As a Barra owner and person who has played with most all I can say is well done and it’s great to see people starting to look outside the box! 7 main caps rule when it comes to block strength and low rpm torque! Don’t get rid of your variable cams as this is a major benefit in wide overall power development! Well done and welcome to in-line 6 club 💯👍🏼👌🏼🇦🇺
I'm glad you guys built this up. I always wondered if the inline six would hold up and it's doing fantastic. This could be a motor for a new grand national!!!!!
@@spankthemonkey3437yes but my little baby LS the 4.8 or four point GREAT as they're often referred as can easily handle 1k plus HP on stock bottom end infact all you'd have to do really is upgrade the valve springs and throw some forced air down her yapp and BOOM she's a ripper!
Congratulations on your 850+ pull. Absolutely great. There were the guys (B. Sizemore, etc) back in the mid 1970's with their Cleveland headed 300 CI sixes making gobs of power for that era. You and your family are trailblazers (pun intended) for this era, and making double the power with less CI.
@@Calvin-Nelson If I were younger I'd seriously look at putting a Windsor or Cleveland had on a AMC/Jeep 4.0. Same bore spread. That or use a set of Infinity or GM LQ-1 heads. They're pretty close. A lot closer than the LS to the Ford. In Argentina they race Ford, Chevy and 4.0 based motors with 24V DOHC heads. TC series.
I hope that the aftermarket is paying attention as this is a wonderful platform for the everyday guy to build and race thanks for the information that you all are putting up for us 🇺🇸
Well what anyone should really be paying attention to is how this guys dyno graph is inflated beyond epic proportion. He states 867 whp, but the HP and Torque numbers dont cross at 5280 on the graph. HP is a calculation based on torque. And the way any dynamometer works is calculate the torque based on wheel speed and engine RPM. So long story short, the numbers should cross right around 5200-5300 range. As you can see, they do not. So this guy is manipulating the numbers somewhere. I’d guess the real WHP numbers are about 600 give or take.
these things are so underrated. i had one in my grandpas trailblazer that was handed down to me. it sounded amazing with the 3 inch exhaust me and me dad put on it
@@cecilbdemille8079 I've never had a chance to play with one of those, I would love to find one. 300hp! Some things sure are hard to find in the States.
I remember a few years ago when I learned GM made a 4.2L DOHC I-6 I instantly wondered if anyone had ever seriously tried to build one. Great job & I would love to see some more content with this beast & what it could take with some super stout internals.👍
A tuner who is an “LS” guy told me that LSs are way more difficult to produce power with a Turbo vs the 2jz he was tuning. He now has a 2jz in his Z. I’m loving the content on the 4.2 Vortec!!!!
@@jackdaniels2657 not just that, but the in line 6 has a perfect stroke/firing order for turbo applications. That’s why 99% of the 18 wheelers are inline 6 turbo diesel. The way the strokes are distributed in the crankshaft makes it into a smooth boost fed animal.
@@jackdaniels2657 it is because train and ship Diesel engines have a rev limiter extremely low. Inline 6 has less moving parts, less rotating assembly.
Dude, just WOW 😳! I am beyond impressed on this straight 6. I've always been a major fan of gm 6's. Especially the good ole 250 & 238. My 1st car being a '74 Nova with a 250 & a 2spd power glide. That was a very fun, & a fairly quick car. Hey I was 16. The I graduated to an '86 firebird with a sm block 400 & turbo 400 trans. That was even more fun in the early to mid '90's. Love the engine.
i love the inline 6. its a better engine design than v8 hands down. simplicity, less parts, and power u get for the displacement is best bang for ur buck. this gm is a gem. if there are any parts wanted that can be made from plastic for this engine ill make em if i get any requests. dress up items i guess, wire and hose clips maybe wire and hose mounts? i don't know maybe yall can think of something but im up for it.
These engines are amazing. I personally took one it off a GMC envoy and slapped it in a sand rail with a junk yard turbo from a semi truck, and a all in one blower from an old VW rabbit to spool up that giant turbo.. it makes 770hp with 302,000 miles and engine is bone stock other than injectors and head studs..
When I first started watching I was wondering where the intercooler was and then "on methanol" ahhh yes. I've been watching you and your family develop these for a while now and I'm glad you buckled down and finally built one a little bit. It's great to see how much you were rewarded for it!
