A friend had a 1966 Corvette with 427 425hp solid lifter high compression engine with a 4 barrel carb. 1967 triple carb was 435 hp. The 425 hp engines had some valve problems and on the second factory replacement engine under warranty they gave him an L 88 replacement short block or complete engine.A very good engine builder combined the L 88 and the 425 hp 427 into a drivable street engine. At 125 mph cruising flooring it would push you back into the seat pretty hard.. 56 years later the same guy recently took delivery of a new 670 hp C8 Corvette which replaced his 638 hp C6. AND his 812 Ferrari replaced his 730 Ferrari ! Also the same beautiful wife for over 50 years.
Had a 69 vette with a L71(435 HP Tri Power] with 3;08 gears, used to call it a Bonnerville Salt Flat Car,.3000 rpm 80mph, 4500 rpm 120 mph, 5000 rpm sitting right on 130 mph, she'll pulled to 6200 ,but never looked at the speedo at that speed.
Not sure what video of your series has been more informative to this point, but I can definitely tell you that I have re-watched every one of them ! Gaining more inflammation every time, thought I had known more than most when it came to engine history, but amazingly, I had quite a bit more to learn, and honestly, about every single Mfr. to this point. Planning on purchasing your engine rebuild series as Christmas gifts for my two 14 year old young gentlemen who work part-time for us, and they are both hungry for as much engine knowledge as possible ! Thanks again ! Can't tell you how much your series has given me in my own knowledge base !
The funny thing about engine HP ratings. Nowhere does a manufacturer claim that the rated Hp was its maximum hp. They didn’t lie, they simply rated them at an rpm which had the rating they wanted. Which could easily be exceeded and get to the maximum Hp
Very nice job on the video. Thanks for sharing. I am about to start a '69 390 Horsepower. Original engine in a Corvette. Excited about this build. Have a great day. Take care, Ed.
The 366 was never a car or pickup engine. Strictly a medium series truck. It was known as a tall deck block, as was a second version of the 427. One thing was the crank bore to cam bore centerline was more. Pistons were different, and I think the rods were too. Originally only the car version of the 427 was known as the Rat.
THE 366. HAS PROBLEMS......DWELL TIME IS TOO LONG... THEY GAVE IT FOUR RINGS......AND THE CONNECTING ROD WENT FROM ....A5.7 TYPICAL CHEVY ROD TO A6.135 LENGTH... BETWEEN. ITS LONG ROD. LONG STROKE SMALL BORE.... IT SPENT A LONG TIME AT TOP DEAD CENTER... DETONATION. WAS A PROBLEM.......WHY THEY DID THIS WAS TO MAKE A VERY LOW RPM TORQUE. MONSTER......BLOWING OUT PISTON TOPS WAS A RESULT........HAD A FRIEND....WHOS DEAD...BUT HE HAD 5. IR 6. OF THEM....HE USED THEM IN HIS FORD TOW TRUCKS.... HE SWORE BY THE COMBO.
Well done. Yet another great video. In 1969 there were 50 Camaros and 2 Corvettes that were factory ZL-1 aluminum 427's. There were also a very limited number of "Super" L-88 427 Iron block with the aluminum ZL-1 heads - crate motors. There was also an all aluminum LS-7 454. Race only well north of 600HP. Was in a Maclaran Can-Am series car. If memory serves (and they say that is the second thing to fail an old man) held the lap record at Laguna Seca (early short track) for many years: Where I saw Kenny Roberts race his Yamaha TZ-750-4 - at the Champion spark plug twin 200 in 1980
Very interesting indeed! Never knew about the 366 truck/bus engine. I really appreciate your explanation about how and why the 402 came about as well... I have been trying to figure this out for some time now!
Awesome series. There are things I didn't know and I have been into cars and engines since middle school in the 80's. I am about 50. So very informative. Don't forget us Chrysler guys.
Like with the Pontiac, like I argued with the guy behind the counter at schuck's auto supply years ago, I need a Pontiac head gasket. He asked what year I told him Pontiac v-8 head gasket 62-74 all including the 194 four cylinder. He asked what type of car I said obviously Pontiac, he asked what year and what model I told him 1966 Pontiac GTO so he asked automatic or standard. I told him all I need is the head, so I told him four speed, and he said what cubic inch engine. I told him it doesn't matter it's all the same head gasket. Cut the engine in half and get the 4 banger is the same head gasket. So I told him 455, and he looks in his book a little bit more and tells me the GTO didn't come with the 455 in 1966. I tell him no s*** it came with389 cubic
@@mudduck754 Often the person at the parts counter will ask for every piece of information about your car, whether it makes a difference or not. In addition, could you really expect the guy at the counter to know various trivia about certain cars?
My buddy's grandfather has a numbers matching 62 SS Impala, 409 with dual quads and a 4 speed. It was originally used for hauling moonshine from the mountains. He's had it since the late 70s and has only driven it 20k miles in 40 years. He's had some insane 6 digit offers for it but he won't sell it lol
I was really wanting to hear about the story behind the development of the 496 cu.in./ 8.1 liter Vortec motor used in trucks. I have 2 GMT 800 trucks with these motors. And the are solidly my favorite GM truck engine.
Really good info one thong I'd like to say is the early 1965-1966 396 cid engines used the same castings as the 427 of that era and in most cases Can be bored to that size,sonic tested tho.
