We had a few mess ups on this video. The valve springs you should use in this build would be 65lbs from go power sports. Also do not oil the bearings before placing them into the rod as this can make you spin a bearing. Thanks for watching!
This is an excellent how to video. Forget the kids, it makes me want to build something me....hahaha. Can't wait to see this monster in action! How about little red kart 2.0 ? Too much motor? This motor with a Duster 94C/90D set up would be scary fast. I think 3.5:1 ~ .78 overdrive. With a 5:1 final drive you could still get 60mph top end and have stump pulling hole shots too.
great video, I have a small tip when you put the valve keepers in the valve spring retainer, if you put a small dab of grease inside the keeper it helps stick them to the valve holding them in place until you get the other one in and gives you time to make sure they are in the right spot before you back out the spring compressor. I hope it helps keep up the great work!
Amazing vid,kids these days dont know how good they have it.............I'm not that old but we had to figure this stuff out on our own when I was doing it.
If you took the rotating assembly to a machine shop that does balancing and have the crank flywheel rod and piston balanced you could get more rpm out of them without disintegrating and a trick to keep valves from floating is go to a hardware store find a spring that would be just a bit more than the tappet in closed position use a washer against the block to prevent spring wear on the block this trick will get you more rpm before you reach valve train limit.
we used a neat trick to remove and install bearings in aluminium carters we used an electric stoveplate and layed the carter up on it with the bearings down and heated it up until a spit finger sizles on the carter get youre gloves and take the carter of the plate and drop it slam it down from a foot or so on the table , that should drop the old bearings out when there out turn the carter over while its still hot and drop the new bearings in the still expanded aluminium holes works great and doesnt hurt the bearings or the carter , just need to be careful theres no plastic stuff in the to heat up part like the ignition or oilpump gear allso after remounting the valvespring keepers , tap the valves a few times with a hammer , if the keepers arent seated they come up and you can reseat them , if you not do this the engen might drop a valve instead
I liked this build. What I would like to see is someone take the time to do a progressive build on a 420 cc predator. First Dyno a bone stock engine. Record power at all rpms and length of time to reach full speed etc. Then as you make performance changes re-dyno the engine at every change recording the same categories as the first Dyno. That way we could see which improvements would give us more bang for the buck. I know it would be a tedious job and time consuming. I am sure many of your viewer's would be interested in knowing the same thing as me. I realize you are probably strapped for time, though.
+Red Beard's Garage i saw a comment response where you said you would make a " Mikuni carburetor tuning" video.. has that not happened yet? or was I late to that party haha..Thanx
Crap Mr. Beard! The least you could have done is let us listen to it run lol. Nice build there RB. Very informative and professional. I like working with ANY motor but the small ones always peaks my interest. I ran a 44mm MickyRooney (Mikuni) years ago on my 1948 H-D Panhead..nice carb! I am now looking at a circa 1964 Briggs 5 h.p. from a Simplicity Snowblower that was my Grandad's back in '64 lol. It started to get tired about 20 yrs ago so my bro and I kind of refreshed it. New valves,a set of rings,light hone and a breakerless ignition. It runs well,just needs something to be bolted up to! That chasis on the '64 Simplicity is made out of pure steel and ways a friggin ton! Keep up the good work man!!
Never in a million years would I have imagined the time, effort, and money that could be invested in one of these little engines..... Not my flavor, but dang impressive.
I will probably never get to do this kind of tear down and build, but I still watched the whole video. Great job. Your video should be required watching before posting a "how to" video. Very clear, concise and interesting. Now where did my ex-girlfriend hide that Predator motor I had in the workshop.
Very informational !! But when breaking a engine in you need to use a straight weight non detergent oil like napa non detergent 30 . If you run a multi viscosity oil they all have a tone of detergent and it don’t matter how much zink you put in there with a high detergent oil the zink won’t stick to anything except the detergent molecules . Also you don’t use assembly lube on the rockers or push rod cups? Just wondering
Great detailed video. Was a little unsure about using valve lapping paste that close to a crank seal. However changing a crank seal looks a hell of a lot easier than changing the starter motor.
