I thought the same thing, but then i saw them catch the trans fluid in a drain pan instead of it running down the driveway.....must be enviro friendly roadkill
Gotta love how vital Steve is to everything. If it weren't for him, a lot of stuff from Roadkill, Hot Rod Garage, House of Muscle, and this wouldn't exist and neither would Engine Masters.
I had a 1989 chevy 1500 with the 350 in it. 210 HP stock. the 350 that year made either 190 or 210. Of course, it did always feel a tad more powerful than that. It did motivate that big truck. Extended cab long bed.
I've never seen a 454 turn that fast. When it kept climbing after 5k, I was just sure we were going to get to see a rod. That was some impressive stuff.
On 8.3:1 compression, no less. They had the heads off, it wouldn't have been much more work to go ahead and swap pistons out. 9.5:1 on the same HCI setup would probably be testing the limit of the stock rods.
Oh yeah, that is kick ass!! Now I can't wait to build my smogged down 74' 454 into something akin to this. Just need 4k. A holley is alright alright alright, and all that jazz, but man a really well built , properly dialed in Quadrajet spread bore carb may have produced even better results. I know it would have sounded better for sure, memories of that Q-jet opening up on dad's chev pickup...that totally.distinctive Q-jet hooonk , just a hunkerin' down when you push the pedal to the metal and those huge secondary butterflies open up! Music to ears!!. Oh yeah!!
I wish they would hot rod a TBI big block, nobody ever tries to do anything with them. I know you have to change over to a different ignition control system but it would be nice to see what they could get out of a gen V or VI big block.
Alot im sure, though a well running 454 certainly isn't anemic. I would not be surprised if that RV dynoed 250 WHP. That was one of the biggest engines you could get but I bet it was still a dog in an RV that size.
Even the later Vortec 454 was never really a good RV engine. My parents had an 02 or 03 24 foot motorhome with the 454 and it was a pig. But if you can find a ratted-out old motorhome for cheap it's an easy way to get a big engine!
I'll be honest here, I figured the top end kit with the new cam would never make the 480 lbft that the RV cam made. I also was NOT expecting a 200 HP increase from nothing more than heads, cam, intake manifold, and carb, but those engines were always choked down by the emissions laws and stock LONG exhaust, low compression heads, and the restrictive stock ports. I enjoyed this project.
This video inspired me when I first saw it, cant wait to get my grandfathers RV and go even further: 540 C.I. forged internals, and then find something to put it in
I was thinking either timing or any number of other variables that can cause slight variations on the dyno. I think their point was to prove that they didn't lose any power, those engines had such low compression that even with the new heads you can run cheap gas.
What comes to mind. 1. I always wondered why people don't degrease and clean an engine Before they start to work on it. 2. No mention of headers on a RV engine? 3. Did they take the high octane gas out of the carb bowls before the started the engine? 4. What you can do when money is no object. 5. No compression test before starting work?
1. I'm guessing it was more about time and lack of give-a-damn, just throw it on the dyno because you're about to replace half of the engine anyways. 2. They were talking about how it had decent headers, albeit a bit small. Judging by the heat wrap on them I'd say those were not factory. 3. Even if they didn't the bowls only hold enough fuel for a few seconds of running, they bring the engine up to temperature before doing a dyno pull so all of that fuel had been burned off. 4. I was also a bit shocked by the price, I feel like you could get 400-450 out of a junkyard 5.3 or 6.0 for half the price and not have to buy a motorhome (the one in the video was free, but the rest of us would have to buy the motorhome and THEN dump $4k into a potentially tired old engine. 5. Going back to point #1, I bet it was more time and motivation than anything. As they say, "send it!"
As soon as I saw the power gains they were getting and what it came out of I knew it was heads, cam, and intake. Not bolt on in the sense of a cold air intake or a catback exhaust but on an old Chevy V8 this isn't much more difficult than a CAI install.