I'm really enjoying these history videos, great content!! I've got a choice right now between rebuilding a Mark IV 2-bolt main 454 from a '79 motor home (65k miles) and swapping the original 236 peanut port heads with a set of 781 overall port heads, or pulling a Gen VI 454 from a donor '96 K3500 dually (186k miles) and converting it to a carb. Which do you think would be more cost effective to make 450hp/500tq with? Planning on putting the big block into a '78 Chevy K30 in front of an NV4500.
gen 6 all the way. A stock gen 6 with a cam will make 430 flywheel HP. It also has factory roller cam, more efficient combustion chambers and an updated oiling system in the block. All gen6 are 4 bolt mains.
You delivered my friend. This is where I was ignorant. I only knew of the 427 and 455. No idea the W block’s existed. I think low displacement big blocks are interesting.
The ZL1 was NOT just a crate engine. While limited, it was produced in two vehicles. There were two Corvettes produced and I believe around 69 Camaros.
@@Myvintageiron7512 WRONG! They most definately WERE available if you had the money(the Camaros). Of the two Corvettes produced, the only one know to still exist is the yellow one. Roger Judski in Florida has(had) it.(unless he sold it).
The 8.1 4.25 b × 4.375 s was used in trucks at about 340 hp and the marine versions were about 375 hp with a cast crank and about 425 hp with a forged crank. They were also tall blocks with 4 bolt mains on all 5 caps. The blocks are very strong.
@@q8mechanic427 The 8.1 (496) is a tall block 4.25 × 4.375 , The original 427 tall blocks were truck engines . The tall blocks could be stroked to 482 or more. The 396,402,427,454 car engines were the lower deck height. The 502 (8.2) is the largest Low deck, never factory installed in a production auto, 4.47 × 4.00. The 540 ,572and the 632 are tall blocks. Tall blocks have a deck height of 10.2 " and the low blocks have a deck height of 9.8".
I’m building my first big block Chevy, one thing I’ve learned so far, big block Chevys take big blocks of cash! Lol. I’m hoping/figuring once it’s all said and done, the reason they’re expensive is because they will make the power.
I've always wanted a car with a big block. I love torque! I'd love to have a 454 to put in my 1996 Buick Roadmaster sedan. Even better if I could afford a Buick 455. But any big block would be awesome. If I was rich I would buy a crate engine
Prices on all this old stuff has come way down. I was at the Springfield Swap Meet (Ohio) this spring. A 1972 455 was for sale for only $600. He had a set of stage 1 heads and a ST400 to go with it as well. Under $2,000 total for the package if I recall.
366 396 and 427 had same stroke but all the crankshafts were different all had different size counterweights the are not interchangeable without balancing
MORE PONTIAC STUFF PLEASE ! H.O. AND HD ! LARGE JOURNAL SMALL JOURNAL CRANK EXPLANATIONS. 389,400,421,428 AND 455 ! AFTERMARKET HEADS AND BLOCKS ! NOTHING BEATS YOUR ENGINE SERIES !
You missed the 496 (8.1L)......well you brought it up as a afterthought after the crate engines. It was produced after 2001. Not sure how long although I know it wasn't many years. Any, everything else was very informative. Thanks!
And, 366 blocks had 4 bolt main caps. I have two sets of those main caps. I bought a 2 bolt 454 block thats missing the first main cap. I plan to drill and tap that block for a set of 4 bolt caps then have it line bored to match the crank bores up. Cheap 4 bolt conversion
You left out the last of the production big blocks the 8.1L, also forgot to mention the 366 was a tall deck block and they mad a 427 version as well other than that great video always learn something new watching them Ps you also forgot to mention the 409 was so great they wrote a song about it
l I asked Arnie farmer once when a kid y he had a Chevy BB in his car n he taught me the history of guy over gm hating Pontiac n loving Chevy sending his son to make Chevy 1 again. He then took delorian to Chevy who had a hand in the new build of a Pontiac motor. He took with him the motor todays bb Chevy n Pontiac only had a little money left so just updated the motor it already had.
You really need to do a video about LS engines next. Just to play "Devil's Advocate" for a minute.... Form an engineering standpoint, it makes more sense to make V10's and V12's after you reach the limits of a small block displacement. You get a smoother running engine AND a reduction of need for specialized parts that comes with making Big Blocks. The downside is the larger size of the engine itself AND specialized versions of transmissions; But you have to come up with different transmissions anyway (for big blocks). So it's really a case of "damned if you do, damned if you don't".
the 366 and 427T were the only tall deck engines they were a good engine but the shorter deck made just as much power and alot cheaper to build pro stock engines use a short deck block not a BBC of course it's an aluminum billet engine block but they discovered a shorted deck block was more rigid for big power builds
The factory uses the tall deck to fit a taller piston with an exta ring. This improves sealing and makes for a more stable piston in the bore. Racers began using it back in the day to fit long rods and stroker cranks to get more power.
Did I miss the ZL1 engine in the '95 Vette? This is noteworthy because it was indeed a 350-based small block but with Lotus-designed DOHC cams/4valve engine (the only one ever in a chevy small block). GM couldn't do the casting and building, so this was subbed out to Mercury Marine to cast the heads and assemble these blocks for Corvette. Even though GM stopped manufacturing the small block in 2002 as you mentioned, Mercury is still making marine versions of these engines in crate format for marine repower applications. This is thru Mercury's Quicksilver parts division. Apparently, these blocks are cast by Mercury and are much improved over the originals, with any weak areas addressed and also clearanced for stroker applications, which by the way, you can also get a Mercury stroker engine (377 or 6.2L) brand new as a crate engine, again for marine applications but would make a great automotive engine.
Mercury just released a 409 ci replacement engine for pre catalytic marine engines. The photo suggests a sbc. 4.03 b ×4.00 s rated at 400hp @ 5800 rpm. I think that is a high rpm for a 4.00" stroke engine.Maybe they are making their own version of a sbc. Can a genuine Chevy block be clearanced to fit a 4.00 " stroke? Did Mercury ever make any cast iron engines. Their expertise is die-cast aluminum. I wonder if they are buying an aftermarket block for the new "409 Mercruiser". They are advertising it as 150 lbs lighter then a 454 that it can replace.
