I’m inheriting/buying my stepdads El Camino that’s been sitting on jacks since 88. It’s got a 396 so I’m thankful as hell for you making this video because I wanna go through it and make it run again.
Also I’ve got a question about the rear main seal. If you install it do you kind of off set it to seal better or how does that work because I’ve heard of guys offsetting them to seal better and I’m curious if that’s true or not?
This takes me back to my youth! I was 16 and got the opportunity to "learn" from a master craftsman whom did it all! At 17 I was fortunate to build a L88 motor with a old school hilborn fuel injection and those fabulous 12" stacks! We took that motor, (in a 23 ford frame) and ran in the NHRA B/A class! So much fun...Every Saturday afternoon/evenings @ many northwest drag strips! The small/bib blocks are/are so much easier (for me anyway) to work on than the plastic crap of today! Thanks for reminding me of the great times and the great mechanical marvels of "my" youth!
Love watching your videos. I built my first engine last summer. Got everything machined at the local shop here and followed everything you said and did. It runs great. Thank you so much.
the last 396 i built my cam bearing tool messed up one of my cam bearings and it almost drove me nuts before i figured it out.because with a light and naked eye you couldn't tell it was messed up. great video
I've been watching your channel for over a year, your explanations and attention to detail is paramount to anyone watching. I will soon be building a 454. Thank you so much for sharing your knowledge!
as a teen my dad was always bitchin at me every other pay day id have another 100.00 big block chevy core behind the garage at the time in 1977 i was building th 400s for street strip and selling them out of the swap sheet for 450.00 i had a good teacher i was 18 at the time with a new 1978 bronco in H/S
Great video, thank you! I have my 396 pulled out of my ‘72 GMC Sierra Grande. I have it all torn down & ready for the machine shop. Can’t wait to get it back! I appreciate your vid! Cheers
Nice vids. Very informative. Ive built motors myself .so I know what it takes to build em but people who dont know or are not confident in motor building can greatly benefit from your well explained vids. And even though I can build motors , I still like watching your vids.... keep up the good work
I always put the lifters in a can of oil and pumped them a few times to fill them with oil. I also remember mixing half STP and half oil for assembly lube.
both of those things you mention are things that should not be done to a flat tappet lifter never use assembly lube on the lifter body and don't soak em in oil
I liked the tool that you used to protect the crankshaft by covering the rod bolts. With a few google searches I found one. Much better than using tubing over those bolts.
cantered valves semi hemi so sexy Its been too long I need to build an engine. Started on heavy line 1980 moved up to drivability befor it was called driveability now sigh only my own stuff. This young man is a Master Builder love watching this
Thanks for taking me back to my profession i retired from in 2006 after 35 years, i really enjoyed it. All your technique's are basically the same as what i used and i'm sure this engine will last. Believe me when i say this, i've built some grenade's in my tenure. lol. We learn from that. I'm looking forward to seeing more of your video's in the future, in the meantime if there's anything i can help with don't hesitate to contact me. You can find me easily. I don't have a site but i have a phone and a PC. Thanks again.
Oh,. Yeaaaaaaaaah! They dont make em like that anymore!! My oldest son just recently graduated from a 1 year long auto mechanics program. I would be interested in see what your opinion is on how he can, "these days" use that to his best interest. ie, if you dont mind. 2603368972. Im at the library using computer right now,, lol. thats why Im getting done quick. lol
Yeah, Im not blurred out of my mind sick or UNACTIVATED on my service! Great time to call Bobby! lol.. soon as I get out of this Library! lol, the computer has me mezmerized,,,lmao
For a foreigner it is real good to listen your explanation because you have a great diction and a clear and easy to understand pronounce. Cheers from Brazil. I have a 396 in my '67 Chevelle.
Really great series of videos. Enjoy watching before I buy something to tinker with first, then spend some money. Looks like that center bearing jumped out at 9:13
hey man i love your videos, probably the helpfull and explanitory out there. such an under rated chanell imo. i hope to start my first engine build soon and i know the tips i saw here are going to help a ton. i appreciate the time and effort you put into these videos. thank you and keep em coming!
Excellent video. I'm definitely sticking with my peanut port heads as I need low end torque. I'll just retro fit a torque type roller valve train and upgrade my intake and exhaust a little. I tow heavy, in heavy traffic.
Another great (superior) video, explaining "principals" (like ring end gap determination piston/rod orientation etc) are again "priceless" !! What's going on here is people think they're learning to rebuild a 396/402 Chevy when in reality they are "learning" proper non specific engine assembly practices, you sir are fantastic instructor.
I have made an observation when installing the camshaft. I know lube is used for all the lobes and the part of the cam where the cam bearings are. As the cam is installed and goes through the bearings any lube that is on probably comes off as the cam goes through the bearings, by time the then end of the cam is at the back of the block it is probably clear of all lube. I will use a cam install tool and as the cam is almost fully installed I will do the 5 parts of the cam that go into the bearings. I appreciate all your videos on heads, cam selection, assembly, and so forth; keep up the great work.
Thank you so much for your tutorials and steps! I have a 396 2 bolt main with 802 heads. Never rebuilt a full moter but I am excited to to give it a try. I think I have watched this video a few hundred times JK😂. Again thank you !
Found one. Across the street from where I worked, there was a dump spot. 65' 396 truck motor it turned out to be.Put a huge dent ,from the inside,of my van that I loaded it into to transport it home. Almost busted the doors,rolling around back there.Gave it away for a 283 fuelie,vette motor. Wich,never did with. long story short, Thank You, accurate stuff.
Thanks for the build vid. 👍 I’m building an 8.1 496 putting. 4.5 stroke crank in it making it a 511. It’s going into 62 c10. Zz502 cam. This is probably my 4th motor I’ve built. Defiantly taking in your tips.
