theseold iron chevy's are!
Those L2359 Pistons are TRW (Sealed Power) forged pistons which Chevrolet used on the LS6 build in 1970. The Comp Cam is an upgrade in valve lift and reduction in duration from the stock LS6 flat tappet cam which had .519"/.519" lift and 242/242 @ .050" duration with 110 lobe separation. The Comp Cam 11-218-4 is a solid flat Tappet 561"/.561" lift and 236/236 @.050" duration with 110 Lobe separation angle. Power range noted by Comp Cams for the 11-218-4 is typically 2000rpm-6000rpm. I owned a 1970 Chevelle SS454 LS6 and I can tell you it would continue making power up through 6500 rpm (I did have headers, different non stock intake and a 850 cfm Holley). These 1970 LS6 engines actually were slightly underrated like most of the 1970 hi-performance engines. The LS6 actually made between 455-465 hp from the factory but with factory manifolds and that very low rise dual plane intake were costing the engine considerable HP. With the intake manifold change and header installation on my LS6, the engine made a little over 500 hp .
this is exactly what I came up with as well. first oil change or two you will show higher metals until all the break in of rings/bearings/camshaft is finsihed.
Do I get to drive it now? Just kidding. That car will be so fun. Even though it wasn’t hurt, I’d rather pay for good news than pay for bad news. Now that historic engine can go back to its original car in 10 out of 10 shape. There is no penalty for extra maintenance, especially on a sweet std bore block. Seriously how rare is that for a LS6? If someone told me that was the last 1970 LS6 std bore on the planet it would seem plausible.
I know that nick knows what he is doing, so I know that it is not my place to tell him anything about his job. But that one lifter that had the unusual wear pattern, that told me not to reuse that cam shaft. Everything else I saw, says clean the block, polish the crank, new bearings, new camshaft and lifters, as well as a new oil pump and that engine should be good. It’s possible that a small amount of dirt was introduced by a mud dob-er, spider or simply dirt being knocked into the oil while doing an oil change if not from an old oil filter that sat on the shelf for a long time.
Very cool Nick. One ofy friends has the 1967 427 , 435hp engine ( from a c2 Corvette,) laying around for a Future drop in the 67 chevelle we are restoring. Also the rectangular ports in the head
That's a nice setup you got there with the 7/16 rods, I bet it has a steel crankshaft also. I know what probably happened I seen it done before somebody was lashing the valves and a little piece of something went through the motor and went through the oil pump.. and I bet you they put a can of (engine restorer) in the oil and that's where all the metal particles brass copper and everything is showing up in the oil that was tested..🏁👍🏁
Any time you see a piston with L followed by 4 numbers, they are TRW/Speedpro forgings. Also, I think you breezed right over the source of metal that went through the oil pump and was found in the oil testing. I believe it was that one lifter, and you should check the crown on the remaining lifters. They may all be going flat.
Yes, Nick and Manny seem to have forgotten about that at times. It wasn't totally wasted, but the engine doesn't look like it was run very much. The outside looked like a fresh restoration
I bought a used 1970 LS6 Chevelle with the legendary M22 rock crusher tranny and a 4.10 rear axel back in 1971. It was a monster! I was in my mid 20's and the poor tires took a terrible beating. Eventually I installed a factory 454 LS7 12.5 compression create motor and 4.88 gears! Eventually I sold the car for much less than todays prices. Still kick myself for that decision!!
@@timhughes1801you are absolutely correct. Especially on a matching numbers LS-6 Chevelle. The value in the rebuild would only come from a renowned BBC builder. Or a LS-6 expert.
Hahaha 🤣 that's what I was thinking 🤔 this owner has more money 🤑💰 than braincells...he lives in the mecca of muscle cars and ships his engine to another country to be repaired by a Chrysler specialist smh 😏
Late getting in yall ..dealing with hurricane clean up around here . Hope everyone is doing ok and the ones in the Hurricane path ...We are keeping you in our prayers ...