Great video but at the same time getting tired of seeing programs throw huge money top end kits at junk bottom ends. At the point of almost $4k in the top end the guy that’s building it would for sure get the bottom end freshened up. I’d really like to see them pull the stock heads and do a at home port job to them throw in a lumpy cam good intake and carb and try it out.
Now that was cool. 230 hp by an upper end swap on a 40 year old bone stock engine? I'd say that's an improvement. Next episode? Turbo 4.9L build out of the Trans-Am.
Next time try a boom threw the drivers door. I pulled a 454 with the transmission threw the drivers door. Small bit of cutting on the floor but nothing that couldn't be put right back in with ease. WAY easier than threw the front!!!!!
Did you see the live footage on FB a while back from the last zip tie drags? There was a super fast diesel bread truck, and if i remember right, it made it into the hooptie challenge.
Yes. Trick Flow makes a top end kit for 440's. TFS-K616-620-576 620 hp. and 576 lbs. of torque using a 446 c.i.d with flat top pistons, 10.5:1 compression with a 950 cfm. carb
How is it the original engine builder left that much power on the table? Such a large vehicle you would think they would have squeezed every horse/ci out of it.
Makes me think we should A whole new racing series, Hot Rod and tuned mobile home racing. Now there you get some action. How about Figure 8 racing with motor homes? There is a whole new class of racing. lol
I guess it's true what the guys on Roadkill said about old motorhomes for good engines, Roadkill did it, Dirt Everyday did it (sort of) so now this new show has it's right of passage, cool! BTW did anyone else see the drip of water off the front of the engine at 6:17 ??
As soon as they pulled the water pump off to change the heads I was thinking "those gaskets are done" and then I see the water dripping. For just testing on the dyno it's fine but hopefully they change those out before putting it into anything.
If I'm getting 1 inch of vacuum at idle on my smallblock but good vacuum while driving with no fluctuations at all, just extremely low vacuum at idle, what is the most common cause for that?
ArcticAstrophysics sounds to me you don't have the vacuum Guage hooked up to the correct place. There's ported and manifold vacuum ports on the carbeurator. Ported vaccum will give you a reading like that.
38 degrees of total timing. Compression worked out to 8.3:1 due to the dome-less factory pistons. In a street application, a dual-plane intake, such as Edelbrock's air-gap, would have benefited the combo with more low-end power/torque and only a slight hp penalty up top, as compared to a single plane.
Regardless of manifold that's a damn stout street engine, and the low compression is great because you can advance the timing enough to make good torque without worrying about detonation. Good old big block is hard to beat! 👍🏻 Any plans for a power adder?
Maybe I missed something like the whole point of this project. Why did you cut the motorhome up to get the engine out? What is the point Iif you're not going to put the motor back in the motorhome?
i would have liked to see a "sleeper" motorhome
I see what you did there...
What is this? Roadkill Lite?
I'll bite.
Freddy Romo yeah the camper would have been cool.
I like it, too short however.
I thought the same thing, but then i saw them catch the trans fluid in a drain pan instead of it running down the driveway.....must be enviro friendly roadkill
Freddy Romo road kill heavy.
The call for 87 octane gas was 100% ON POINT!! Great video!
I've been shooting for low 60sec quarter mile times. thank you!
Gotta love how vital Steve is to everything. If it weren't for him, a lot of stuff from Roadkill, Hot Rod Garage, House of Muscle, and this wouldn't exist and neither would Engine Masters.
Agreed. Brule 2020!
Titan11 Steve is brilliant and awesome but hot road productions got lucky costa.
They should have put the modified engine back in the RV. Too bad they wrecked it getting the engine out.
Those stock numbers are pretty impressive. I would have guessed more like 240hp with big low rpm torque.
Gerald G with all the accessories hooked up it might be closer to that...
Gerald G My old '89 Suburban made 230 bone stock and it was only a 350
I had a 1989 chevy 1500 with the 350 in it. 210 HP stock. the 350 that year made either 190 or 210.
Of course, it did always feel a tad more powerful than that. It did motivate that big truck. Extended cab long bed.