Raise the roof, lower the floor! I had a 402 with port matched oval heads and TRW domes. She ran great with an Isky solid cam. Idle to 5200rpm torque was surreal, with the dual plane and 780 vac srcondary.
Wow excellent video. When I was a young man & building SBC motors for my own cars I used STP oil treatment as assembly lube. Anybody remember that stuff? Was thick as molasses and stuck like glue. Used the old plasti-gauges and was blessed with a great local machine shop. Machine shop is long gone and I have to drive an hour to get to a decent machine shop now. Really enjoy these vids.
I built several 454,s. Early LS6's. Closed chamber heads. It made about 575 horses. 3100 lb 67 Camaro Wt. It went 1050/55 all day long.T400 and Dana 60 w/488,s. This was 76/77. @ NED , division 1/ NHRA. Semper Fi.
Sweet video man. Very informative. Everyone's asking about the graphite and assembly Lube at the end of the day your mom made a batch of cookies whatever she put into it it still came out as a batch of cookies everyone has their own recipe.
Thanks Ritchard.. I tend to lean to the 425 hp rating as others much like my own has headers, Holley 780 and electronic distributor with va pretty good tune. Thanks again.
Good thorough video; Interesting to note that he said this engine came out of a 72 monte carlo which would be the post lower compression ratio(9 to1) after 1970. The forged pistons in this engine still have the dome from the higher compression pre 71 engines,however it is the dome meant to use with a closed chamber cylinder head which would have given you around 10.25 cr on the oval port engines and 11,25cr on the Rectangular port Hi Perf engine. The Heads on this engine are open chamber, so that chamber/dome combination probably puts the Compression Ratio of this engine at the 8.5 or 9 to 1 mark depending on how the chambers CCed out,gaskets,etc.. If you were to put closed chamber heads on this motor you would pull back a 10.25 or higher C.R. depending on head gasket, if heads/deck surfaces were milled,etc. However the open chamber head is a better breathing and more efficient head if your building a performance engine. If you notice when he assembles this engine,he uses a lot of Moly lube for break-in purposes. This stuff is really thick and gooey. That's why when I build an engine I use a premium oil filter for the initial engine startup and run in. I generally after about a 1/2 hr of break-in dump the oil and Filter because all the Moly lube, grease,etc is in the filter and could restrict its filtering properties. Your initial startup is also where you get those micro fine metallic particles from new parts that can score rod/main bearings if they stay in the oil.Getting all this all out of your engine and putting fresh oil and filter will usually guarantee you a long and reliable engine life after a rebuild. A magnetic drain plug is also a heloful item....Good informative Video....Thanks S.M.
He put the old 10.25.pistons back in the motor..more compression. Not sure bout heads.oval ports thou..the 69 down head is real good for the motor..350 hp depends on cam..good tips on stuff..rj..I have a 66.396.
the oval port heads are going to have the smaller combustion chamber and the rectangular port will have the same closed chamber as the oval port or open chamber with a larger chamber, so you saying the compression will the higher with the rectangular port heads you are incorrect.
Forged Flat top pistons are the best all around best piston, especially if you're thinking about using NOS ( nitrous oxide) for more cheap horse power!!!!
👍👍 Great video. . I have a .060 over 402 that I'm going to freshen up this summer that's on my pulling tractor. I have a stock block that I would like to do.
This was my first engine build as a teenager. I didn't do as good as you. I messed up in trusting people that lied or were misinformed about certain parts and were not what they said they were. Cam, etc... this was in the 80s and there wasn't any Internet...
I think you should mention after each time you install a piston/rod assembly that should spin the crank to make sure that it's freed up. Once you put everything together without checking this and you have a problem, then you have to take the whole thing back apart to find out which one was bad.
Put moly on the end of the pushrods, body of the lifters, and you rocker and rocker balls with moly. Even on the ends of the valves were the tip of the rocker arm rubs, use new polylocks instead of locking nuts on the rockers.
in the 60s dad worked at Chevy towanda eng plant he bought 2 program cars a 69z& a 67 chevelle ss 396 that i still have 15k mi i always had plenty of G-M parts dad retired in86 pased in 88 R I P dad still thinking of you
Long but knowledgeable if you're thinking about becoming a Technician for Automotive, Diesel, Transport refrigeration, or home Heating and A/C, Marine, boats and their engines, or Motor Cycles-Harley mainly!!! When I went to Universal Technical Institute in the late 1980's, it was a very student friendly, and the best Technician school in the entire United States!!! If you are going to spend money to become Mechanic, why not go to the best school. And I haven't been back since I graduated, but I know about the training they teach, and they are good at what they teach. Top of the line in my opinion, and I did try another tech school before I found UTI, and I already knew as much as what the other tech school was teaching. At UTI is where I leaned that what I already knew wasn't all that much!!! I went and graduated from UTI in late 80's at the Phoenix Campus. A lot has changed since I graduated with a 3.0 GPA in auto-diesel, and transport refrigeration receiving an Occupational Associates Degree from there. Anyone looking at this video, I want to say that the way the guy built that engine, he did it exactly the right way that it's suppose to be done. Do your engines the same way, and they will most likely never give you any problems unless you're one of those that don't believe that changing your and filters, (that includes air intake filter) is the life of your engines. Before a serious disabling back injury, I was the main engine builder for every dealership that I worked at, and to this date, I've never had a come back on a engine that I built if the oil and filters were maintained properly. But my main point is that anybody interested in becoming an automotive technician, Universal Technical Institute is the best school in America, and they have built them in more places than Phoenix and Chicago now. Before I chose UTI, I did a very diligent search for the best school, and UTI was the name that kept coming up as the best school. And job placement after you graduate from their schools is second to none, they don't forget about you after you're finished, and they will get you placed in some best dealerships in the job market with it being understood that you are an entry level Technician with whom ever they help you to go to work for. It use to be that you could go back for the field updates for no charge to you. I hope that it is still that way bc if you didn't get it the first time through, they would let you go through again with no charge. I kept up with a couple guys that was there when I went, they did go through the school a second time!!! They would also help you to get into a place to live while you are there, or when you get there for a fair deal... They also help you get all the federal and state grants that you will need to pay for the school tuition!!!