That’s blooming impressive guys, what you’re doing with these engines is phenomenal given the lack of support for them. You get a high five 🖐🏼 from me over in the UK 🇬🇧
Very impressive! I think the big reason they are ignored is because not many company’s make parts for these things and I like where your trying to take it
Nobody makes parts for them because nobody makes parts for them because nobody makes parts for them because nobody makes parts for them because nobody makes parts for them. We can break this loop.
2002-2012, then it was scrapped. GM had the LS Based LT in the works along with the LV3 262 V6. LS has been in production since 1995/1996-2016, that's 20+ years, and the Gen 5 SBC is LS based.
@@Calvin-NelsonI feel the same way about the SOHC VG30/VG33, they're 1000hp capable with the stock block but just not enough aftermarket support to be viable for most people.
My Buddy of 50+ years has a 4200 for a few years now. As you say, had to make most everything. Intake/injector and exhaust/turbo manifold . Oil pan, steel bell housing, flywheel and 6 speed stick. This is in a 40's Studebaker pick up. Daily driver. The long block was a drop out, just cleaned up. 10psi or so and 500+. I told the dyno guy to get the dyno calibrated at first. They are a sleeper engine. Hasn't even been turned well, it drives too good
I’ve had the 4200 in the back of my head for years as a potential rival to the Barra and 2J. It’s a sleeper engine that you can pick up for next to nothing, but the only real issue is aftermarket support. I feel there’s lots of companies/people missing out on so much potential lying in wait in every junkyard in America.
@@literallyshaking8019 I hear you,but you get what you pay for,if you want to be on the world stage in the i6 game it's toyota.the barra and others are cheap bang for buck,built for built never compete with toyota,but there cheap fun,
Whoa, bro. This thing is sick. I had a trailblazer at one point but could find any aftermarket support for the 4200. Really cool, man. I showed this video to my wife and she says I should try and build one. I can do fab work and a few other things so thanks for the inspiration to get back into it.
I had this motor in my 2009 Trail Blazer, which was the last year of the Trail Blazer. It was factory rated at 275HP, and a lot of torque, and that is why I bought it to pull my boat. It was a strong motor, and plenty of power on the highway. It had no problems pulling my boat, and did not have any problems at all with it. I wondered why no one had done any hot rod ding with the motor, but assumed it was for all the computer stuff that no one wanted to mess with at the time. This would make a great motor in like a Chevy ll with a straight stick, as would be a torque monster with headers and the like. With turbos I am thinking the sky is the limit! Great article!
54 yr ago I had a 1969 Pontiac Custom S with an overhead cam I-6. Smoothest engine I’ve ever owned. After putting about 4K miles on it, I ran Florida to Colorado in record time (for me), like 135mph across boring Kansas. Smooth as silk. Engine, and transmission, were superb. Pontiac made some great cars. The 1968 Firebird 400ci V-8 was another one. So was suspension, esp at high speed. I’ve always loved the I-6 best of all engines. Had a 1958 Jeep station wagon 4wd with an L6-226 flathead in It. 5” stroke. Torque unbelievable. First engine I ever modified was in high school, a 216 ci I-6 in a 1937 Chevy business coupe (0nly a front seat, short and light). No oil pressure to crank journals for rods. Scoop on big end (hole thru bottom of cap) picked up oil from trough fed by tube from oil pump. It all held up with mods though. Shaved head and ported and polished, big Rochester carb to replace dinky Carter, set of Corvette 6 cyl exhaust headers (first Corvettes were 6cyl). Burnt clutch disks though til I beefed up pressure plate. Started my love of 6cyl engines.
Before i found your channel years ago I always loved the 4200 engines and wanted to do soemthing with them and you have shown me everything I need to know Thanks calvin
Boosted Atlas 4.2 and part availability has been a dream of mine for almost 20 years. Then the waste gate opens, im sticky it ain't gear oil. 2 things wrong still no aftermarket, and i gotta see a Dr. The unseen potential of this beast of an engine. Thank you for making this.
I have always wanted to make a project with one of these. Nothing nuts. Maybe 450whp- 475 lbs..I love every inline 6 ever. Thanks for showing the potential I always thought these could have
So awesome! been loving the 4200 content! have an 08 envoy and would kill to see some more aftermarket support. videos like this making CRAZY power will help people see how great this engine can be. they made sooooooo many of these engines, could easily become a popular swap then i can be one step closer to the ultimate michigan fire road machine, small turbo envoy with mild suspension so i can rip around with 4 others and all our stuff!