I grew up in the seventies and when I was a kid there was a guy in the neighborhood that had one of those cars and I remember it being ridiculously fast I Road in the car as a kid and I remember it having trouble getting hooked up Just Tires Spin Tire spin talk about fun that brings back a lot of very fond old memories from when I was a kid
I haven't done this with new ultra clean builds. I have seen good evidence that the bypass allows way to much oil to bypass the filter. Change your oil frequently to keep it clean.
@@craighansen7594 I put one on my build just to keep the bearings cleaner. The older style engines like to break in and leave some metal in the pan. It keeps a lot of junk out of the bearings from break in of new rings and lifters. And I’ve been told three oil change to a filter can be done so a filter should def not block up in 3k miles.. just watch for any weird crap on the oil pieces.
Very nice numbers matching engine. Bearings, rings and an oil pump is probably all it needs. keeping it standard bore if possible makes it even better. They're only standard once so...
Years ago, the Speed Channel dyno-tested some of the baddest big-blocks of the 60s up to 1970. All were stock or rebuilt to stock spec. The LS-6 454 was easy to remember, it cranked out 545 HP!
Yeah, those cars were raced prepped. Ford had Holman and Moody prep their magazine cars. One was a spectacular Fairlane with a 390. No production car would be that fast. There are vids here that show the old races and some showing the car prep.
I have a full roller setup in my 454 with factory valve covers and single cork gaskets. No spacer or double gaskets. The owner has the small poly locks to fit under stock covers so keep them
That factory LS6 originally came with forged pistons rods and crank and of course it has four bolt mains.... and that engine was definitely running very rich
They are the replacement LS 6 454 pistons this is what’s in my LS6 motor the cam is almost exact copy of the L 88 427 solid lifter 561 lift cam very nice Cam power wise
I love the way Nick organizes his parts instead of letting them roll all over the floor.
It's such a pleasure to watch these old school gentlemen mechanics working together showing such respect for each other, for their tools and for the engine itself. Never a cuss word spoken nor short temper shown or corners cut, you just can't beat it!
Ls-6 had forged everything. 4 bolt mains, forged steel t.trided crankshaft, 7/16” rod bolts. Cool build, looking forward to the results.
Hey George, so nice to enjoy a video where the man who handles it keeps the background music under control, never missed a single word of Nick and Manny's dialog, excellent!
Thanks 👍
Ford guy here watching 2 Mopar guys, all of us admiring the magnificent LS6:) Always great content and first class production from Nick and his team!
still not as good as the 460.. ausie here with a 340 r/t challenger. 73..
Nick, make sure you check out the rear main cap. Oil pump bolt can sometimes hit the rear main bearing if the bolt is too long. That's why I use the ARP olipump stud.
I really loved this tare down, I wish I owned this motor I know it would be a sin but I would put it in my 1966 Chevelle in front of my 4 speed. Love you guys .
Hey there Nick !
One thing that is a common failure point on Chevy engines that have been rebuilt is , the bolt that secures the oil pump . People will use the wrong bolt , and it will be too long and it will put pressure on the main bearing ! When you remove the rear main under the oil pump , you will see an imprint of the bolt in the bearing where the bolt came into contact with the bearing ! I have seen this personally from other engine builders ! I hope this helps you and gives you a place too look for problems that may be hard to find !
Nick shows his master engine builder skill here. Thanks for sharing.
Going through my big block this winter this video is a great study guide ❤
Hope it helps!
Sweet teardown! This 454 is in great shape, well taken care of. Anxious to see the final result on the dyno. Thank you Gentlemen, I’m reliving lots of memories. 😃
Manny is the awesome shop assistant keep the videos coming
Mine was a failed cam. Filled the motor with metal. Thank you for what you do Nick
Your the man Nick! I'm a 73 Duster mopar guy! At seventy I have an appreciation for all model cars of that era.