I'd give anything for you to be able to go through my 1972 402 Chevy block motor. I have a 1947 Ford truck that has this very motor, transmission and carburetor that all came together sitting in it.
The first engine i ever built a 396 with open chamber headsn 11/1 comression in a 72 chevelle SS wi a 4 speed and a tunnel ram and 3 hollys ! god that was fun. now i run super comp rals `!!
I used that moly lube on 454 cam in 1997. 27yrs later my oil is still black at every oil change. Car could run for 1hr and oil drains black. Use the red or blue break in lube.
Good ol 396, we had one in our 69 Caprice...Trying to remember the difference between the 396 and 402 big block...I remember putting the new long block in my 78 305 Camaro and being told to use that silicone instead of intake end gaskets...Thought that was kind of cheesy, but surely can understand how the gaskets would not fit properly if the block/heads had been machined...
you should always try to spread your piston ring gaps 120 degrees apart, making sure no gap is on the thrust face of the cylinder to completely minimise blowby and minimise wear
every muscle car i have i put a bb in it some better then others my fav. is the 454 ho steel crank heavy rods 4 inch stroke got 2 for free with very low miles on them running perfect one has 6000 miles on it with a heavy duty 400 turbo bigger pump and heavy clutches.just needs the shift kit it has a stage one shift kit but i like the stage 3 shift kit works way better for putting power to the ground
One thing I learned while rebuilding European sports car engines is to ridge ream the top of the cylinder bores on the block. Metal slowly builds up at the top end of the bore over time. There is a ridge reaming tool that fits in the bore and is turned with a ratchet,. If this is not removed it can break the top ring on the piston and cause smoking. Have you ever heard of this? You can pick at this area and catch your finger nail on it if there is a build up.
I noticed that you haven’t radiused and polished the inside of the #5 main cap oil pump mounting surface. For an oil pump I always used the L72 or L88 oil pumps. I also opened the pump housing and demurred the pump gears and polished them. Before reassembly I backed the cavity and interior of the oil pump with Isky Moly assembly lube. That way the second the pump gears turn, you got suction and instant lube!
On a street and strip little 396 engine I would use the peanut round truck heads. The intake runner is a 235 that's plenty big enough for a little motor like the 396 Bbc. They put some round iron peanut Port heads on a 496 BBC in march 2008 car craft. and it made good power across the board it made 521 hp at 5,400 and 595 tq at 3,500. And it made over 500 foot pounds of torque 3200 through 5400 RPMs. With 9.7 compression, dual-plane edelbrock air gap intake, 850 barry grant double pumper and Mild cam 274 - 282 duration 224 - 232 at .050" 555 -565 lift hydraulic roller, 2" headers with a 112 lobe separation great to add nitrous to. Great Street or strip engine. Remember hot rod or another magazine did it. that did the test against the iron oval and the iron rectangle Port Big Block Chevrolet cylinder head. The test was done in 700 horsepower supercharged engine. and the Oval Port head beat the iron Square port 990 head across the board. To big of a cylinder head will kill all the torque out of a motor and slow you down at the drag strip. and you need torque on the Street and strip. One example years ago a bracket racer had a 454 he put a set of Sonny Leonard heads on the high compression track only race car motor. He got too big of a cylinder head with the Sonny Leonard heads and it slowed down at the track. he was embarrassed and thousands of dollars wasted and all that time to having to put the oval Port heads back on. Don't get me wrong Sonny Leonard heads are excellent. But the intake runner was way too big for that little 454 BBC solid roller cam high-compression motor. I would rather gain 35 foot pounds of torque across the board then gain 10 horsepower and lose 35 foot pounds of torque across the board. don't try to invent the wheel unless you have a lot of time and money. Also remember the 454 Bill Mitchell Small Block Chevy vs the 454 Big Block Chevy. The 454 small block beat the 454 Big Block. Why I think this was the cylinder head was a lot smaller on the small block Chevy, less Journal drag on the rods and mains, smaller intake and less foot pounds of torque to turn the short block when they were on the engine stand. don't get too big of a cam, too big of a intake, too big of a carb, to big headers, too big of cylinder heads, too big of an intake runner, to big headers, too big exhaust and more. If you study engine builders they don't use monster cylinder head or monster cams. Here's another example I have a 572 dynode crate engine 580 580 256 256 at .050" duration lift flat tappet solid cam, single plane Merlin X Dominator Ram intake, 1050 dominator carburetor, idles smooth and makes good power. it makes 730 horsepower at 5400 RPMs and 740 foot pounds of torque at 4000 RPMs on pump gas. The intake runner volume is 331 through 334 cc's I've measured it. And that's an off-the-shelf cast aluminum aftermarket cylinder head no work at all has been done to them. And the stock 990 iron Square Port head was 325 cc's. so you see back in the 60s and 70s they put too big of a cylinder head on little engines. I'll look at the ls engines they make more power then any stock Big Block Chevrolet engine did back in the day with smaller cubic inches. Well I won't go into all detail on that but they're better cylinder heads, camshafts factory hydraulic roller cams, better Rod ratio, longer rods, stronger crank sets up more in the block, 6 bolt main caps, bigger head bolts, timing chain tensioner, better angles on the cylinder heads, I'm pretty sure their shaft Mount rocker arms, and one of the best features they're very thin piston rings which is no block wear no burning oil no loss of power and they last forever almost. one 6.0 LS engine that scrogin Dickey has and probably still on the road today had 750,000 miles on it. And it was one of their delivery trucks. And it may still be on the road today. I don't know of any small block or Big Block Chevrolet that has ever had that many miles on it. and there's more stories than I can tell you about guys breaking records with these LS engines. And a lot of guys are using long blocks with 180,000 plus miles and racing them or putting big Power adders on these engines and racing. Lately the ls engines have gone up so much in price. it's almost as cheap to buy a remanufactured or new short block or long block than it is to buy a used one. but the guys that are getting the cheap ones are out of Canada. Where they say they are plentiful. And the prices they are paying for these LS engines I've never seen an LS engine that cheap.