A question, why do you remove the crankshaft balancer? Without the crankshaft balancer the engine will vibrate more. Explain to me what you gain by doing that? Thanks
How reliable are these predator engines. Im looking to upgrade a golfcart motor to a vtwin I'm looking at the 670 predator, the briggs vanguard, and Hondas vtwin the price difference is half for the predator, but I've heard some complaints about this engine. In your opinion how does the predator compare to the honda and Briggs in reliability and performance. I dont know much about these engines. Which is why I'm asking for advise from knowledgeable people. Thx...
That cutaway clip at 14:10 got me. Sub'd and everything. Amazing detail and info red beard. You are a RUclips hero for me and my little brother. We've been binge watching for a few hours.
Why remove the balancer? Are the new parts balanced without it? I am trying to motorize an aluminum-frame quad bike (uses 26" mountain bike wheels), and aluminum doesn't like vibrations.
I would do the crank / flywheel lapping and the web removal before I assembled anything and after I did those I would flush and lube everything thoroughly before assembling anything. Also, I've assembled many, many engines and I've never put oil on a rod before I installed the bearings. Makes no sense to have something between the rod and the bearing. It will throw your rod bearing clearances off.
Finally figured out the Patreon site! Took forever( probably cause I'm old). Left a comment today on yesterday's live stream video, but I did get to see most of it last nite. Packing to move so didn't get to see it all.
Cool ,smooth stage by stage explanation easy to understand for us mechanics like u in another country. In our country most of our best mechanic never had experience to study at a decent school.. In short.. Cannot understand english.
Maybe I missed something. Why re-use a stock piston? Maybe the stock piston is super strong? You put in a billett rod so why not go with aftermarket at the same time. That will provide a good baseline if you decide to go more aggressive down the line without tearing down the whole engine.
i knew red beard would have the answers i need i tore into my 420 to remove the oil sensor and govnor but i think i put the balancer in wrong to where it hits the rod cap and won't allow it to turn over so now I got to pull the engine to pull the shaft and bearings and put it back together but since i only have one hand i have to work on everyone elses time to get their help pulling it but im sure it will be pulled atleast a few more times
I wish you would advise people to completely assemble without rings and check all clearances, end play etc then scrub block with hot soapy water At least once, then oil bore.
looking good my man. love to see you hook up with a motorbike dyno shop and do some in depth videos on carb tuning/timing etc. as I'm sure it could greatly help a lot of your subscribers. Just a thought!
+Red Beard's Garage oh I forget sometimes you are living in a relatively small town! maybe if you can't find a dyno some tuning with a home made O2 sensor can be just as productive and gives an awesome understanding of what's happening with your fuel/air adjustments!
Why are you not using the electric start? Does it have something to do with the billet flywheel? Looking at using a 420 on a trike but don't want to have to pull start.
Just wondering..do you recommend running stock valve springs first to break in cam then putting the higher poundage in or is it even necessary. If not it would save me some time for sure
I bet it's a beast. How many RPM is it capable of? Might should have noted the valve keeps are tapered and go in one way. Won't go in backwards but some people might try.
Why wouldn't you use the Balance Shaft. Doesn't it create engine vibrations and harmonics that will cause uneven wear on the rod bearing, and cause main bearings to go bad? Also, what kind of Hp do you expect from this engine? I currently have a built Predator 212 with Ported Head, .292 Drag Cam, 24mm Mikuni Carb, and so on. GoPowersports estimates the engine to have somewhere between 22-25 Hp. It is currently in my Coleman 200 Frame and that thing flies. I have been debating installing a built Predator 420, or going crazy with a 45-50 Hp Built Predator 670 Twin. The question is, is a lighter, built 420 Big Block going to do the same as a built 670. I heard you can get around 35+ Hp out of the 420.
Never put oil on the rod before installing the bearings. This can reduce oil clearance on the crank journal. Rod should be wiped clean bearing installed and then assembly lube put on bearing on the side that goes towards the crank journal
Beautifully presented video! ave has an interesting video on removing bearings such as the balance shaft bearing with greasy rags and a hammer, the procedure has saved me a couple times. Keep up the great content.