First I want to say OMG holly crap !!! That is a monster. As far as results goes it seems to me your running the best 6 cylinder you could working with a production engine goes and the smallest LS goes. I understand for comparisons sake they are the closest in size. Externally the LS engines are the same size. If you put the work you did on the 5.3 on a 6.0 or 6.4 the numbers would be 1K on H.P and higher. The problem is since GM declared a LS in every car and Holley owning alot of aftermarket companies they are reluctant to support other platforms. As a Mopar owner this has been going on for 40+ years with the aftermarket industry. They feel GM first , than Ford, then Mopar and AMC for American made muscle cars go. FTA and FJB!!
I worked at a GMC dealership in the mid 2000's. I got to work on the GMC Envoy and really fell in love with this engine. I spoke to a GM engineer about the idea of bringing back the Typhoon through the Envoy Turbocharging the 4200 in an AWD model. He said it wasn't worth considering. Maybe the 5.3, but not the 4200. It couldn't handle it. I saw the potential in this inline motor. I'm so happy to see you guys proved this engine could build big power.
I knew from 2002 when I was a freshman in high school that this engine was a beast. It seems the 4200 never got love until Nivlac proved the concept years after it was discontinued.
I approve this message. As a 300ci diehard, my passion comes from just the love of in-line engines. Factory gear timing I nerd out for too. Check out boss 300, 625 whp NA build (1968). Guy building LS heads for the 300ci also, I’m excited to see results. I might convince my friend to drop his LS build and drop this in his E30 just to keep it a I6. Thanks for the video!
This car is literally. The rarest car I've ever seen. The datsun 260 was only made from 1974 to 1976 I believe not too sure about it. But the only ones that were imported into the US. was the 1974 models. Knowing that there was only one year that this car was in America. Brother. You've got yourself one hell of a car.
Great work as always Calvin. My 05 Envoy with 224K miles still purrs like a kitten. I've converted to 06 coils with your Red, White & Blue kit. One of these days I'll follow some of your tech tips and take my ride from a purr to a growl.
Great stuff! I always wondered why this engine just disappeared after the Trailblazer. When I bought my 2002 TB, there were all sorts of articles about how great an inline six was compared with V6's. I loved the smoothness.
Two cylinders to long to fit in a Silverado or Camaro. Besides cab forward is in style. But wouldn't you just rather have a V-8? AS for smooth? Yes. Quiet? Yes. My 2005 T-Blazer needed a tach. Because it was the only indicator the engine was idling. Did a real good job of moving the 7 passenger and the 5000+ lbs around on regular gas.
I6 engines started declining because peter puffer CEOs realized that V6 engines (which have no fucking business in performance vehicles) are cheap to make and package well. Too bad they are too stupid to realize that 'cheap to make' and 'packages well' aren't things that should be looked at when designing a flagship sports car (lookin at you Nissan).
It is nice to see somebody making horsepower with one of those I wanted to swap one of those into my BMW E36 about 10 years ago but no aftermarket support LOL
Depending on that engine's dimensions... it could be one heckuva sleeper for any number of older 4/6 cylinder cars. What's great for you guys is you now know the engine very well... hit the track with 80% power then dial it up when absolutely needed. All the best for the upcoming races!
@@andrewnelson3733 We're all looking forward to it! Waylon Wire (on UA-cam) has an older box truck, six cylinder. It would be great to see if one of these AB's could be built for long-term solid torque monster use as well as what you've done with them here.
idk exact dimensions but big reason why they stopped these is because its so damn long being an i6, even on chassis its meant for really gotta reach in there to change last sparkplug
@@Robo-xk4jm and they're fairly tall, especially with the stock intake that goes up over the valve cover. I looked in to swapping out a 4.0l out of my Jeep for one, but the dimensions I found put it almost 6 inches taller at the valve cover. That would be fine in a wrangler, but not for my Comanche pickup. The 4.0l with a little work can make in the 250-260 range, but starting at 270, and going up sure would be nice.