Not too bad at all. I like 402. I have. 13 complete 402 engines in the a old barn. in the early nineties was finding these a lot in early 70s grain Trucks that were auction off cheap.on a old farm.. Or farm .equpiment dealers that went belly up.. They usally Had non running early 70s trucks that were junked or sold cheap.. A lot of them were actually there cuz it caught on fire and burnt the truck due to electrical issues or whatever .. I actually built one of these engines for my 66 nova ss hell just honed out Minor bit of machine work .new rings, gaskets bearings, new freeze plugs, oil pump, mild comp cam, aftermarket intake 4150 Holly 750 ...and said bye bye to open chamber heads used a set of my closed chamber heads... car runs strong..
Plastigage is not accurate enough for precision engine assembly it does not measure the the .0001 place and this is extremely important on many engines
Strange how it worked fine on main bearings and rods. I guess we set them loose. Plastiguage goes down to 0.001.... www.amazon.com/Plastigauge-Plastigage-Green-Bearing-Clearance/dp/B01MDKNAYF Federal Mogul specifies 0.0005-0.0034 in. oil clearance for mains 1-4, and 0.0008-0.0038 in. for main 5. Rod bearing oil clearance should be 0.0007-0.0032 according to Federal-Mogul.
I have used it many times and I realize it can be a good quick check however there is a margin of error with it in my opinion it is not accurate enough if you compare it to bore Gage measurements you will see a difference the plastigage will read a different clearance than what your precision Gage will , in my world that makes it inaccurate
That's a pretty good video sir and I know that you know what you're talking about I've been working on them motors for 40 years I got one upside down on a motor stand right now I'm getting ready to finish it up and put it back in the dump truck I got Tuesday now I have a couple of more things to do to it and then I pull it out and put it on the Gantry so I can put the clutch assembly on it cuz it's a truck it's got a 13 inch clutch but you put good information out there that most people I see on RUclips don't know what the hell they're talking about but I do plus I have a couple big block Chevelles for over 30 years
I have resealed my edle intake twice and it still leaks. Did the same method, used ultra black. I even put a thin film of RTV on both sides of the gasket. I get an oil haze/vapor at the intake sides and leaks out the back valley. 454, big cam, block has been decked, told it could be excessive crankcase pressure. Maybe the third time will do the trick.
How many of us have picked up a cheap engine because of water in the oil? I have a few times over the last 40 odd years and it was always because of coolant leaking up head bolts after the heads were rebuilt.. I use teflon paste which is expensive but a bottle lasts years. Gas Fitters use it on household LP gas installations and it works better than tape.
Авто/Мото
I’m inheriting/buying my stepdads El Camino that’s been sitting on jacks since 88. It’s got a 396 so I’m thankful as hell for you making this video because I wanna go through it and make it run again.
Also I’ve got a question about the rear main seal. If you install it do you kind of off set it to seal better or how does that work because I’ve heard of guys offsetting them to seal better and I’m curious if that’s true or not?
YAY!!!! Someone who actually KNOWS engine assembly ORDER!!! ALWAYS camshaft first!!! Very good!
THX
I like you put the cam in first. Not many build channels I see people doing that, but it makes the most sense to me. Easier than blind install.
This takes me back to my youth! I was 16 and got the opportunity to "learn" from a master craftsman whom did it all! At 17 I was fortunate to build a L88 motor with a old school hilborn fuel injection and those fabulous 12" stacks! We took that motor, (in a 23 ford frame) and ran in the NHRA B/A class! So much fun...Every Saturday afternoon/evenings @ many northwest drag strips! The small/bib blocks are/are so much easier (for me anyway) to work on than the plastic crap of today! Thanks for reminding me of the great times and the great mechanical marvels of "my" youth!
Love watching your videos. I built my first engine last summer. Got everything machined at the local shop here and followed everything you said and did. It runs great. Thank you so much.
very cool glad it worked out
the last 396 i built my cam bearing tool messed up one of my cam bearings and it almost drove me nuts before i figured it out.because with a light and naked eye you couldn't tell it was messed up. great video
I've been watching your channel for over a year, your explanations and attention to detail is paramount to anyone watching. I will soon be building a 454. Thank you so much for sharing your knowledge!
Awesome awesome I believe you did everything pro level.i had a 396 30 over when I was young 427 stainless crank shaft .this video is very cool
Yes stainless steel crank shaft,crower med lift cam double roller trw timing gears,bored and decked the block,it would have been a 402 cid
Thanks so much for sharing this info. Great learning tool for someone new to the underside of the hood!!!
Great video, thanks for sharing!
One day I will get around to building a big block.
as a teen my dad was always bitchin at me every other pay day id have another 100.00 big block chevy core behind the garage at the time in 1977 i was building th 400s for street strip and selling them out of the swap sheet for 450.00 i had a good teacher i was 18 at the time with a new 1978 bronco in H/S
I had a chevelle with a 396. I love the BB's. Good video!!!