If only they built up the motorhome and raced it.
OH yeah they should have hotrodded the rv.
Ernie Tigers I thought that's what there going to do
53 years after its release, the Mark IV V8 continues to impress.
$3700 buys what as a crate engine? just outa curiosity....
Did he say 600 inches of lift
With a little craigslisting, you could theoretically build a badder bonemaro for around 5k. And thats badass!!
John Ulicky
The bonemarrow is just small parts and tuning away from 10 second quarter miles.
and way over budget, they were trying to go 10 seconds for ten grand, and i think they were near 12 grand and still not in the 10s.
THAT'S EXACTLY WHAT I HAVE IN MY 1966 CHEVELLE!! LOVE IT TO DEATH WITH 700R4 AND 355 GEARS IT LOVES THE ROAD,CITY AND HIGHWAY!! SMOOTH AS GLASS TOO!
I've never seen a 454 turn that fast. When it kept climbing after 5k, I was just sure we were going to get to see a rod. That was some impressive stuff.
WOW! 567 horsepower on 87 octane.
On 8.3:1 compression, no less. They had the heads off, it wouldn't have been much more work to go ahead and swap pistons out. 9.5:1 on the same HCI setup would probably be testing the limit of the stock rods.
Oh yeah, that is kick ass!! Now I can't wait to build my smogged down 74' 454 into something akin to this. Just need 4k.
A holley is alright alright alright, and all that jazz, but man a really well built , properly dialed in Quadrajet spread bore carb may have produced even better results. I know it would have sounded better for sure, memories of that Q-jet opening up on dad's chev pickup...that totally.distinctive Q-jet hooonk , just a hunkerin' down when you push the pedal to the metal and those huge secondary butterflies open up! Music to ears!!. Oh yeah!!
Should have put it back in the RV and did some quarter mile times!
I wanted to see a really fast motor home :3
You should put it back in the motor home and let it rip
to bad they destroyed the motor home. would been cool to see it do burnouts with all those ponys
I wish they would hot rod a TBI big block, nobody ever tries to do anything with them. I know you have to change over to a different ignition control system but it would be nice to see what they could get out of a gen V or VI big block.
330hp is way more than I thought for stock.
how much power does the accessory drive suck up?
halleffect1 The accessories and an exhaust might drop it 20hp unless it's a really restrictive exhaust.
Alot im sure, though a well running 454 certainly isn't anemic. I would not be surprised if that RV dynoed 250 WHP.
That was one of the biggest engines you could get but I bet it was still a dog in an RV that size.
Even the later Vortec 454 was never really a good RV engine. My parents had an 02 or 03 24 foot motorhome with the 454 and it was a pig. But if you can find a ratted-out old motorhome for cheap it's an easy way to get a big engine!
How come you guys get to drink beer on camera but Mike and Dave can't? Did they ruin it for themselves?
He said it didn't cost a ton of money I said $3,400 is a lot of money
The Motor Trend network. Single handedly keeping Westech busy.
I'll be honest here, I figured the top end kit with the new cam would never make the 480 lbft that the RV cam made. I also was NOT expecting a 200 HP increase from nothing more than heads, cam, intake manifold, and carb, but those engines were always choked down by the emissions laws and stock LONG exhaust, low compression heads, and the restrictive stock ports. I enjoyed this project.
impressive numbers for a stock mid 80,s 454 i was expecting like 260hp and 370tq
This video inspired me when I first saw it, cant wait to get my grandfathers RV and go even further: 540 C.I. forged internals, and then find something to put it in
if it made more power with lower octane, doesn't that mean the timing wasn't advanced enough on the higher octane fuel to make maximum power.
I was thinking either timing or any number of other variables that can cause slight variations on the dyno. I think their point was to prove that they didn't lose any power, those engines had such low compression that even with the new heads you can run cheap gas.
Just a low compression engine.
2:30 MAGA
here i thought it was going to stay in rv to start with... been more exciting.
reminds me of general mayhem episode of roadkill badass
That's still my favorite episode, that was actually the episode that got me into Roadkill.