Hey red, when you swap out cams are you reusing the old pushrods or do they need to be shorter i know building racing engines for cars or trucks if your cam changes usually the pushrods change as well wasn’t sure i’m currently building one of these for my daughter and was curious about whether or not to be in mind of that Thanks hope to hear from you soon
Hey Red Beard, I am having a hell of a time finding a stock crankshaft for my 420 that I want to build up. Do you have any suggestions on where I can find one?
Got a ? I just got a new 420 from harbor freight but I think its been returned the choke will not move and under the air filter box theres that 1 bolt also 2 reg wood screws ?? Idk if some1 was having a bad day or what is this normal??
Just got the ARC Top Plate Throttle Kit and was wondering if you could do a review or installation video of that because there is very little on the internet about how to mount it and it does not come with instructions, much love
So as a pro, is the Predator engines (particularly the 13 & 22hp) that much more deficient than a Honda of the same specs? How do you feel the Predators match t the Hondas? Obviously, your opinion means much more than the average joe.
would you be willing to weigh the engine ? Thinking about a similar build but weight is a factor no one talks about. Just losing the gastank and flywheel and going for a billet rod and flywheel must make a difference in weight.
We had a few mess ups on this video. The valve springs you should use in this build would be 65lbs from go power sports. Also do not oil the bearings before placing them into the rod as this can make you spin a bearing. Thanks for watching!
Oh, you caught that. Sorry, I had already posted before reading the posts.
Oh yeah I am posting as I watch. Do not oil the bearings if you are using plastigage. It will give a false reading.
In most areas you can use cam lube or high temp bearing grease for initial breakin lube.
This is an excellent how to video. Forget the kids, it makes me want to build something me....hahaha. Can't wait to see this monster in action! How about little red kart 2.0 ? Too much motor? This motor with a Duster 94C/90D set up would be scary fast. I think 3.5:1 ~ .78 overdrive. With a 5:1 final drive you could still get 60mph top end and have stump pulling hole shots too.
Red Beard's Garage what torque converter can you use on this or honda gx390 ?
All you haters knock it off this guy saves us all a lot of money and time . Thanks Redbeard your a star!
Rather watch this then Powerblock Episodes. Very detailed and very well put together video.
Thank you brother
I have watched this video so many times and I can never get sick of it
Well thanks man
me to
Dude I have never seen such a well put together video, The manufacture couldnt have done better A-Plus my friend!!
Thank you for watching sir
I could watch this video over and over and never get tired of it
great video, I have a small tip when you put the valve keepers in the valve spring retainer, if you put a small dab of grease inside the keeper it helps stick them to the valve holding them in place until you get the other one in and gives you time to make sure they are in the right spot before you back out the spring compressor. I hope it helps keep up the great work!
Red is the Man. Best Videos around closeup and in HD. I learned everything from these Videos. Awesome
Thank you sir
Youre doing a great job! Taking you time and oiling everything up instead of bashing that thing together like many others do.
Thumbs up!
I'm totally blown away , Top shelf build all the way through and a nice attention to detail start to finish................Okie.
+OKIE CHOPPER thank you brother
Amazing vid,kids these days dont know how good they have it.............I'm not that old but we had to figure this stuff out on our own when I was doing it.
Very few would share what they knew to gain horsepower...
If you took the rotating assembly to a machine shop that does balancing and have the crank flywheel rod and piston balanced you could get more rpm out of them without disintegrating and a trick to keep valves from floating is go to a hardware store find a spring that would be just a bit more than the tappet in closed position use a washer against the block to prevent spring wear on the block this trick will get you more rpm before you reach valve train limit.
That's one beautiful engine! I love the splatter effect on that cover!
Thanks man
That has got to be the BEST video I have seen on this subject!!!! VERY WELL DONE!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Thanks man more to come
i didnt know there was so much development you could put into this engine wow
Dude that cover with the sight glass is freaking sick!!