Great video, thank you! I have my 396 pulled out of my ‘72 GMC Sierra Grande. I have it all torn down & ready for the machine shop. Can’t wait to get it back! I appreciate your vid! Cheers
Nice vids. Very informative. Ive built motors myself .so I know what it takes to build em but people who dont know or are not confident in motor building can greatly benefit from your well explained vids. And even though I can build motors , I still like watching your vids.... keep up the good work
Just picked up 4 396'S so I Subscribed and probably be viewing this several hundred times.
Thank you for this video! I was putting together a 396 with just a how-to book as a guide, but *seeing* the steps was a huge help.
I could watch this all day! That was great!
I always put the lifters in a can of oil and pumped them a few times to fill them with oil. I also remember mixing half STP and half oil for assembly lube.
both of those things you mention are things that should not be done to a flat tappet lifter never use assembly lube on the lifter body and don't soak em in oil
Thank you for this video, I'll be following along as soon as my 1972 402 is back from machine shop.
I got a Buick 455 n a 69 396 that I won a rebuild both sometime thanx for the video's I watched the Buick 455 one 2
Thank you for taking the time to film it
I liked the tool that you used to protect the crankshaft by covering the rod bolts. With a few google searches I found one. Much better than using tubing over those bolts.
That was a good video. Thank you for sharing it with us.
Thanks brother that's a good video. I might just redo top of my 454bb
Much appreciated!
never depreciated!👍😎
cantered valves semi hemi so sexy Its been too long I need to build an engine. Started on heavy line 1980 moved up to drivability befor it was called driveability now sigh only my own stuff. This young man is a Master Builder love watching this
Thanks for taking me back to my profession i retired from in 2006 after 35 years, i really enjoyed it. All your technique's are basically the same as what i used and i'm sure this engine will last. Believe me when i say this, i've built some grenade's in my tenure. lol. We learn from that. I'm looking forward to seeing more of your video's in the future, in the meantime if there's anything i can help with don't hesitate to contact me. You can find me easily. I don't have a site but i have a phone and a PC. Thanks again.
Oh,. Yeaaaaaaaaah! They dont make em like that anymore!! My oldest son just recently graduated from a 1 year long auto mechanics program. I would be interested in see what your opinion is on how he can, "these days" use that to his best interest. ie, if you dont mind. 2603368972. Im at the library using computer right now,, lol. thats why Im getting done quick. lol
Joyce Green Think you'll answer the phone if i call this time? lol
Yeah, Im not blurred out of my mind sick or UNACTIVATED on my service! Great time to call Bobby! lol.. soon as I get out of this Library! lol, the computer has me mezmerized,,,lmao
For a foreigner it is real good to listen your explanation because you have a great diction and a clear and easy to understand pronounce. Cheers from Brazil. I have a 396 in my '67 Chevelle.
Luiz Chevelle love 67
Seeking simple solutions to complex problems is foolish and counter productive.
Smug Smugly ya that is why you don't have any reason to be here or to ever come here again ..so go way as far away as you can get
No you don't.
@@royrezek231 CMN
Really great series of videos. Enjoy watching before I buy something to tinker with first, then spend some money. Looks like that center bearing jumped out at 9:13
hey man i love your videos, probably the helpfull and explanitory out there. such an under rated chanell imo. i hope to start my first engine build soon and i know the tips i saw here are going to help a ton. i appreciate the time and effort you put into these videos. thank you and keep em coming!
I bought a short block 350 off of him and it runs beautiful this man definitely knows what he is doing THANK YOU SO MUCH!!!!
Excellent video. I'm definitely sticking with my peanut port heads as I need low end torque. I'll just retro fit a torque type roller valve train and upgrade my intake and exhaust a little. I tow heavy, in heavy traffic.
Another great (superior) video, explaining "principals" (like ring end gap determination piston/rod orientation etc) are again "priceless" !!
What's going on here is people think they're learning to rebuild a 396/402 Chevy when in reality they are "learning" proper non specific engine assembly practices, you sir are fantastic instructor.
I have made an observation when installing the camshaft. I know lube is used for all the lobes and the part of the cam where the cam bearings are. As the cam is installed and goes through the bearings any lube that is on probably comes off as the cam goes through the bearings, by time the then end of the cam is at the back of the block it is probably clear of all lube. I will use a cam install tool and as the cam is almost fully installed I will do the 5 parts of the cam that go into the bearings. I appreciate all your videos on heads, cam selection, assembly, and so forth; keep up the great work.
Thanks for the video.
Now I want a big block. And something to put it in.
Ha.ha me to
Thank you so much for your tutorials and steps! I have a 396 2 bolt main with 802 heads. Never rebuilt a full moter but I am excited to to give it a try. I think I have watched this video a few hundred times JK😂. Again thank you !
Found one. Across the street from where I worked, there was a dump spot. 65' 396 truck motor it turned out to be.Put a huge dent ,from the inside,of my van that I loaded it into to transport it home. Almost busted the doors,rolling around back there.Gave it away for a 283 fuelie,vette motor. Wich,never did with. long story short, Thank You, accurate stuff.
Thanks for the build vid. 👍 I’m building an 8.1 496 putting. 4.5 stroke crank in it making it a 511. It’s going into 62 c10. Zz502 cam. This is probably my 4th motor I’ve built. Defiantly taking in your tips.
sick... did you do a video
???
Awesome video I think ppl can really learn from you I think it’s amazing
Raise the roof, lower the floor! I had a 402 with port matched oval heads and TRW domes. She ran great with an Isky solid cam. Idle to 5200rpm torque was surreal, with the dual plane and 780 vac srcondary.