19:37 Wait.....Hold it..... You're telling me they made a 2 barrel carb for a Big Block ??? That Beastie must have some HUGE venturi bore. I mean about the size of a secondary for a Quadrajet !! I would love to see one or at least a picture of it.
I always thought the normal big block engines were adaptions of the 'Mystery Motor' with some of the difficult features left out to make it more producible and reduce cost. Am I wrong?
I have a 366 it has gear to gear timing no timing chain under the flywheel molded in the block it has hi perf pass trk any idea what this all means firing order is the same as one with a timing chain you just wire the cap in the other direction came out of a 1966 chevy c60 big truck
Have you ever researched what 5.7 block and heads a 2002 Gmc Savanah or Chevy Express has? They kept making the 5.7 until 03, i think. From what I've found, the bell housing and starter bolts have different threads. I'm not sure if they are even an 880 block.
Nope and nope, Both wrong. ZL-1s were an option on 1969 L-88s “Special Alloy Racing Block” This added $3000 to the cost of the car which was around $5-6000. They installed them into five Corvettes. Three of these cars were brought back in for milder engine replacements. The cam timing was only a few degrees less than the full competition Can-Am racing engines. 50 or so went into Copo Camaros. There.
@carterlee8344 According to a Corvette poster from Chevrolet, there were only 2 known to have been factory installed in a Corvette. Idk about a Camaro, but there were 2 known to have been installed in a Corvette.
@@Headbanger427 two Corvettes were built, the white car was used for racing , the yellow car wa sold at a dealership to a guy that blew it up street racing the first night . There were 69 ZL1 Camaros built and sold to the public if they had $7200.00 to spend on one .
i would like u to do a LS history because everyone thinks it was a bbc 454 and i know for a fact that it was a small block which came out in 1970 and it was sold as a crate engine only but for 212 ls 6 in a 70 chevelle but they also interduce a ho 454 bbc the same time i have 4 of them in my shop
ps if u read upon the mark 4 series it even says they changed the angle of pistons and pushrods which means a new block back in 75 i use to run a ls 6 454 small block at the strip and at the ls website says they never built a bbc because they all were made by gm racing division which was started by Leslie Snoboski hint LS which never worked for chevy he start the gm racing division all ls engines were made by them ls is a gm engine not a chevy this is y u can get them in a firebird now days in 84 they upgraded them with sensor ports they had cast iron block and aluminum blocks but dropped the cast iron blocks in 84 when they upgraded them they were only sold as a crate engine till 94 but for 212 in a chevelle and 6 with the ls 7 427
I sincerely hope that nobody that reads this is as ignorant of the truth as you are . Having been a teenager in 1970 , I can verify that the LS5 and LS6 engines were production engines in Chevelles , Monte Carlos, El Caminos and Corvettes , and that they were 454 big blocks .
@@bobbrinkerhoff3592 the ls 6 only came in a 70 chevelle everyone knows this but the ho 454 in 71 was a optional engine. it is well known that the ls only came in the 70 chevelle as a small block LS block i have seen a real one . the ho 454 has 450 hp at 485 torque 10.5 to 1 compression with a 4 inch stroke with high flow heads steel crank heavy rods but after 1970 u could only get a LS as a crate engine and LS is a GM engine designed by Leslie Snobosky which started the GM racing division in 1970 . if u read up on the mark 4 series it even says they change the angle of the pistons and push rods for the block line . if it was a bbc then how would the intake be changeable with a different angle on the pistons . in 1970 they interduce 2 different 454's one a bbc and the other a LS 6 454 this is y so many people are confused plus most people thought it was a bb but LS has never built a BB in history and GM would never call too total different engines the same thing u would have to be a idiot to think that
I believe you. I had the 402 smogger engine in a 70 chevelle SS. JOKE engine. Gutless gas hog. Constantly breaking valve springs. Absolute piece of trash. Any old 396 or Chrysler 383 would walk all over it. Rated at 350 hp. Didn’t have 300 hp. One thing it did have was high car insurance.
yes Agreed he is one of my go to experts many people have a hard time listening to him because he talks very slow and monotone, but he is definitely one of the greatest performance minds there is
Chevy had a all new line up for 70.. the 402.454 and the 400 small block.... he forgot the tall deck 427 truck block... and 68 went to the large journal crank shaft for the small block.
No they didn't. The Z11 had the stock 409s bore of 4.3125 with a stroke of 3.650 . The Mystery Motor was the same as the Gen four 427 at 4.250 for the bore and a stroke of 3.760 . The 409s had a bore of 4.3125 and a stroke of 3.500 . Some of us are not only old enough to remember when these engines came out , but also have the magazine articles from back in the day that detailed the differences .
Hi, my name is James. I am a Ford men I have been told the hottest car back in 1955. Is the Buick century with a nail head engine 322? Can you Research for me in, talk about it.
Chrysler had the 300 series first year in 1955 354 C I 300 hp hemi. The Buick Century got its name because a straight 8 Buick in the 1940's would do A 100 mph or a Century !
@@bobbrinkerhoff3592 check again, I had a friend with 2 of them 1 was documented #,s matching and had a hydraulic Cam, unless I'm remembering wrong and that's possible.
@@davidreed6070 no need to . The 1965 Z16 Chevelle, of which they only built 201 of , were powered by a hydraulic cammed 396 , rated at 375 hp . The Corvette version which was rated at 425 hp had a solid lifter cam . The Z16s only came in red , yellow or black and for reasons unknown didn't offer a positraction option , gearing was 3.31 .