That is really neat!! Ive never saw anyone build on of the inline Vortecs and have always thought the 260/280 Zs were really sweet looking cars!! Unrelated story, my father bought a brand new 280Z in 1978. I was 7 years old at the time. He had literally just bought the car that week, it had under a 100 miles on it. I really was trying to be helpful when I began "washing" the hood with a really stiff wire brush. Luckily he came outside and saw me straight mangling the paint on the hood of his brand new Datsun, he was not happy about it. A few weeks later I was in the car playing around with it. I turned the key with the car in gear and drove it through the gate in the fence around our back yard. Didnt do tremendous damage, but that was a really nice looking car and I didnt do it any favors.
back in like 2013 there was a member on supraforums who swapped this engine into his mkIII supra, used a pontiac solstice 5 speed (same architecture as a 5 speed toyota supra turbo box) slapped a small turbo on it and cracked 550hp at conservative boost levels 10/12psi. Since the I always wanted to swap one into a 3rd Camaro.
I am slowly (so very slowly), seeing more people play with these. Wish I hadn't grown up a poor farm boy, cause I thought these engines were an awesome design then. Now folks are seeing what I suspected for a long time.
Same here, I was 14 when the trailblazer came out and I was obsessed with I-6’s I knew in my soul these things were destined for greatness. So glad Nivlac actually did something about it!
So impressive. Used to be a guy that ran an inline 6 in a 64 Nova at 1/8 mile strip near me in TN and the sounds are so unique. It was a 5 second car though and that was 10 plus years ago. Love what you're doing.
I have an sbc swapped Chevy S10 but it started rod knocking shortly after the build. I kinda want to do something newer and different instead of LS swapping, I think a boosted 4200 might be the way to go. Thanks for the inspiration and information.
Great video as always! I just picked up a 02 4200 for my mother's 04 trailblazer and noticed they have a oil level/temp sensor probably going to wire that into a buzzer just for security. Planning my own 4200 swap after this 4200 replacement.
I'm amazed at how much horsepower you can squeeze out of a Vortec. Who would have thought a grocery getter SUV engine could be such a beast with some boost?
My mother had the engine in a white trailblazer. Aside from being pretty peppy for a monster school bus sized exterior, that engine had so much torque. The transmissions were junk but man, you could pull a house in low gear with the torque. I never thought of boosting one but always thought it would have been a good mustang starter engine over the 4.slow v-6. Sweet power out of that sweet up there. You guys did great.
I remember some years ago when and where a couple of guys took an old 230 Chevy and made 460+ HP NA'd. @around 6k rpm with carbs and pump gas. They went on at the time to have the fast inline in racing soon after. No VVT, no electronic controls what so ever.
Aussie Mopar fan here, great motor I never heard of before! I grew up driving Valiants with the 245 and 265 Hemi 6, now I can't afford them. Currently drive an 02 Falcon 1 tonne ute( intech 4litre six, dedicated lpg). Another bulletproof big inline six ( I know because I've owned 2) is the Jaguar AJ6 and preferrably the AJ16(no distributor version). These motors were designed to be strong enough to be diesels had Jaguar fulfilled all their plans. Jaguar supercharged some and there were a few built turboed by aftermarket companies and sold as limited run new cars. Jaguar helped Ford with the crankshaft of the intech six for the Aussie Falcon even. Perks of Ford owning Jaguar back then- pretty sure there's more influence than that which has resulted in the Barra.
Heck yeah!! For my application I would need a full custom oil pan, engine mounts, intake and exhaust manifolds. Seriously considering the 4200 over an Ls swap
I have a 04 trailblazer and I'm pushing only 350 to the wheels but I always wanted to add a turbo but all of my friends and family always told me it wouldn't hold boost but they where wrong know I'm gonna go all out know. Thank for show us that those motors have true potential. 👍
OMG!!!!! That was awesome!!!! This is very impressive and so inspiring to us other car folk. Please keep doing what you all are doing. I love the inline 6. Yes, call them out!! We can do more. The automotive industry needs to do more. All the billions of dollars the big three have been given of all of our taxpayers money. Why have real car men and women not been able to make changes and influence things more. You are right, we could do more and have way more awesome engines and after marketing support form all of the cars, trucks, engines, and all other parts. I am so stoked to do some work on my slant 6 one of these days now.
Pretty cool. Technology has dramatically increased the hp gains on street and race motors these days. John Lingenfelter (RIP) made over 1,000hp on a GM 4 cylinder Ecotec engine years back. The biggest challenge at the time was keeping the cylinder head from cracking. The turbo he used was damn near the size of the engine block. You guys oughta be killing it on the strip. Best of luck!