Thanks for using assembly lube... I've seen too many people using regular oil.
Wow excellent video. When I was a young man & building SBC motors for my own cars I used STP oil treatment as assembly lube. Anybody remember that stuff? Was thick as molasses and stuck like glue. Used the old plasti-gauges and was blessed with a great local machine shop. Machine shop is long gone and I have to drive an hour to get to a decent machine shop now. Really enjoy these vids.
Remember the Sumo wrestler that couldn’t hold a screwdriver after it was dipped in STP?
Thanks for posting. I learned a TON!!
I built several 454,s. Early LS6's. Closed chamber heads. It made about 575 horses. 3100 lb 67 Camaro Wt. It went 1050/55 all day long.T400 and Dana 60 w/488,s. This was 76/77. @ NED , division 1/ NHRA. Semper Fi.
Cool I had a 235 straight 6 in my 55 truck mess her great job
That was a damn awesome video, very informative for me. Thank you.
Play some Snoop Dogg music
really appreciate your work man
keep it up
Greating from Saudi Arabia ^_^
cool Thanks
Sweet video man. Very informative. Everyone's asking about the graphite and assembly Lube at the end of the day your mom made a batch of cookies whatever she put into it it still came out as a batch of cookies everyone has their own recipe.
Thanks Ritchard.. I tend to lean to the 425 hp rating as others much like my own has headers, Holley 780 and electronic distributor with va pretty good tune.
Thanks again.
Good thorough video; Interesting to note that he said this engine came out of a 72 monte carlo which would be the post lower compression ratio(9 to1) after 1970. The forged pistons in this engine still have the dome from the higher compression pre 71 engines,however it is the dome meant to use with a closed chamber cylinder head which would have given you around 10.25 cr on the oval port engines and 11,25cr on the Rectangular port Hi Perf engine. The Heads on this engine are open chamber, so that chamber/dome combination probably puts the Compression Ratio of this engine at the 8.5 or 9 to 1 mark depending on how the chambers CCed out,gaskets,etc.. If you were to put closed chamber heads on this motor you would pull back a 10.25 or higher C.R. depending on head gasket, if heads/deck surfaces were milled,etc. However the open chamber head is a better breathing and more efficient head if your building a performance engine.
If you notice when he assembles this engine,he uses a lot of Moly lube for break-in purposes. This stuff is really thick and gooey. That's why when I build an engine I use a premium oil filter for the initial engine startup and run in. I generally after about a 1/2 hr of break-in dump the oil and Filter because all the Moly lube, grease,etc is in the filter and could restrict its filtering properties. Your initial startup is also where you get those micro fine metallic particles from new parts that can score rod/main bearings if they stay in the oil.Getting all this all out of your engine and putting fresh oil and filter will usually guarantee you a long and reliable engine life after a rebuild. A magnetic drain plug is also a heloful item....Good informative Video....Thanks S.M.
steve matz rrx
He put the old 10.25.pistons back in the motor..more compression. Not sure bout heads.oval ports thou..the 69 down head is real good for the motor..350 hp depends on cam..good tips on stuff..rj..I have a 66.396.
the oval port heads are going to have the smaller combustion chamber and the rectangular port will have the same closed chamber as the oval port or open chamber with a larger chamber, so you saying the compression will the higher with the rectangular port heads you are incorrect.
Forged Flat top pistons are the best all around best piston, especially if you're thinking about using NOS ( nitrous oxide) for more cheap horse power!!!!
Very good videos you explain everything very well
Great video! Really enjoyed.
i love the sound of a pete jackson gear drive in my SB Chevys i use sumits hvy alum timing case cover for proper clearances
Thank you for the awesome video.
👍👍 Great video. . I have a .060 over 402 that I'm going to freshen up this summer that's on my pulling tractor. I have a stock block that I would like to do.
thank you for a great video step by step install
Cool man! Thanks for posting.
Thank you for posting this.
Cool, nice job here !!!
Thanks for posting this !!!
Had one in my 69 impala... monster engine
I enjoyed your video. Thanks!
Great video. Many thanks!
5 Star video. Comprehensive!
This was my first engine build as a teenager. I didn't do as good as you. I messed up in trusting people that lied or were misinformed about certain parts and were not what they said they were. Cam, etc... this was in the 80s and there wasn't any Internet...
I think you should mention after each time you install a piston/rod assembly that should spin the crank to make sure that it's freed up. Once you put everything together without checking this and you have a problem, then you have to take the whole thing back apart to find out which one was bad.
Very nice job thanks.👌👌👌
Good video..I have a 66..396 chevelle..done motor twice and 3 cams...rj
This was very very helpful to me....Awesome video!!!!
Glad it was helpful!
That engine is great for a 1978 to 1990 Chevy Caprice as a suggestion.
thanks for the help bro, great channel subbed.
awesome bro!
One thing I find best when installing valve covers is to add a little RTV to the rubber gasket, it makes a much better seal.
Dirt is your worst enemy inside an engine
Put moly on the end of the pushrods, body of the lifters, and you rocker and rocker balls with moly. Even on the ends of the valves were the tip of the rocker arm rubs, use new polylocks instead of locking nuts on the rockers.
It's not the end of the world buddy ya have to prime it with a drill ,this dude is a veteran
in the 60s dad worked at Chevy towanda eng plant he bought 2 program cars a 69z& a 67 chevelle ss 396 that i still have 15k mi i always had plenty of G-M parts dad retired in86 pased in 88 R I P dad still thinking of you
Excellent video bud, very detailed. just subd
Long but knowledgeable if you're thinking about becoming a Technician for Automotive, Diesel, Transport refrigeration, or home Heating and A/C, Marine, boats and their engines, or Motor Cycles-Harley mainly!!! When I went to Universal Technical Institute in the late 1980's, it was a very student friendly, and the best Technician school in the entire United States!!! If you are going to spend money to become Mechanic, why not go to the best school. And I haven't been back since I graduated, but I know about the training they teach, and they are good at what they teach. Top of the line in my opinion, and I did try another tech school before I found UTI, and I already knew as much as what the other tech school was teaching. At UTI is where I leaned that what I already knew wasn't all that much!!!