+ttali211 thanks man
Your the best builder I’ve seen on youtube
Well I appreciate that man
That blower housing looks awesome with the paint splatters.
we used a neat trick to remove and install bearings in aluminium carters
we used an electric stoveplate and layed the carter up on it with the bearings down and heated it up until a spit finger sizles on the carter
get youre gloves and take the carter of the plate and drop it slam it down from a foot or so on the table , that should drop the old bearings out
when there out turn the carter over while its still hot and drop the new bearings in the still expanded aluminium holes
works great and doesnt hurt the bearings or the carter , just need to be careful theres no plastic stuff in the to heat up part like the ignition or oilpump gear
allso after remounting the valvespring keepers , tap the valves a few times with a hammer , if the keepers arent seated they come up and you can reseat them , if you not do this the engen might drop a valve instead
valve lash checking has always been a favorite for me
These motors are extremely easy to take apart and put back together.
I liked this build. What I would like to see is someone take the time to do a progressive build on a 420 cc predator. First Dyno a bone stock engine. Record power at all rpms and length of time to reach full speed etc. Then as you make performance changes re-dyno the engine at every change recording the same categories as the first Dyno. That way we could see which improvements would give us more bang for the buck. I know it would be a tedious job and time consuming. I am sure many of your viewer's would be interested in knowing the same thing as me. I realize you are probably strapped for time, though.
Dude that engine is soo clean it looks like it belongs in a really clean car 👍😎
YOur Tutorials are absolutely EPIC!
Your step by step vids are bar none the best on the tube thanks man
Great job and description of the job being performed. Thank you.
very nice video! I love the little window you added so you can see the flywheel! I always hated how those beautiful flywheels just got covered up.
+MacroMachines that's exactly what I was thinking when putting the stock side cover on. That's why I did it. Lol.
+Red Beard's Garage i saw a comment response where you said you would make a " Mikuni carburetor tuning" video.. has that not happened yet? or was I late to that party haha..Thanx
Crap Mr. Beard! The least you could have done is let us listen to it run lol. Nice build there RB. Very informative and professional. I like working with ANY motor but the small ones always peaks my interest. I ran a 44mm MickyRooney (Mikuni) years ago on my 1948 H-D Panhead..nice carb! I am now looking at a circa 1964 Briggs 5 h.p. from a Simplicity Snowblower that was my Grandad's back in '64 lol. It started to get tired about 20 yrs ago so my bro and I kind of refreshed it. New valves,a set of rings,light hone and a breakerless ignition. It runs well,just needs something to be bolted up to! That chasis on the '64 Simplicity is made out of pure steel and ways a friggin ton! Keep up the good work man!!
Never in a million years would I have imagined the time, effort, and money that could be invested in one of these little engines..... Not my flavor, but dang impressive.
Hey bro! Just a tip, do not oil the rod before you place the bearings, you don't want them to spin
I will probably never get to do this kind of tear down and build, but I still watched the whole video. Great job. Your video should be required watching before posting a "how to" video. Very clear, concise and interesting. Now where did my ex-girlfriend hide that Predator motor I had in the workshop.
Best how to video I've seen yet! Very good. Thank you sir!!
That is a great video i watch it a thousand times!!!!
Thanks for always watching man
This thing is sweet! Can't wait until it's on something!
Very informational !! But when breaking a engine in you need to use a straight weight non detergent oil like napa non detergent 30 . If you run a multi viscosity oil they all have a tone of detergent and it don’t matter how much zink you put in there with a high detergent oil the zink won’t stick to anything except the detergent molecules . Also you don’t use assembly lube on the rockers or push rod cups? Just wondering
This video was so good to learn the OHV engine.
nice... great lookin 420... now can't wait to see it on the kart
1. Can you float a valve on this engine?
2. Did you change the cams? And if so did you make them high range or low range cams?
I put a high rpm cam in this build and you can float the valves if you don't do the correct valve spring size.
Excellent job dude. Very professional.
Great detailed video. Was a little unsure about using valve lapping paste that close to a crank seal. However changing a crank seal looks a hell of a lot easier than changing the starter motor.
As always, bad ass vid and very detailed RBG, thanx again man.
Thanks for supporting us man
I probably won’t have one of these for a while but man this is cool
R.B is it a must that you remove the balance shaft when installing the ARC rod in the 420, non hemi?
Please and thanks 🙏🏽
Do u have a video on a pulse pump on 420? I can not get it to suck fuel at all. Where do u get that pcv and 90? Thanks
this is the video iv'e seen on your channel and omg the content is such high quality and bloody love your videos.
ooooo look at all the shiny race parts !!!!