I've thought about this exact setup. You could retain cruise control. I know in the early years 02-05 The engine and transmission harness are one and the ECM/TCM bolts to the side of the stock intake. A bundle of wires about the thickness of a quarter run from the engine wiring harness into the fuse box.
Damn near 300hp in stock form. Excellent for an older vehicle with an O/D trans so you can cruise on the freeway. Probably get half decent mileage too.
I purchased a trailblazer with a 4200 in it that was knocking like crazy. Thing threw a rod on the way home, 2 large holes in the block and it still drove 6 miles to a friends house. Everybody that knows about these engines know their strong as hell. I rember someone saying GM didn't release cam blanks or cranks for them that's why nobody bothered building them.
You can get so much out of the stock cam grind. There has been a lot of folks that have built them. Most have them have been very secretive about it though.
I honestly love inline 6 engines. Nothing growls like a good V8, but I can't help but love I-6 engines like the ford 300 for example. So glad you chose this engine. It is a very pretty engine too. I've seen a few in hot rods now. They can be "oldified" very well too.
Its wild how much power its making with such little boost gotta love that 4v per cyl design. I think a set of forged pistons along with the rods you added would help this thing comfortably make 1000 wheel, which is pretty crazy given how stock this engine is. 2jz guys usually need billet mains, aftermarket cams, and ARP hardware all over to make that happen through an unlocked auto.
Just watched a video of a 2jz teardown on one that was run somewhat hard at Bonneville last year , it had every "unobtanium" part in it money could buy & it was hurt , I realize this is not a comparison but I think it shows the potential of this motor to be every bit a worthy alternative .
@@danielwilliams214 Not through an unlocked auto lol maybe a manual but thats like a 100hp difference between an unlocked auto. Also you usually need head studs and valvesprings atleast to even attempt more than 600 wheel with one through an auto. So idk what you mean by unopened but thats not unopened lol
@@I_Build_Cars post proof all i see is a "sbe" with everything done to it that makes 730whp and thats not "unopened." Basically what i already said, cammed,, springs, arp hardware, etc...
I can’t believe I hadn’t really known much about this engine before. I knew of the L52 and LLR but I had no idea there was an I6 Atlas, and it’s insane!!
Aussie here. I read years ago that ford Australia ran the final concept of the barra, before release, on the the dyno on full load and full power for like 1000 hours with no issue. this vortec looks like its got huge valves in her as standard. bigger than barra. hard to judge from vidya tho. You could be on to winner tho. not knowing how common the vortec are, the barras were so abundant in N/A form, and thats one of the best things about them, a widely available good base for some spestic power potential. as long as you get a good block that hasnt core shifted to much, the good blocks are well into 4 firgures power and torque (nm wise). But anything can make power, the real winners are the ones that can handle it for a decent period of time. cool vid mate. subed for sure. oh and ... Gday mate
I bought a 07 Trailblazer 4x4 with a rod knock. It took me a good long while to source all the parts and lots of unexpected TTY bolts everywhere, and rethreading head bolt threads on the block deck. But, after all that, the thing puts a grin on my face at WOT at 5k rpm and up. It's a cool motor. Normally, I would steer away from a GM, but I like this motor.
the transmission probably doesn't like 5K rpm though - I got a reman transmission but sometimes I still do 5K. The highest torque peak is actually 3600 rpm.
I remember having read a car magazine several years ago when those inline six were new and the guy that wrote the column says that the GM engineers basically copied a Supra engine and made it bigger
The power numbers really hit me when you showed the cam numbers. That's less lift than any stock LS cam & same duration as an L92, but then again 4 valves do flow a lot better than 2. 2JZ & Barra guys have to be a bit annoyed, especially when you consider how easy it is to adapt a 4l80e, th400, or glide. Similar power & sound for a whole lot less. To be fair to the LS, it's also a lot cheaper for a TBSS intake, Holley oil pan, and stock coils than a custom-fabbed intake & oil pan and aftermarket coils.
70 years after going out of production people are buying flatheads. Folks who like straight 6s will love the video. Guys who don't have an open mind d will not see merits in any platform except the one they love. The days of the $100 LSs are eclipsing. The car scene is still fun. The next platform is still waiting to be fun...did I mention the car scene is still fun
why would barra guys be annoyed they're cheap and they make more power. and there's already adapters for any transmission you'd want to run behind one if you exceed the limits of the zf 6 speed.