Didn't they build a 496 in a pickup truck my friend has an early 2000 pickup truck he ordered brand new and he says it has a 496 in it and on the grill that has the leaders on it and it's bigger than my 454
Yes they did build a factory 496CI 8.1L engine that is a different block from the 454. Author did not mention this series. Only in production about 5 years from 2001. Available in pickups, suburbans, HD truck bodies and motorhomes. Expensive to hotrod these scarce motors as few parts are available. Dart and Raylar sell some go fast parts for them.
My 1961 Chevrolet Impala super sport convertible came with the 409 two four barrels stock ACDelco dual-point distributor, 4-speed and posi rear end. Not only was it cool to Cruise in, it would get up and jump if it needed to, and come off the line rather nice, it had no problem lighting up the rear tires. And I bought it because it was sitting in a field for many years for $125. White with white top red and white interior. I did off frame restoration and replacing the rear quarter panels with NOS parts that were in the storage shed of an old wrecking yard, it was the old looking at these quarter panels hanging up on a wall in this old storage shed,wait a second I know that part I need that Part, is there the other side? Woohoo score. Two brand new never put in place on an automobile 1961 Chevy rear quarter panels, grey primer, I replaced the the floor pans, had the int🎉interior redone new top since it was all there just needed replaced, okay so the drivers wing window was out of a 62, had the body work done had it out in the carport sanding it prepping it to paint and I came home from work one day and it was gone.
Was going to say that until I saw your reply,my 1st plated car was 58 i mpala w 348 3x2. Ran better on center carb alone. At 16, not much knowledge of cars.looking back it, needed a clutch & carb cleaned
yep we are working on the Chrysler V8 history videos right now what's really interesting about Chrysler is they made their big blocks first and the small blocks came later.
I had a 632 in my dragster, all aluminum, 12* heads. It made 1340 hp @7500 rpm. It was a monster.
A friend had a 1966 Corvette with 427 425hp solid lifter high compression engine with a 4 barrel carb. 1967 triple carb was 435 hp. The 425 hp engines had some valve problems and on the second factory replacement engine under warranty they gave him an L 88 replacement short block or complete engine.A very good engine builder combined the L 88 and the 425 hp 427 into a drivable street engine. At 125 mph cruising flooring it would push you back into the seat pretty hard.. 56 years later the same guy recently took delivery of a new 670 hp C8
Corvette which replaced his 638 hp
C6. AND his 812 Ferrari replaced his 730 Ferrari ! Also the same beautiful wife for over 50 years.
Yes when they put that 427 in a Corvette many people smashed them up they were too much car for an average driver and people could not handle them.
@@maxpuppy96 Not much tire to hold all that power
I still have a L88 short block crate engine with a casting date in 1973.
@@noahdunaway What are you going to do with it?
Had a 69 vette with a L71(435 HP Tri Power] with 3;08 gears, used to call it a Bonnerville Salt Flat Car,.3000 rpm 80mph, 4500 rpm 120 mph, 5000 rpm sitting right on 130 mph, she'll pulled to 6200 ,but never looked at the speedo at that speed.
👍🏾👍🏾👍🏾👍🏾👍🏾 I had a ‘73 454 from ‘79 - ‘93. It was underwhelming but strong. I hope to get another one, one day. This time it won’t be underwhelming.
Nice History on Big Block love it
Not sure what video of your series has been more informative to this point, but I can definitely tell you that I have re-watched every one of them !
Gaining more inflammation every time, thought I had known more than most when it came to engine history, but amazingly, I had quite a bit more to learn, and honestly, about every single Mfr. to this point.
Planning on purchasing your engine rebuild series as Christmas gifts for my two
14 year old young gentlemen who work part-time for us, and they are both hungry for as much engine knowledge as possible !
Thanks again !
Can't tell you how much your series has given me in my own knowledge base !
The funny thing about engine HP ratings. Nowhere does a manufacturer claim that the rated Hp was its maximum hp. They didn’t lie, they simply rated them at an rpm which had the rating they wanted. Which could easily be exceeded and get to the maximum Hp
Well???? Is mopar next?? Love this content!! Thank you
Yes we are working on Chrysler videos ,
the Mopar history is a huge subject probably Gona be 3 videos.
thank you for your series on big block engines. really enjoying the videos
Very nice job on the video.
Thanks for sharing.
I am about to start a '69 390 Horsepower.
Original engine in a Corvette.
Excited about this build.
Have a great day.
Take care, Ed.
The L2300 piston and the closed chamber oval port heads. They made good power, I've built several of them
Good luck!
The 366 was never a car or pickup engine. Strictly a medium series truck. It was known as a tall deck block, as was a second version of the 427. One thing was the crank bore to cam bore centerline was more. Pistons were different, and I think the rods were too. Originally only the car version of the 427 was known as the Rat.
Only thing different is the deck is .400 taller
@@racer44x And the 366 427 truck engines had 4 rings per cylinder.
I used their rods because they were stronger. More metal around the beam
Yep my 84 Chevy dump truck has the og 366. Good little motor
THE 366. HAS PROBLEMS......DWELL
TIME IS TOO LONG...
THEY GAVE IT FOUR RINGS......AND THE CONNECTING ROD WENT FROM ....A5.7
TYPICAL CHEVY ROD
TO A6.135 LENGTH...
BETWEEN. ITS LONG ROD. LONG STROKE
SMALL BORE.... IT SPENT A LONG TIME AT TOP DEAD CENTER...