What comes to mind.
1. I always wondered why people don't degrease and clean an engine Before they start to work on it.
2. No mention of headers on a RV engine?
3. Did they take the high octane gas out of the carb bowls before the started the engine?
4. What you can do when money is no object.
5. No compression test before starting work?
1. I'm guessing it was more about time and lack of give-a-damn, just throw it on the dyno because you're about to replace half of the engine anyways.
2. They were talking about how it had decent headers, albeit a bit small. Judging by the heat wrap on them I'd say those were not factory.
3. Even if they didn't the bowls only hold enough fuel for a few seconds of running, they bring the engine up to temperature before doing a dyno pull so all of that fuel had been burned off.
4. I was also a bit shocked by the price, I feel like you could get 400-450 out of a junkyard 5.3 or 6.0 for half the price and not have to buy a motorhome (the one in the video was free, but the rest of us would have to buy the motorhome and THEN dump $4k into a potentially tired old engine.
5. Going back to point #1, I bet it was more time and motivation than anything. As they say, "send it!"
Now stick it back in the RV
Didn't know heads and cam were 'bolt on' parts
juicebox853 they are bolt on... no machine work needed. anyone that can turn a wrench can do this.
As soon as I saw the power gains they were getting and what it came out of I knew it was heads, cam, and intake. Not bolt on in the sense of a cold air intake or a catback exhaust but on an old Chevy V8 this isn't much more difficult than a CAI install.
juicebox853 now you do
Could of got more torque with dual plane intake which would equal more tire destruction
how much duct tape and zip ties did it take to put it back together?
Great vid. I could watch EngineMasters type vids all day long
Part 2, Put it back?
Dont think I will be spinning the 454 in my ol travelmaster to 6500 anytime soon.
Those new parts cost more than my car!
Never in a million years would I think I'd see a Sleeping With Sirens shirt on here
I thought the motor was staying in the rv...... 😂
damn I was hoping to see ya build it and put it back in the motor home , 500+ hp motor home would be funny yet bad ass!!
Are you going to show what it did in the truck?
already love this more than engine masters...no ams oil ad no permatex ad...love it
Lower octane fuel made more power then higher octane. .. lol
I don't know what this is, but I am definitely intrigued... would love to see some more
More of this please.
Maybe 15-20 minutes showing more of the work :)
Great video but at the same time getting tired of seeing programs throw huge money top end kits at junk bottom ends. At the point of almost $4k in the top end the guy that’s building it would for sure get the bottom end freshened up. I’d really like to see them pull the stock heads and do a at home port job to them throw in a lumpy cam good intake and carb and try it out.
More HP on 87 than 91 means there is more timing left on the 91- the tune on 91 wasn't optimized.
Now that was cool. 230 hp by an upper end swap on a 40 year old bone stock engine? I'd say that's an improvement. Next episode? Turbo 4.9L build out of the Trans-Am.
At first I thought they were going to dyno the motor home (chassis dyno)! lol
Steve would have killed us!
I wonder will that fit in a 68 impala (454 from a motor home)?
Next time try a boom threw the drivers door. I pulled a 454 with the transmission threw the drivers door. Small bit of cutting on the floor but nothing that couldn't be put right back in with ease.
WAY easier than threw the front!!!!!
That's actually pretty good power for stock
Wow very cool, I'll have to find me one of those race RVs
That was impressive improvements! I'm looking to gain more HP/TQ in my 1990 454SS, will this set up be just as easy of a bolt-on?
Sweet and simple with damn nice results!
I've literally always wanted to do this, but a 12v cummins van then put slicks on as a full blown sleeper and race it at roadkill nights🤘🏼
I mean with the engine still in the RV lol I guess that makes it a DRV or drag racing vehicle
Did you see the live footage on FB a while back from the last zip tie drags? There was a super fast diesel bread truck, and if i remember right, it made it into the hooptie challenge.
I like this, feels sorta like the early RK episodes.