Best looking 420 I've seen
Thanks man
You make this look easy peasy
FYI, when checking bearing clearance with Plastigauge the surfaces should be clean and dry also no oil should be used under the bearings. Thanks
On the part of the video where I was explaining that I was actually seating the bearings fully not checking clearance
Should try knife edging the crank and porting and polishing the head, deck it then run the motor on alcohol. U will get a lot more power
Im sure we will do that in the future but this was just to do the stage 2 build on the engine
A question, why do you remove the crankshaft balancer? Without the crankshaft balancer the engine will vibrate more. Explain to me what you gain by doing that? Thanks
What a great how to video man! Very detailed excellent job!!
I seen u on the ARC live stream glad to see u getting serious with your performance builds keep it up
How reliable are these predator engines. Im looking to upgrade a golfcart motor to a vtwin I'm looking at the 670 predator, the briggs vanguard, and Hondas vtwin the price difference is half for the predator, but I've heard some complaints about this engine. In your opinion how does the predator compare to the honda and Briggs in reliability and performance. I dont know much about these engines. Which is why I'm asking for advise from knowledgeable people. Thx...
That cutaway clip at 14:10 got me. Sub'd and everything. Amazing detail and info red beard. You are a RUclips hero for me and my little brother. We've been binge watching for a few hours.
Thanks for sticking around man. Lots coming so stay tuned
Awesome video! Great editing, wonderful attention to detail, and the paint on the cover was a sick touch! TWO THUMBS UP!
Why remove the balancer? Are the new parts balanced without it? I am trying to motorize an aluminum-frame quad bike (uses 26" mountain bike wheels), and aluminum doesn't like vibrations.
I would do the crank / flywheel lapping and the web removal before I assembled anything and after I did those I would flush and lube everything thoroughly before assembling anything.
Also, I've assembled many, many engines and I've never put oil on a rod before I installed the bearings. Makes no sense to have something between the rod and the bearing. It will throw your rod bearing clearances off.
Love the shroud
Finally figured out the Patreon site! Took forever( probably cause I'm old). Left a comment today on yesterday's live stream video, but I did get to see most of it last nite. Packing to move so didn't get to see it all.
Well man thanks for watching and supporting us
Night*
Cool video, very thorough explanations of everything.
that cut up side cover is brilliant. Im gonna copy you.
Cool ,smooth stage by stage explanation easy to understand for us mechanics like u in another country.
In our country most of our best mechanic never had experience to study at a decent school..
In short.. Cannot understand english.
Maybe I missed something. Why re-use a stock piston? Maybe the stock piston is super strong? You put in a billett rod so why not go with aftermarket at the same time. That will provide a good baseline if you decide to go more aggressive down the line without tearing down the whole engine.
i knew red beard would have the answers i need i tore into my 420 to remove the oil sensor and govnor but i think i put the balancer in wrong to where it hits the rod cap and won't allow it to turn over so now I got to pull the engine to pull the shaft and bearings and put it back together but since i only have one hand i have to work on everyone elses time to get their help pulling it but im sure it will be pulled atleast a few more times
I wish you would advise people to completely assemble without rings and check all clearances, end play etc then scrub block with hot soapy water At least once, then oil bore.
looking good my man. love to see you hook up with a motorbike dyno shop and do some in depth videos on carb tuning/timing etc. as I'm sure it could greatly help a lot of your subscribers. Just a thought!
+Jarrad Powell I will see if I can find one close to me
+Red Beard's Garage oh I forget sometimes you are living in a relatively small town! maybe if you can't find a dyno some tuning with a home made O2 sensor can be just as productive and gives an awesome understanding of what's happening with your fuel/air adjustments!
Well done young man. Cheers 🍻 from England
Thank you sir
Why are you not using the electric start? Does it have something to do with the billet flywheel? Looking at using a 420 on a trike but don't want to have to pull start.
The flywheel did not except the starting ring
Valvoline ZR1 10w30 high zinc has zinc already in it i use it in every small engine rebuild to re work the cams in and so on
Hey quick question if removing the balancing gear have you ever left the bearings that are pressed into the case in there
those are torque to yield rod bolts. once you torque them to spec once you cannot reuse them.