DETONATION. WAS A PROBLEM.......WHY THEY DID THIS WAS TO MAKE A VERY LOW RPM TORQUE. MONSTER......BLOWING
OUT PISTON TOPS WAS A RESULT........HAD A FRIEND....WHOS DEAD...BUT HE HAD 5. IR 6. OF THEM....HE USED THEM IN HIS FORD TOW TRUCKS....
HE SWORE BY THE COMBO.
Well done. Yet another great video.
In 1969 there were 50 Camaros and 2 Corvettes that were factory ZL-1 aluminum 427's. There were also a very limited number of "Super" L-88 427 Iron block with the aluminum ZL-1 heads - crate motors. There was also an all aluminum LS-7 454. Race only well north of 600HP. Was in a Maclaran Can-Am series car. If memory serves (and they say that is the second thing to fail an old man) held the lap record at Laguna Seca (early short track) for many years: Where I saw Kenny Roberts race his Yamaha TZ-750-4 - at the Champion spark plug twin 200 in 1980
Awesome this is what I wanted to see ❤❤❤ very nice video Thanks for all greatest videos we appreciate it. Be safe ❤❤❤❤
Rode to high school in freinds 69 SS 396/375HP Nova. That cars was fast.
Man you know your shit ! Thanks for breaking it all down simple and quick. Fantastic Job and thanks for all your hard work. Well done
THX
Very interesting indeed! Never knew about the 366 truck/bus engine. I really appreciate your explanation about how and why the 402 came about as well... I have been trying to figure this out for some time now!
The Chevy 366 is tall block.
At our shop I installed the 454 HO Corvette cam in all the farm hay trucks and the farmers love them.
Awesome series. There are things I didn't know and I have been into cars and engines since middle school in the 80's. I am about 50. So very informative. Don't forget us Chrysler guys.
We are working on the Chrysler/ Dodge video stay tuned
Like with the Pontiac, like I argued with the guy behind the counter at schuck's auto supply years ago, I need a Pontiac head gasket. He asked what year I told him Pontiac v-8 head gasket 62-74 all including the 194 four cylinder. He asked what type of car I said obviously Pontiac, he asked what year and what model I told him 1966 Pontiac GTO so he asked automatic or standard. I told him all I need is the head, so I told him four speed, and he said what cubic inch engine. I told him it doesn't matter it's all the same head gasket. Cut the engine in half and get the 4 banger is the same head gasket. So I told him 455, and he looks in his book a little bit more and tells me the GTO didn't come with the 455 in 1966. I tell him no s*** it came with389 cubic
@@mudduck754 Often the person at the parts counter will ask for every piece of information about your car, whether it makes a difference or not. In addition, could you really expect the guy at the counter to know various trivia about certain cars?
My buddy's grandfather has a numbers matching 62 SS Impala, 409 with dual quads and a 4 speed. It was originally used for hauling moonshine from the mountains. He's had it since the late 70s and has only driven it 20k miles in 40 years. He's had some insane 6 digit offers for it but he won't sell it lol
She's real fine my 409!
I was really wanting to hear about the story behind the development of the 496 cu.in./ 8.1 liter Vortec motor used in trucks. I have 2 GMT 800 trucks with these motors. And the are solidly my favorite GM truck engine.
Really good info one thong I'd like to say is the early 1965-1966 396 cid engines used the same castings as the 427 of that era and in most cases Can be bored to that size,sonic tested tho.
I'm really enjoying these history videos, great content!!
I've got a choice right now between rebuilding a Mark IV 2-bolt main 454 from a '79 motor home (65k miles) and swapping the original 236 peanut port heads with a set of 781 overall port heads, or pulling a Gen VI 454 from a donor '96 K3500 dually (186k miles) and converting it to a carb. Which do you think would be more cost effective to make 450hp/500tq with? Planning on putting the big block into a '78 Chevy K30 in front of an NV4500.
gen 6 all the way. A stock gen 6 with a cam will make 430 flywheel HP. It also has factory roller cam, more efficient combustion chambers and an updated oiling system in the block. All gen6 are 4 bolt mains.
Wow he's on point on lots of his information. Awesome video. 😮
Great video keep them coming
More to come!
This was a very informative video. Thank you very much.
Glad you enjoyed it!
Excellent video!
Glad you liked it!
GREAT VIDEOS!!!!!
Great Videos !!! You didn’t mention the LS7 454 Crate engine.
Thank you sir for the info!
You bet!
Excellent presentaion you have a unique style. Powerfull.....
Thank you kindly!
You delivered my friend. This is where I was ignorant. I only knew of the 427 and 455. No idea the W block’s existed. I think low displacement big blocks are interesting.
great informative serie,s ,cheers from the netherlands
The ZL1 was NOT just a crate engine. While limited, it was produced in two vehicles. There were two Corvettes produced and I believe around 69 Camaros.
those were one off's not production cars available for the public
@@Myvintageiron7512 WRONG! They most definately WERE available if you had the money(the Camaros). Of the two Corvettes produced, the only one know to still exist is the yellow one. Roger Judski in Florida has(had) it.(unless he sold it).
The 8.1 4.25 b × 4.375 s was used in trucks at about 340 hp and the marine versions were about 375 hp with a cast crank and about 425 hp with a forged crank. They were also tall blocks with 4 bolt mains on all 5 caps. The blocks are very strong.
yea 8.1 is a big block but very different engine
the 8.1 does not really belong in a conversation with the other big blocks
@@Myvintageiron7512 will the 8.1 crank swap to the gen 5 and 6 engines, I've heard it will.
@@q8mechanic427 The 8.1 (496) is a tall block 4.25 × 4.375 , The original 427 tall blocks were truck engines . The tall blocks could be stroked to 482 or more. The 396,402,427,454 car engines were the lower
deck height. The 502 (8.2) is the largest
Low deck, never factory installed in a production auto, 4.47 × 4.00. The 540 ,572and the 632 are tall blocks. Tall blocks
have a deck height of 10.2 " and the low blocks have a deck height of 9.8".