Life is too short not to hate great cars!
a v8? this an engine for a truck,, and ususally its diesel a cheaper fuel and a more efficient engine.. thast why Detroit went bankrupt.. well whatever peoples collect strange stuff:))
he said with carb the distribution is not the same , truwe, but head has just a single cilibnder witl a "whitish" valve, so its nota a carb proble,m
comp cams-- someone was here thats why engine is full of metal shavingas
Where was the camshaft retainer plate
The snowflake! What a blast from the past. I had forgotten. ❤️
Good news on this motor, I was worried it would be much worse. I could watch this stuff all day - keep em coming! And thank you to the client and the nicks garage crew for bringing us along
This is exciting to see this LS6 in your shop. I would keep it stock, but its not my engine and leave it solid lifters. The best mechanic is working on it. Thanks Nick!
Thank you.
The factory 1970 LS-6's had TRW forged pistons with an advertised compression ratio of 11:1 with the closed chamber rectangle port heads and steel shim head gaskets.The 71's had the same shortblock but open chamber rectangle port heads. Seems to me they had a windage tray as well, but that could have been removed.
You right all aftermarket valve covers are from sling s china
The service replacement Long blocks also had open chamber heads.
they also had optional dealer installed high rise edelbrock intakes available over the stock low rise aluminum piece
11.25:1 compression rated by GM on the stock LS6 1970..
@@yarrdayarrdayarrda a bad a$$ engine no matter how you slice it for that time period
Love the ol 454 Chevy Big Block it is a Legend in it's own Right .
Especially in a Corvette, Chevelle, Camaro .... ol Street Kings too. Big Wave to Mr.Nick ,George, and Manny ...Hope everyone is doing well and happy 😊😊😊❤
What a Beast. So many parts to make that 454 Fly.
Yeah, yet so simple compared to today's engines.
Yes! 454! 454 from a 1974 Suburban 4x4 with locking hubs and front winch and Positrac!!!!
@chucksurgeonertribute2113
Yes, yes. A sweet torque monster please.
Each brand had a magnificent motor. You cant put any of them down. Back in the day it was brand loyalty,still is but they each had a bad ass motor to offer.
This is much better than those scripted "expert teardowns" in a pristine shop ..Thanks for keeping it real and great analysis and commentary !
Wow, thanks!
Great Job to Nick and Manny. 2 Master Craftsman at work. Nick is the doctor of the automotive world. Manny is just as talented as Nick as a master craftsman .
It was great to see how they disected the problem of the engine. Great job guys.
Nice detail and good commentary on this LS6 motor. I love tear downs! You learn so much!😊
Thanks 👍
Handing a tool to another person in the correct orientation, So glad you mentioned that.
Nick/Manny -thank you.
For me this is what I watch the channel for. Im not into dyno runs or HP numbers. Just wrenching. So please more of this type of video.
I have a 1974 LS six Nick we built it about 15 years ago. Original bore same thing you’re doing mine ended up being the thrust bearing. It was interesting watching you. I remember everything about this engine still have it.
Nick and Manny, you guys work so nice together. It's awesome. What an awesome video I had a 454ls6 high school. With a 510 rear rock crusher, tranny car was awesome. Baddest car in the city, all stock. We're a little bit of done with the exhaust, but it was unbelievable. Thanks for the video I really enjoyed that
I did my first engine (SB Chevy) when I was 17 in 1981. It was fairly low miles but an oil burner. Re-ring and bearing, new cam, lifters and timing chain, valve job. dingle ball hone on the std bore. It appeared the machine shop did not take out the galley plugs. I did wash the block when I got it back. Spun a rod at 20,000 miles. Next engine, I pulled all the plugs myself and put the new ones in. You can never be too clean.
Nice teardown. Can't wait to see this engine on the dyno.
Great Job Nick and Manny! Pumped for the update on this engine.