Yo BIG UPS and many blessings to you and your . This was one inspiring video. Really cool can't wait to heard it to run❤💛💚
Can this build be done with a starter still like can I get a billet flywheel with a Starter ....why did you not use the electric start?
Just wondering..do you recommend running stock valve springs first to break in cam then putting the higher poundage in or is it even necessary. If not it would save me some time for sure
Dang that engine looks nice. Awesome video! Thanks!!!! Love the splatter paint, too.
Thanks man
I bet it's a beast. How many RPM is it capable of? Might should have noted the valve keeps are tapered and go in one way. Won't go in backwards but some people might try.
Why wouldn't you use the Balance Shaft. Doesn't it create engine vibrations and harmonics that will cause uneven wear on the rod bearing, and cause main bearings to go bad?
Also, what kind of Hp do you expect from this engine?
I currently have a built Predator 212 with Ported Head, .292 Drag Cam, 24mm Mikuni Carb, and so on. GoPowersports estimates the engine to have somewhere between 22-25 Hp. It is currently in my Coleman 200 Frame and that thing flies. I have been debating installing a built Predator 420, or going crazy with a 45-50 Hp Built Predator 670 Twin.
The question is, is a lighter, built 420 Big Block going to do the same as a built 670. I heard you can get around 35+ Hp out of the 420.
use assembly grease to put your keepers in. put a dab on the inside of the keeper, then install. should make installation easier.
Never put oil on the rod before installing the bearings. This can reduce oil clearance on the crank journal. Rod should be wiped clean bearing installed and then assembly lube put on bearing on the side that goes towards the crank journal
Was just about to post somewhat same comment 👍
Yup Dont do that
Awesome build
Beautifully presented video! ave has an interesting video on removing bearings such as the balance shaft bearing with greasy rags and a hammer, the procedure has saved me a couple times. Keep up the great content.
I tried that method on this engine with no luck so I used my welder
How did that Carburetor perform? I was thinking about getting the 34 mm. Waiting for a reply to make my decision
It works great. A little rich on idle but other than that its awesome
Fricking sick splatter paint man
+Zachary Fromm thanks man
Hey red, when you swap out cams are you reusing the old pushrods or do they need to be shorter i know building racing engines for cars or trucks if your cam changes usually the pushrods change as well wasn’t sure i’m currently building one of these for my daughter and was curious about whether or not to be in mind of that Thanks hope to hear from you soon
Hey Red Beard, I am having a hell of a time finding a stock crankshaft for my 420 that I want to build up. Do you have any suggestions on where I can find one?
Got a ? I just got a new 420 from harbor freight but I think its been returned the choke will not move and under the air filter box theres that 1 bolt also 2 reg wood screws ?? Idk if some1 was having a bad day or what is this normal??
Can't wait to see the drive video before I drop another $1000 into the motor 😎
Just got the ARC Top Plate Throttle Kit and was wondering if you could do a review or installation video of that because there is very little on the internet about how to mount it and it does not come with instructions, much love
I wish we could hear them run when he's done building them
Man, this almost makes me drool. Looks so good.
That motor looks nice
Thanks man
After putting on a stage 2 kit on a predator 420 cc engine do you know how much horsepower it gets? I'm looking at buying the one at Go power sports
So as a pro, is the Predator engines (particularly the 13 & 22hp) that much more deficient than a Honda of the same specs? How do you feel the Predators match t the Hondas? Obviously, your opinion means much more than the average joe.
WOW what a quality video. i watched the whole thing
Thank you man. The engine is somewhere over 20hp. More mods to come
thank you man for answering me i'll be here for the next vid that's for sure
would you be willing to weigh the engine ? Thinking about a similar build but weight is a factor no one talks about. Just losing the gastank and flywheel and going for a billet rod and flywheel must make a difference in weight.
looks pretty, but how's it run compared to stock?
should be double the power
So no need to rebalance the rotating assembly after removing the balance shaft?..have heard would need to..
+Shawn Toczek you should but it will still run good without. Going to get this one done soon.
Count find the link for the billet bolt covers in your bio. Please let me know where I can find
Nice looking lawn mower engine!
Its not a lawn mower engine jerk........... Its a tiller engine lol