I went and graduated from UTI in late 80's at the Phoenix Campus. A lot has changed since I graduated with a 3.0 GPA in auto-diesel, and transport refrigeration receiving an Occupational Associates Degree from there. Anyone looking at this video, I want to say that the way the guy built that engine, he did it exactly the right way that it's suppose to be done. Do your engines the same way, and they will most likely never give you any problems unless you're one of those that don't believe that changing your and filters, (that includes air intake filter) is the life of your engines. Before a serious disabling back injury, I was the main engine builder for every dealership that I worked at, and to this date, I've never had a come back on a engine that I built if the oil and filters were maintained properly. But my main point is that anybody interested in becoming an automotive technician, Universal Technical Institute is the best school in America, and they have built them in more places than Phoenix and Chicago now. Before I chose UTI, I did a very diligent search for the best school, and UTI was the name that kept coming up as the best school. And job placement after you graduate from their schools is second to none, they don't forget about you after you're finished, and they will get you placed in some best dealerships in the job market with it being understood that you are an entry level Technician with whom ever they help you to go to work for. It use to be that you could go back for the field updates for no charge to you. I hope that it is still that way bc if you didn't get it the first time through, they would let you go through again with no charge. I kept up with a couple guys that was there when I went, they did go through the school a second time!!! They would also help you to get into a place to live while you are there, or when you get there for a fair deal... They also help you get all the federal and state grants that you will need to pay for the school tuition!!!
Nice, well explained video.
I'd give anything for you to be able to go through my 1972 402 Chevy block motor. I have a 1947 Ford truck that has this very motor, transmission and carburetor that all came together sitting in it.
The first engine i ever built a 396 with open chamber headsn 11/1 comression in a 72 chevelle SS wi a 4 speed and a tunnel ram and 3 hollys ! god that was fun. now i run super comp rals `!!
very Nice, well explained video. thanks.
Great video
I used that moly lube on 454 cam in 1997. 27yrs later my oil is still black at every oil change. Car could run for 1hr and oil drains black. Use the red or blue break in lube.
Good ol 396, we had one in our 69 Caprice...Trying to remember the difference between the 396 and 402 big block...I remember putting the new long block in my 78 305 Camaro and being told to use that silicone instead of intake end gaskets...Thought that was kind of cheesy, but surely can understand how the gaskets would not fit properly if the block/heads had been machined...
Silicone is good for clogging oil holes , if your mating surfaces are square flat , the gasket will seal fine ..!
Great video.. little advice.. if you straightened out the bolt holes on that timing chain cover you wouldn't need the silicone
you should always try to spread your piston ring gaps 120 degrees apart, making sure no gap is on the thrust face of the cylinder to completely minimise blowby and minimise wear
the rings spin when the engine is running I do agree they should be staggered but where you put them makes little difference
every muscle car i have i put a bb in it some better then others my fav. is the 454 ho steel crank heavy rods 4 inch stroke got 2 for free with very low miles on them running perfect one has 6000 miles on it with a heavy duty 400 turbo bigger pump and heavy clutches.just needs the shift kit it has a stage one shift kit but i like the stage 3 shift kit works way better for putting power to the ground
One thing I learned while rebuilding European sports car engines is to ridge ream the top of the cylinder bores on the block. Metal slowly builds up at the top end of the bore over time. There is a ridge reaming tool that fits in the bore and is turned with a ratchet,. If this is not removed it can break the top ring on the piston and cause smoking. Have you ever heard of this? You can pick at this area and catch your finger nail on it if there is a build up.
I noticed that you haven’t radiused and polished the inside of the #5 main cap oil pump mounting surface. For an oil pump I always used the L72 or L88 oil pumps. I also opened the pump housing and demurred the pump gears and polished them. Before reassembly I backed the cavity and interior of the oil pump with Isky Moly assembly lube. That way the second the pump gears turn, you got suction and instant lube!