Excellent!! I've been waiting for a nice, long, teardown episode 👌👍
You do fantastic work, you get a reputation.
Who would have thought?
Nick, you are a humble man.
I spoke to a gentleman many years ago that used to work at the Tonawanda New York engine plant where these motors were born. He told me that Chevrolet put headers on the LS6 when they dyno tested it to reach the 450 hp numbers. Can't wait for the dyno test when you're finished with the build.
Which everyone did by day 2 😊
@@KPokerstar454 Day two mods!
They make 500 with headers and 850 carb
All the boys at Nick's.....the best!
Love theold American muscle cars and the simplicity of how they’re built and guys such as yourselves show us viewers of your mastery
Great detective work on this engine guys. I know next time I tear down an engine I will check the inside of the oil pump.
Uncle Nick and Uncle Manny are the greatest. Haven't had a success story auto job yet. But my oldest twin daughter has found interest in auto ICE engineering, design, function, and maintenance. She's currently discussing a new six stroke pistol design by Porsche.
I did a rebuild on a 454 in an ambulance back in 1980. It had a water pump failure and overheated which took the tension out of the rings. The engine didn't even have a detectable wear ridge in the cylinders. It was basically new rings, bearings, camshaft and lifters. The heads were rebuilt and the camshaft had a couple of lobes that were worn unevenly. That was a fun job to do and it fired up first try because I primed the carburetor before I even connected the battery.
sooo, should have done a compression test first?
Engine coming apart and in the background the flags waving from the ceiling. So cool.
Loved the tear down! Every video makes me smarter. Thanks Nick, Marc from Melbourne.
Glad you enjoyed it!
good evening Dr. Nick, good evening George.
Howdy Eric! ❤️
Really interesting tear down. Nice to see good work investigated by good investigators. 🙂
Glad you enjoyed it.
Great tear down, diagnosis and culprit found. Nick and Manny or should I say “ Sherlock and Watson! I should say!!
Dr Nick and Professor Manny!! Great tear down. Thanks George 😎👌
Always interesting tearing down an engine. They almost always have a surprise or two
I enjoy your videos I'm 71 and build an engine a week !!
Thermostat ,Depends on what temperature the environment is, Here in Australia it makes a big difference
Wrong. I have a 180* stat in my 70 Z/28 and no matter if it’s 40*F or 100*F outside the engine always runs at 180*. In colder days it may get to 179*F. If you want fast engine wear then use a 160*F stat and visit the engine builder sooner than later. You need heat to get rid of any moisture in the block if the car is not driven everyday.
Good to see both Nick & Manny working together tearing down the 454 and looking looking like dirt in the oil which is not a good sign, hopefully a clean and refresh will do the job Nick & Many. Beaut video George.
Thanks 👍
That is one heavy engine sitting on top the front suspension. Reminds me of my 66 427 vette. Lots of torque but also produced tons of heat.
Another great Show thanks Nick-Manny-and of course George !❤!
I built two 454 chevy motors recently....yup...had to pound out a few pistons....but, when I completed this project... both I had running in my shop at same time... WHAT A THUNDER THEY MADE
Looks like we tore down a Perfect Engine. But "Now We Know"
Great video. I actually have a pair of 454/330 hp engines on my boat. Nice to see the internals of one of these beasts
Thanks Nick.
Great job Nick... looking forward to seeing what this one offers on the dyno ....good content and thanks...🔧🔧👍
I thoroughly enjoyed this episode! Great content!
The Tear Down videos are my favorite, and an 0riginal LS6 454 makes it even better!! Anxious to see the condition of this rare engine.
Right on! Grab a snack and a beverage and enjoy. Thanks for being here, Eugene.
hi Eugene, I trust that all is well.
@@NicksGarage Great job on the video George, it felt like I was right there during the Tear Down. I really enjoyed this video, great camera work, and I liked the music. The condition of the engine surprised me, other than some scoring in the oil pump the engine was in very good shape.