@@q8mechanic427 no
Excellent!
Glad you liked it!
My grandpa owns a numbers matching 1962 409 BelAir "Bubbletop" Sport Coupe. Completely badass car. Showroom quality and he's not afraid to beat on it!
Beach Boys did a song about the 409 because it was so popular
Good information 👍 😊
Thanks for liking
Still in Cambodia. Must be doing some handy work. With a drill on the bench.
Awesome video very informative
Glad you liked it
I’m building my first big block Chevy, one thing I’ve learned so far, big block Chevys take big blocks of cash! Lol. I’m hoping/figuring once it’s all said and done, the reason they’re expensive is because they will make the power.
Best Big Block engine barre none!
I've always wanted a car with a big block. I love torque! I'd love to have a 454 to put in my 1996 Buick Roadmaster sedan. Even better if I could afford a Buick 455. But any big block would be awesome. If I was rich I would buy a crate engine
Prices on all this old stuff has come way down. I was at the Springfield Swap Meet (Ohio) this spring. A 1972 455 was for sale for only $600. He had a set of stage 1 heads and a ST400 to go with it as well. Under $2,000 total for the package if I recall.
Hey will the main caps from the 366 fit a 2bolt 454 and make it a 4 bolt main
366 396 and 427 had same stroke but all the crankshafts were different all had different size counterweights the are not interchangeable without balancing
A lot of info,, but well thought out and put together,, does the black pickup still do burnouts? :)
im sure it does but I sold it
I tell ya, you always have the best, oddest thumbnails. 😊
Friend is running a 348 in a 56 Cameo also has a feb 65 409 sitting around
MORE PONTIAC STUFF PLEASE ! H.O. AND HD ! LARGE JOURNAL SMALL JOURNAL CRANK EXPLANATIONS. 389,400,421,428 AND 455 ! AFTERMARKET HEADS AND BLOCKS !
NOTHING BEATS YOUR ENGINE SERIES !
neighbor had a monte carlo, 1970 I believe with a 402.. not sure if it was a stand alone casting or a bored and stroked 350..
Awesome series
THX!
Do u have any information on the early Spread port pro stock heads. I have a set i am putting on a 632 na.
Thanks
The W engines were great in both 348 and 409 versions!
You missed the 496 (8.1L)......well you brought it up as a afterthought after the crate engines. It was produced after 2001. Not sure how long although I know it wasn't many years. Any, everything else was very informative. Thanks!
Small block Chevy=little boat anchor.
Big block Chevy=Yacht anchor
And, 366 blocks had 4 bolt main caps. I have two sets of those main caps. I bought a 2 bolt 454 block thats missing the first main cap. I plan to drill and tap that block for a set of 4 bolt caps then have it line bored to match the crank bores up. Cheap 4 bolt conversion
No. The valve covers on a W motor do not look like an W, they look like an M. The W is for wedge. The GM engineers coined that during development.
There were 69 ZL1 Camaro's produced in 1969. Where Chevy used the 366 in their heavy duty trucks, GMC used the Pontiac 389.
You left out the last of the production big blocks the 8.1L, also forgot to mention the 366 was a tall deck block and they mad a 427 version as well other than that great video always learn something new watching them
Ps you also forgot to mention the 409 was so great they wrote a song about it
the 8.1 does not belong in a video withe the other big blocks it was very a different engine
@@kT-ob2jq if he left the w engines out this logic would make sense. It is a big block Chevy. It’s in the lineage.
@@kT-ob2jq it’s a porcupine head big block… good lord
l I asked Arnie farmer once when a kid y he had a Chevy BB in his car n he taught me the history of guy over gm hating Pontiac n loving Chevy sending his son to make Chevy 1 again. He then took delorian to Chevy who had a hand in the new build of a Pontiac motor. He took with him the motor todays bb Chevy n Pontiac only had a little money left so just updated the motor it already had.
You missed the lS7 454
Yea I thought about that one but it was only a crate engine it never made it into any production car
Honorable mention goes to the LS-7 Big Block 454 crate engine. Part# 3965774 GM advertised 500HP. 12.25:1 compression.
You really need to do a video about LS engines next.
Just to play "Devil's Advocate" for a minute.... Form an engineering standpoint, it makes more sense to make V10's and V12's after you reach the limits of a small block displacement. You get a smoother running engine AND a reduction of need for specialized parts that comes with making Big Blocks. The downside is the larger size of the engine itself AND specialized versions of transmissions; But you have to come up with different transmissions anyway (for big blocks). So it's really a case of "damned if you do, damned if you don't".
Thoughts on short vs. tall deck? Was that just for 427 or 454 as well? It ok to rebuild either?
the 366 and 427T were the only tall deck engines they were a good engine but the shorter deck made just as much power and alot cheaper to build pro stock engines use a short deck block not a BBC of course it's an aluminum billet engine block but they discovered a shorted deck block was more rigid for big power builds
The factory uses the tall deck to fit a taller piston with an exta ring. This improves sealing and makes for a more stable piston in the bore.
Racers began using it back in the day to fit long rods and stroker cranks to get more power.