Love my 396
On a street and strip little 396 engine I would use the peanut round truck heads. The intake runner is a 235 that's plenty big enough for a little motor like the 396 Bbc. They put some round iron peanut Port heads on a 496 BBC in march 2008 car craft. and it made good power across the board it made 521 hp at 5,400 and 595 tq at 3,500. And it made over 500 foot pounds of torque 3200 through 5400 RPMs. With 9.7 compression, dual-plane edelbrock air gap intake, 850 barry grant double pumper and Mild cam 274 - 282 duration 224 - 232 at .050" 555 -565 lift hydraulic roller, 2" headers with a 112 lobe separation great to add nitrous to. Great Street or strip engine. Remember hot rod or another magazine did it. that did the test against the iron oval and the iron rectangle Port Big Block Chevrolet cylinder head. The test was done in 700 horsepower supercharged engine. and the Oval Port head beat the iron Square port 990 head across the board. To big of a cylinder head will kill all the torque out of a motor and slow you down at the drag strip. and you need torque on the Street and strip. One example years ago a bracket racer had a 454 he put a set of Sonny Leonard heads on the high compression track only race car motor. He got too big of a cylinder head with the Sonny Leonard heads and it slowed down at the track. he was embarrassed and thousands of dollars wasted and all that time to having to put the oval Port heads back on. Don't get me wrong Sonny Leonard heads are excellent. But the intake runner was way too big for that little 454 BBC solid roller cam high-compression motor. I would rather gain 35 foot pounds of torque across the board then gain 10 horsepower and lose 35 foot pounds of torque across the board. don't try to invent the wheel unless you have a lot of time and money. Also remember the 454 Bill Mitchell Small Block Chevy vs the 454 Big Block Chevy. The 454 small block beat the 454 Big Block. Why I think this was the cylinder head was a lot smaller on the small block Chevy, less Journal drag on the rods and mains, smaller intake and less foot pounds of torque to turn the short block when they were on the engine stand. don't get too big of a cam, too big of a intake, too big of a carb, to big headers, too big of cylinder heads, too big of an intake runner, to big headers, too big exhaust and more. If you study engine builders they don't use monster cylinder head or monster cams. Here's another example I have a 572 dynode crate engine 580 580 256 256 at .050" duration lift flat tappet solid cam, single plane Merlin X Dominator Ram intake, 1050 dominator carburetor, idles smooth and makes good power. it makes 730 horsepower at 5400 RPMs and 740 foot pounds of torque at 4000 RPMs on pump gas. The intake runner volume is 331 through 334 cc's I've measured it. And that's an off-the-shelf cast aluminum aftermarket cylinder head no work at all has been done to them. And the stock 990 iron Square Port head was 325 cc's. so you see back in the 60s and 70s they put too big of a cylinder head on little engines. I'll look at the ls engines they make more power then any stock Big Block Chevrolet engine did back in the day with smaller cubic inches. Well I won't go into all detail on that but they're better cylinder heads, camshafts factory hydraulic roller cams, better Rod ratio, longer rods, stronger crank sets up more in the block, 6 bolt main caps, bigger head bolts, timing chain tensioner, better angles on the cylinder heads, I'm pretty sure their shaft Mount rocker arms, and one of the best features they're very thin piston rings which is no block wear no burning oil no loss of power and they last forever almost. one 6.0 LS engine that scrogin Dickey has and probably still on the road today had 750,000 miles on it. And it was one of their delivery trucks. And it may still be on the road today. I don't know of any small block or Big Block Chevrolet that has ever had that many miles on it. and there's more stories than I can tell you about guys breaking records with these LS engines. And a lot of guys are using long blocks with 180,000 plus miles and racing them or putting big Power adders on these engines and racing. Lately the ls engines have gone up so much in price. it's almost as cheap to buy a remanufactured or new short block or long block than it is to buy a used one. but the guys that are getting the cheap ones are out of Canada. Where they say they are plentiful. And the prices they are paying for these LS engines I've never seen an LS engine that cheap.
Not too bad at all. I like 402. I have. 13 complete 402 engines in the a old barn. in the early nineties was finding these a lot in early 70s grain Trucks that were auction off cheap.on a old farm.. Or farm .equpiment dealers that went belly up.. They usally Had non running early 70s trucks that were junked or sold cheap.. A lot of them were actually there cuz it caught on fire and burnt the truck due to electrical issues or whatever .. I actually built one of these engines for my 66 nova ss hell just honed out Minor bit of machine work .new rings, gaskets bearings, new freeze plugs, oil pump, mild comp cam, aftermarket intake 4150 Holly 750
...and said bye bye to open chamber heads used a set of my closed chamber heads... car runs strong..
Sell one? Lol
Yep i will .. They all have open chamber heads. But I have 3 sets of closed chamber heads I will sell separate..
Fantastic!
and where is the first start video??? that's the most exiting moment when you rebuild an engine!
apart from that - excellent video - million thanks!!!
I liked the "mic the crank and the bearing bore"; but I always used plastiguage and assembled twice.
Plastigage is not accurate enough for precision engine assembly it does not measure the the .0001 place and this is extremely important on many engines
Strange how it worked fine on main bearings and rods. I guess we set them loose.
Plastiguage goes down to 0.001....
www.amazon.com/Plastigauge-Plastigage-Green-Bearing-Clearance/dp/B01MDKNAYF
Federal Mogul specifies 0.0005-0.0034 in. oil clearance for mains 1-4, and 0.0008-0.0038 in. for main 5.
Rod bearing oil clearance should be 0.0007-0.0032 according to Federal-Mogul.
I have used it many times and I realize it can be a good quick check however there is a margin of error with it in my opinion it is not accurate enough if you compare it to bore Gage measurements you will see a difference the plastigage will read a different clearance than what your precision Gage will , in my world that makes it inaccurate
Thanks for posting this!!! Will we get to hear her run :)
probably not the customer is out of state
Great Job..
That's a pretty good video sir and I know that you know what you're talking about I've been working on them motors for 40 years I got one upside down on a motor stand right now I'm getting ready to finish it up and put it back in the dump truck I got Tuesday now I have a couple of more things to do to it and then I pull it out and put it on the Gantry so I can put the clutch assembly on it cuz it's a truck it's got a 13 inch clutch but you put good information out there that most people I see on RUclips don't know what the hell they're talking about but I do plus I have a couple big block Chevelles for over 30 years
I have resealed my edle intake twice and it still leaks. Did the same method, used ultra black. I even put a thin film of RTV on both sides of the gasket. I get an oil haze/vapor at the intake sides and leaks out the back valley. 454, big cam, block has been decked, told it could be excessive crankcase pressure. Maybe the third time will do the trick.
HMM sounds like a warped intake
Awesome thank you
How many of us have picked up a cheap engine because of water in the oil? I have a few times over the last 40 odd years and it was always because of coolant leaking up head bolts after the heads were rebuilt.. I use teflon paste which is expensive but a bottle lasts years. Gas Fitters use it on household LP gas installations and it works better than tape.
Agreed on that PTFE goo