@@ericball6000 Hi Eric, all good here, I hope that you are doing ok.
Absolutely amazing job! Much appreciated Nick & Crew. A great English to see Ty for all u do! Cheers🥂 to continued success,health & happiness
Thanks so much!
1970 454 LS6 all had Forged pistons, crank, rods...4 bolt mains,11.25:1 compression, solid mechanical flat tappit cam, 2.19" Intake and 1.88" exhaust valves, big rectangular port closed chamber iron heads, Winters foundry low rise dual plane intake manifold
I would really love to see this engine on Nick’s dyno once it’s put back together! You don’t see many muscle car engines that are this original. I looked up the cam specs and it is a solid lifter cam with 236/236 @ .050 with 110 LSA. Pretty healthy!
Awesome video a lot of cool information keep them coming and see you Friday
Love it!!!
Thank you Nick
I have done many!
NICK'S GARAGE NUMBER ONE ALWAYS
Hey Nick.
If you could show viewers the eyebrows on the bottom of the cylinders nearest to crank for the rod clearance. I learned about this when I was young and it is only on 454.
Old days all big blocks looked the same until you turned them over.
Great Job guys!!
I love the old muscle cars is so simple, regards from Greece nick beautiful video,your friend John ❤🇬🇷γειά σου φίλε Νίκο
Drip Fingers under the valve covers. My 351 Cleveland Ford Engine had Drip Fingers....Love your Show Nick.
Who else here, knowing what we know now, wishes they could go back to 1970 with unlimited funds and buy a few muscle cars? You know Nick is trusted when a customer ships him an engine like this to work on! Go Nick! 👍🏻
Best part was; you didn't need "unlimited funds" back then.
Nice teardown fellas, I was glued to my screen to find out what went wrong with this engine! Oh, and Brakleen works wonders to remove all the oil to see more clearly any damage on the parts.
The TRW L2349 is the stock piston (forged) for the 1970 LS6 closed chamber head, it has a .265 dome ( 30.6 cc volume) and with 109.4 cc chamber heads an 10.91 compression ratio
Information from TRW performance catalog X-3009 1995.
With a Big Block Chevy, always cc the heads to know what you have. Rebuilt a 454 back in the day and assumed 119 cc heads didn’t think it was anything special. Put in L2465 TRW with .215 domes figured 10 ish to one comp ratio. Fought a bad pre ignition situation, finally tore apart and cc’ed the heads found 110 cc . Explained the issue, had about 12 to one compression ratio.
I had a lightly modded 1970 Mach 1 351W back in the mid 70’s. It had 3.91 gears with an auto and was pretty quick to about 330’. Worst I ever got beat on the street was by a 1971-72 El Camino with a transplanted ‘70 LS6 454. As if that wasn’t enough the engine had headers, a tunnel ram and 2 Holley 4bbls. We raced from a dig and I was way out on him at 330’ and was still out on him at about the 1/8th mile. And then I heard a sound like I had never heard before. That Elco went by me like I was tied to a tree with that BBC screaming like a Pro Stocker. We went back to the starting line a little later and discovered a super dark pair of fresh black marks about 400’ long left by his N50x15 rear tires. I think my buddy and I drank about a six pack each that night we were so depressed.
Those poly locks are meant to have the set screw loosened before the nut is turned off the stud, that's why a couple of the studs came out. .
my buddy used to work at a machine shop. he used too tear the engines down all day everyday. never did the heads in any order when removing head bolts,never heard of a warped head from removal. some of these old myths need to be put too bed. i once put a small block chevy together with a 1/2 drive ratchet n extention. no torque pattern our spec on the tightness. the thing ran for years,you would be surprised at how forgiving theseold iron chevy's are!