Did I miss the ZL1 engine in the '95 Vette? This is noteworthy because it was indeed a 350-based small block but with Lotus-designed DOHC cams/4valve engine (the only one ever in a chevy small block). GM couldn't do the casting and building, so this was subbed out to Mercury Marine to cast the heads and assemble these blocks for Corvette. Even though GM stopped manufacturing the small block in 2002 as you mentioned, Mercury is still making marine versions of these engines in crate format for marine repower applications. This is thru Mercury's Quicksilver parts division. Apparently, these blocks are cast by Mercury and are much improved over the originals, with any weak areas addressed and also clearanced for stroker applications, which by the way, you can also get a Mercury stroker engine (377 or 6.2L) brand new as a crate engine, again for marine applications but would make a great automotive engine.
Mercury just released a 409 ci replacement engine for pre catalytic marine engines.
The photo suggests a sbc. 4.03 b ×4.00 s
rated at 400hp @ 5800 rpm. I think that is a high rpm for a 4.00" stroke engine.Maybe they are making their own version of a sbc.
Can a genuine Chevy block be clearanced
to fit a 4.00 " stroke? Did Mercury ever make any cast iron engines. Their expertise is die-cast aluminum. I wonder if they are buying an aftermarket block for the
new "409 Mercruiser". They are advertising it as 150 lbs lighter then a 454 that it can replace.
I wish I knew about the 366 crankshaft seen a few of them go to scrap yard.
They went to the scrapper for a good reason. Why would they toss out a perfectly good part they could get $$$ for ??
@@terminallygray I meant complete engines and whole trucks
@@terminallygraydidn't know what they had. Most school buses had 366
19:37 Wait.....Hold it..... You're telling me they made a 2 barrel carb for a Big Block ???
That Beastie must have some HUGE venturi bore. I mean about the size of a secondary for a Quadrajet !! I would love to see one or at least a picture of it.
A few errors...there was no 427 2bbl in a car: in 69 there was a 1yr only 265hp 396 2bbl and before 69 all 366/427 tall decks were 2bbl.
I always thought the normal big block engines were adaptions of the 'Mystery Motor' with some of the difficult features left out to make it more producible and reduce cost. Am I wrong?
hard to say the actual design of that engine was never released to the general public all we have are rumors
I have a 366 it has gear to gear timing no timing chain under the flywheel molded in the block it has hi perf pass trk any idea what this all means firing order is the same as one with a timing chain you just wire the cap in the other direction came out of a 1966 chevy c60 big truck
Have you ever researched what 5.7 block and heads a 2002 Gmc Savanah or Chevy Express has? They kept making the 5.7 until 03, i think. From what I've found, the bell housing and starter bolts have different threads. I'm not sure if they are even an 880 block.
yes they were an 880 block
15:18 It's not that air pumps were legally required, it's that it was often the easiest and most effective way to pass California smog at the time.
The 1969 ZL-1 was available in the 1969 Camaro. 69 were produced. There were 2 Corvettes with the ZL-1 but not sold
Can anyone say COPO ??
Yes the 366 was a tall deck ,truck motor ,not used in pickups and cars
A ton of 454's are available from RV's.
yep
The 1969 ZL1 L88 427 was actually put into two corvettes factory.
yes but those were not production cars available to buy so it was only available to the public as a crate engine
Nope and nope,
Both wrong.
ZL-1s were an option on 1969 L-88s
“Special Alloy Racing Block”
This added $3000 to the cost of the car which was around $5-6000.
They installed them into five Corvettes.
Three of these cars were brought back in for milder engine replacements.
The cam timing was only a few degrees less than the full competition Can-Am racing engines.
50 or so went into Copo Camaros.
There.
@carterlee8344 According to a Corvette poster from Chevrolet, there were only 2 known to have been factory installed in a Corvette. Idk about a Camaro, but there were 2 known to have been installed in a Corvette.
@@Headbanger427 two Corvettes were built, the white car was used for racing , the yellow car wa sold at a dealership to a guy that blew it up street racing the first night . There were 69 ZL1 Camaros built and sold to the public if they had $7200.00 to spend on one .
What about the 8.1 in pickups
i would like u to do a LS history because everyone thinks it was a bbc 454 and i know for a fact that it was a small block which came out in 1970 and it was sold as a crate engine only but for 212 ls 6 in a 70 chevelle but they also interduce a ho 454 bbc the same time i have 4 of them in my shop
ps if u read upon the mark 4 series it even says they changed the angle of pistons and pushrods which means a new block back in 75 i use to run a ls 6 454 small block at the strip and at the ls website says they never built a bbc because they all were made by gm racing division which was started by Leslie Snoboski hint LS which never worked for chevy he start the gm racing division all ls engines were made by them ls is a gm engine not a chevy this is y u can get them in a firebird now days in 84 they upgraded them with sensor ports they had cast iron block and aluminum blocks but dropped the cast iron blocks in 84 when they upgraded them they were only sold as a crate engine till 94 but for 212 in a chevelle and 6 with the ls 7 427
I sincerely hope that nobody that reads this is as ignorant of the truth as you are . Having been a teenager in 1970 , I can verify that the LS5 and LS6 engines were production engines in Chevelles , Monte Carlos, El Caminos and Corvettes , and that they were 454 big blocks .
@@bobbrinkerhoff3592 the ls 6 only came in a 70 chevelle everyone knows this but the ho 454 in 71 was a optional engine. it is well known that the ls only came in the 70 chevelle as a small block LS block i have seen a real one . the ho 454 has 450 hp at 485 torque 10.5 to 1 compression with a 4 inch stroke with high flow heads steel crank heavy rods but after 1970 u could only get a LS as a crate engine and LS is a GM engine designed by Leslie Snobosky which started the GM racing division in 1970 . if u read up on the mark 4 series it even says they change the angle of the pistons and push rods for the block line . if it was a bbc then how would the intake be changeable with a different angle on the pistons . in 1970 they interduce 2 different 454's one a bbc and the other a LS 6 454 this is y so many people are confused plus most people thought it was a bb but LS has never built a BB in history and GM would never call too total different engines the same thing u would have to be a idiot to think that
I'm putting a 454 in my 73 Nova 😎
68 Beaumont 409 Canada
Why no discussion of the 496?