This could have been an Engine Masters episode. In the spot and already have one Steve wearing the right shirt! :D
Now I know what to do with my old RV.
But can the kit even fit the engine inside the motorhome though?
Great video. Chevy big blocks are a great engine
Did you take some timing out of it when you switched to 87, or run the same?
The question is do they make this type of kit for the 440?
Yes. Trick Flow makes a top end kit for 440's. TFS-K616-620-576
620 hp. and 576 lbs. of torque using a 446 c.i.d with flat top pistons, 10.5:1 compression with a 950 cfm. carb
Craig Haynes And 440source.com will sell you a GIGANTIC stroker kit to make big cubes and big power
It would have been far cooler if the engine didnt destroy the motorhome coming out and then went back in.
I want to see what can be done with peanuts and a half gallon of epoxy.
Makes me want an old chevy SS454 pickup
4:44 "600 inches of lift" that's a big cam
they should have taken the R V on a thrash test first ?
How is it the original engine builder left that much power on the table? Such a large vehicle you would think they would have squeezed every horse/ci out of it.
Makes me think we should A whole new racing series, Hot Rod and tuned mobile home racing. Now there you get some action. How about Figure 8 racing with motor homes?
There is a whole new class of racing. lol
I dunno what this sleek version of roadkill is, but I love it!
i was really hoping to see them chassie dyno a motor home
classy removal
why not just use dynamite ..?
Dang id live in that motor home just even up the front make a covered porch
Nice episode guys very informative thanks
I guess it's true what the guys on Roadkill said about old motorhomes for good engines, Roadkill did it, Dirt Everyday did it (sort of) so now this new show has it's right of passage, cool!
BTW did anyone else see the drip of water off the front of the engine at 6:17 ??
As soon as they pulled the water pump off to change the heads I was thinking "those gaskets are done" and then I see the water dripping. For just testing on the dyno it's fine but hopefully they change those out before putting it into anything.
Wonder if all the shops removed engines like that.
Lmao
Really wanted to see some 560HP motor home thrashing
Imagine upgrading a Workhorse chassis with the 8.1L!
Brule got his hair cut....what !?!!😎
If I'm getting 1 inch of vacuum at idle on my smallblock but good vacuum while driving with no fluctuations at all, just extremely low vacuum at idle, what is the most common cause for that?
ArcticAstrophysics sounds to me you don't have the vacuum Guage hooked up to the correct place. There's ported and manifold vacuum ports on the carbeurator. Ported vaccum will give you a reading like that.
Impressive, how much compression with the trick flow heads? How much timing on 87 octane? Why not an rpm air gap?
38 degrees of total timing. Compression worked out to 8.3:1 due to the dome-less factory pistons. In a street application, a dual-plane intake, such as Edelbrock's air-gap, would have benefited the combo with more low-end power/torque and only a slight hp penalty up top, as compared to a single plane.
Regardless of manifold that's a damn stout street engine, and the low compression is great because you can advance the timing enough to make good torque without worrying about detonation. Good old big block is hard to beat! 👍🏻 Any plans for a power adder?
Shad Watson, Agreed! 👍🏻
I'd like to see you guys do up a ford E250 with a 351 windsor efi
That was awesome!!!
Even though i scored my twin axle 85 ElDorado President 40 footer for free, there would be no way i would cut it up for parts...
Solid lifters soon ? Deserve it
I wanna see 4.3 vortec next
Deja Vu
I've just been in this place before...
Killer street motor 👍
Great video, more of this! :D
now throw it back in the camper and take it to the quater mile : )
Maybe I missed something like the whole point of this project. Why did you cut the motorhome up to get the engine out? What is the point Iif you're not going to put the motor back in the motorhome?
Everyone that says put it back in moter home is a keyboard mechanic moterhomes are near impossible to work on the body's were built around the engine
He said 600 inches of lift 😂
I love this kind of stuff. Goofy projects just because, well more "just because" than road kill
Should have gone with a Banks system.