Nick ain’t too bright
Those L2359 Pistons are TRW (Sealed Power) forged pistons which Chevrolet used on the LS6 build in 1970. The Comp Cam is an upgrade in valve lift and reduction in duration from the stock LS6 flat tappet cam which had .519"/.519" lift and 242/242 @ .050" duration with 110 lobe separation. The Comp Cam 11-218-4 is a solid flat Tappet 561"/.561" lift and 236/236 @.050" duration with 110 Lobe separation angle. Power range noted by Comp Cams for the 11-218-4 is typically 2000rpm-6000rpm. I owned a 1970 Chevelle SS454 LS6 and I can tell you it would continue making power up through 6500 rpm (I did have headers, different non stock intake and a 850 cfm Holley). These 1970 LS6 engines actually were slightly underrated like most of the 1970 hi-performance engines. The LS6 actually made between 455-465 hp from the factory but with factory manifolds and that very low rise dual plane intake were costing the engine considerable HP. With the intake manifold change and header installation on my LS6, the engine made a little over 500 hp .
It was the first oil change after rebuilt a chorus. You're gonna get that in the oil sample.
this is exactly what I came up with as well. first oil change or two you will show higher metals until all the break in of rings/bearings/camshaft is finsihed.
525hp on the Dyno ? We will see, can’t wait Nick!
Awesome realtime engine teardown.
Glad you enjoyed it.
Nick and Manny....great Team!!!!
They still sell that cam. It’s a Magnum Solid. 282/282 advertised duration, .561/.561 lift on a 110 lsa. 2000-6000 rpm street cam. 236/236 @ 0.050
Do I get to drive it now? Just kidding. That car will be so fun. Even though it wasn’t hurt, I’d rather pay for good news than pay for bad news. Now that historic engine can go back to its original car in 10 out of 10 shape. There is no penalty for extra maintenance, especially on a sweet std bore block. Seriously how rare is that for a LS6? If someone told me that was the last 1970 LS6 std bore on the planet it would seem plausible.
Nick, great tear down video with good tips along the way! Might have helped diagnosis if you had the oil filter to open and inspect.
I know that nick knows what he is doing, so I know that it is not my place to tell him anything about his job. But that one lifter that had the unusual wear pattern, that told me not to reuse that cam shaft. Everything else I saw, says clean the block, polish the crank, new bearings, new camshaft and lifters, as well as a new oil pump and that engine should be good. It’s possible that a small amount of dirt was introduced by a mud dob-er, spider or simply dirt being knocked into the oil while doing an oil change if not from an old oil filter that sat on the shelf for a long time.
Very cool Nick. One ofy friends has the 1967 427 , 435hp engine ( from a c2 Corvette,) laying around for a Future drop in the 67 chevelle we are restoring. Also the rectangular ports in the head
That's a nice setup you got there with the 7/16 rods, I bet it has a steel crankshaft also.
I know what probably happened I seen it done before somebody was lashing the valves and a little piece of something went through the motor and went through the oil pump.. and I bet you they put a can of (engine restorer) in the oil and that's where all the metal particles brass copper and everything is showing up in the oil that was tested..🏁👍🏁
It would be nice if we can open up the oil filter and see ..but strange case
@@gulfy09 ....No oil filter came with the engine.
I build engines in my little shop in Quesnel BC !!! I use a lot of carbon Fibre and roller rocker cams !!
Any time you see a piston with L followed by 4 numbers, they are TRW/Speedpro forgings. Also, I think you breezed right over the source of metal that went through the oil pump and was found in the oil testing. I believe it was that one lifter, and you should check the crown on the remaining lifters. They may all be going flat.
Yes, Nick and Manny seem to have forgotten about that at times. It wasn't totally wasted, but the engine doesn't look like it was run very much. The outside looked like a fresh restoration
TRW was a GM supplier
I bought a used 1970 LS6 Chevelle with the legendary M22 rock crusher tranny and a 4.10 rear axel back in 1971. It was a monster! I was in my mid 20's and the poor tires took a terrible beating. Eventually I installed a factory 454 LS7 12.5 compression create motor and 4.88 gears! Eventually I sold the car for much less than todays prices. Still kick myself for that decision!!