My 325hp 396 ran circles around my buddies 402. Mine was a 1968 and his was a 1971 both in chevelles.
I believe you. I had the 402 smogger engine in a 70 chevelle SS. JOKE engine. Gutless gas hog. Constantly breaking valve springs. Absolute piece of trash. Any old 396 or Chrysler 383 would walk all over it. Rated at 350 hp. Didn’t have 300 hp. One thing it did have was high car insurance.
The 396/325 had 10.25:1 compression, the 71 , 402 had only 9.00:1 compression , so yeah your '68 should have outrun that '71 .
David vizard was involved in the production of the 572 he knows how to make power.
yes Agreed he is one of my go to experts many people have a hard time listening to him because he talks very slow and monotone, but he is definitely one of the greatest performance minds there is
Remember the vortec 8100 truck engine
Chevy had a all new line up for 70.. the 402.454 and the 400 small block.... he forgot the tall deck 427 truck block... and 68 went to the large journal crank shaft for the small block.
I know it's my fault, where is the 496 big-block 8.1 in the video? Time please.
The Z33 mystery motor and the Z11 427s had the same bore and stroke..and the 409 had the same bore
No they didn't. The Z11 had the stock 409s bore of 4.3125 with a stroke of 3.650 . The Mystery Motor was the same as the Gen four 427 at 4.250 for the bore and a stroke of 3.760 . The 409s had a bore of 4.3125 and a stroke of 3.500 . Some of us are not only old enough to remember when these engines came out , but also have the magazine articles from back in the day that detailed the differences .
Hi, my name is James. I am a Ford men I have been told the hottest car back in 1955. Is the Buick century with a nail head engine 322?
Can you Research for me in, talk about it.
I am doing every American made V8 covering all makes Ford and Chevy are just the begining so yes eventually I will get to buick
Chrysler had the 300 series first year in 1955 354 C I 300 hp hemi. The Buick
Century got its name because a straight 8 Buick in the 1940's would do
A 100 mph or a Century !
You forgot to mention the 8.1 liter V8.
Are you going to start talking about the history of Chrysler engines?
Yes we are working on it it's going to be a huge subject probably 3 videos
Wouldn’t the 632 be the grandson of them all? lol I know it’s the big one but the latest
The z 16 option in the Chevelle's were also 425 the odd thing is that they had a hydrolic cam in them.
The Z16 Chevelle was a 375 hp version of the solid lifter 425 hp Corvette engine .
@@bobbrinkerhoff3592 check again, I had a friend with 2 of them 1 was documented #,s matching and had a hydraulic Cam, unless I'm remembering wrong and that's possible.
@@davidreed6070 no need to . The 1965 Z16 Chevelle, of which they only built 201 of , were powered by a hydraulic cammed 396 , rated at 375 hp . The Corvette version which was rated at 425 hp had a solid lifter cam . The Z16s only came in red , yellow or black and for reasons unknown didn't offer a positraction option , gearing was 3.31 .
Didn't they build a 496 in a pickup truck my friend has an early 2000 pickup truck he ordered brand new and he says it has a 496 in it and on the grill that has the leaders on it and it's bigger than my 454
Yes they did build a factory 496CI 8.1L engine that is a different block from the 454. Author did not mention this series. Only in production about 5 years from 2001. Available in pickups, suburbans, HD truck bodies and motorhomes. Expensive to hotrod these scarce motors as few parts are available. Dart and Raylar sell some go fast parts for them.
Correction , there never was a gen 4 it's called the mark 4.
Unless you knew what to look for without taking it apart a 348 and a 409 can be mistaken for each other.
My 1961 Chevrolet Impala super sport convertible came with the 409 two four barrels stock ACDelco dual-point distributor, 4-speed and posi rear end. Not only was it cool to Cruise in, it would get up and jump if it needed to, and come off the line rather nice, it had no problem lighting up the rear tires. And I bought it because it was sitting in a field for many years for $125. White with white top red and white interior. I did off frame restoration and replacing the rear quarter panels with NOS parts that were in the storage shed of an old wrecking yard, it was the old looking at these quarter panels hanging up on a wall in this old storage shed,wait a second I know that part I need that Part, is there the other side? Woohoo score. Two brand new never put in place on an automobile 1961 Chevy rear quarter panels, grey primer, I replaced the the floor pans, had the int🎉interior redone new top since it was all there just needed replaced, okay so the drivers wing window was out of a 62, had the body work done had it out in the carport sanding it prepping it to paint and I came home from work one day and it was gone.
the main difference between 348 and 409 was the dip stick tube was on opposite sides of the block very easy to tell without taking them apart
Was going to say that until I saw your reply,my 1st plated car was 58 i mpala w 348 3x2. Ran better on center carb alone. At 16, not much knowledge of cars.looking back it, needed a clutch & carb cleaned
@@Myvintageiron7512 which side for the 348 ? Thanks
@@ricardofierro7041 348 was on the driver's side , the same as the old small blocks .
366 was only a medium truck engine. Never installed in a car. Why are we talking about it?
Chrysler did all the same and actually had a 350 big block.
yep we are working on the Chrysler V8 history videos right now what's really interesting about Chrysler is they made their big blocks first and the small blocks came later.
Maybe it was 430 at the tire rather then the crank
GIDDY UP GIDDY UP 409 ?
385 Ford please.
ua-cam.com/video/O_L_XLRcVAw/v-deo.html
You forgot the 8.1L The big LS