Well it's not fair is it...the average joe can't afford them now ...only rich pricks smh 😏
I did hit the like button Manny! A very interesting video guys on that big block bow tie!
All the way from Oakland, There's hundreds of good engine builders in California!
No kidding and some of them are Chevrolet experts, Nick does Dodge very well but BB Chevy is not his area of expertise.
@@timhughes1801you are absolutely correct. Especially on a matching numbers LS-6 Chevelle. The value in the rebuild would only come from a renowned BBC builder. Or a LS-6 expert.
OR USE THE BEST GUY AVAILABLE…….NICK. and don’t worry about cost….prob made the deal to do the rebuild for the show.
Hahaha 🤣 that's what I was thinking 🤔 this owner has more money 🤑💰 than braincells...he lives in the mecca of muscle cars and ships his engine to another country to be repaired by a Chrysler specialist smh 😏
When you put it back together, use the oil pump that the last three numbers are three ninety six ensham, the spring thirty thousands
Late getting in yall ..dealing with hurricane clean up around here . Hope everyone is doing ok and the ones in the Hurricane path ...We are keeping you in our prayers ...
We’re sending our thoughts to everyone who was hit.
T@@NicksGarage Thankyou George, they are needed....
I grew up in the seventies and when I was a kid there was a guy in the neighborhood that had one of those cars and I remember it being ridiculously fast I Road in the car as a kid and I remember it having trouble getting hooked up Just Tires Spin Tire spin talk about fun that brings back a lot of very fond old memories from when I was a kid
Get rid of that oil bypass valve in the filter mount and there won’t be any contaminants in the bearings. First thing I did on my first engine build.
I haven't done this with new ultra clean builds. I have seen good evidence that the bypass allows way to much oil to bypass the filter. Change your oil frequently to keep it clean.
@@craighansen7594 I put one on my build just to keep the bearings cleaner. The older style engines like to break in and leave some metal in the pan. It keeps a lot of junk out of the bearings from break in of new rings and lifters. And I’ve been told three oil change to a filter can be done so a filter should def not block up in 3k miles.. just watch for any weird crap on the oil pieces.
Love to see Nick And Man y working together
Very nice numbers matching engine. Bearings, rings and an oil pump is probably all it needs. keeping it standard bore if possible makes it even better. They're only standard once so...
Evenin Mr George an Mr Nick! Have a Great week!!
Same to you, Pappy! Thanks for being here.
@@NicksGarage always a pleasure!
The original aluminum intake on the LS6 came from the Winters Foundry. You can see the Winter's "snowflake" on the left hand front of the manifold.
Years ago, the Speed Channel dyno-tested some of the baddest big-blocks of the 60s up to 1970. All were stock or rebuilt to stock spec. The LS-6 454 was easy to remember, it cranked out 545 HP!
Stout!
Yeah, those cars were raced prepped. Ford had Holman and Moody prep their magazine cars. One was a spectacular Fairlane with a 390. No production car would be that fast. There are vids here that show the old races and some showing the car prep.
For any Ford fans out there we have a True Blue LS 6 Chevrolet!
Love ya, Nick
I have a full roller setup in my 454 with factory valve covers and single cork gaskets. No spacer or double gaskets.
The owner has the small poly locks to fit under stock covers so keep them
Nice. Enjoy it.
Looks like a lot of dirt in the oil to me to......Thanks Nick Manny & George....
Old Shoe🇺🇸
That factory LS6 originally came with forged pistons rods and crank and of course it has four bolt mains.... and that engine was definitely running very rich
They are the replacement LS 6 454 pistons this is what’s in my LS6 motor the cam is almost exact copy of the L 88 427 solid lifter 561 lift cam very nice Cam power wise