As a technician and not ever having to open up a 4200, I've always heard nightmare stories. After seeing this specifically NOT in a trailblazer im less intimidated. And suddenly very curious looking at a pile of used turbos 🤣
Still waiting since 2004. Got only 200,000 miles on it. No oil leaks. Happens when you change the oil at less the recommended intervals and pay attention to the coolant too. BUT working on any thing under the hood is a major pain. The spark plugs are kinda sorta easy. After you remove the beauty cover.
I have been talking about this motor for a decade. And have never had the funds to build this kind of machine but I knew it was possible. For a decade, I have been screaming that we already have a barra in the us
Makes since, I believe a inline requires much less balancing wizardry / has better harmonics than any other piston engine configuration. I don't know why we don't see more inline v6 engines... other than they are likely longer than the v8 or v6 for that matter.
Bro you're so ignorant. Inline v6? Shut up. No 6 will ever be more balanced than an engine with say twice the cylinders. 12s and 10s and inherently more balanced by their nature.
Now this is some cool shit! I know there seems to be a lot of people doing stuff with the 3.5/3.7L inline 5 which is just this engine minus one cylinder. What do you think of the 5 cylinder? I've been considering getting my hands on a Camaro and seeing if I can shoehorn in the 5 cylinder with a turbo or two.
@@twiitchish yes H3’s came with 5 cylinders only, not 6 cylinders. Oh, and Alpha V8. Be awesome to see if someone could build a turbo on a 5 cylinder H3.
I have always been a fan of the Inline Six and am thrilled that people are taking another serious look at the benefits and potential of this engine family! Ultra-Mega-MAGA
I have very often thought about the 4.2 GM DOHC inline 6 as great choice for a vintage mid 30's through 48 Chevy Street rod project and thus keeping the car t rue to it's inline 6 heritage. Even in slightly modified state of tune it would make a sweet running and quick street performer. I'm an inline six fan and have always preferred working on them.
I daily a 03 trailblazer with the 4200. It surprises Alot of people. 52mph in 1st, 94mph in 2nd, buried speedo in 3rd. I've been contemplating a 100 shot of nos to help get off the line.
It's crazy I just realized the potential of these motors last month and it was so random seeing a junkyard post with a trailblazer "l6" I was like a straight 6 , 4.2? I never heard of? Why? And now it's all I think about and am mad I wasn't a year easier fuckkkk
@@Calvin-Nelson thats awsome, I'm talking about Profesional high proformance engine building, and dynamic testing, with stats beyond a diesel 700 pluss hp with 700 foot pounds of torque. And they said they believe they can easly hit 800 horse with the same torque, and torque is whats going to move it beyond horsepower, I read about it and watched the videos of what they achieved, 6 cylenders are no joke, hell even the iron Duke. A 4 calendar was known to get over 400 horse. Done right is the name of this game. You've done an awsome jobe. I'll pat you on you back, and give you 🤔👍👍👍👍👍, yeah, several of these, . Good video.
Oh yeah, I don't know about the motor you showed, sorry, engine, but the jeep motor has 7 bering journals on its crank, very strong torque monsters . 🤔👍
The engine has a double overhead cam four valves per cylinder it’s just superior in the cylinder head. I know you want to mention 71 in.³ but the cylinder head technology is superior to the LS!
Kinda proving the point that the LS never should have gotten the cult it has now... Especially given that it is essentially pre ww2 cylinder head design...
@@Ludofjn what lol??? The pushrod engine is an excellent design, especially with the introduction and implementation of hydraulic roller cams in the more “modern” engines. The most powerful crate engine you can buy has over 1000hp and is a pushrod. It’s a simple, tough, inexpensive, and extremely reliable platform. It completely deserves the cult following it has, and it will last longer than a modular, overhead cam engine with similar power.
@@iDrive4fun93 ya i dont get all the people that hate on the LS platform, the only bad thing you can really say about it is that you are tired of seeing them swapped into everything but that alone should tell someone everything they need to know. its pretty rare to see a ford or dodge swapped project for a reason. as soon as people mention push rods as being a bad thing is when they expose themselves and their ignorance of engines. not hating on ford, dodge, or anything else but plenty of well known engine builders that will tell you the LS is king. on another note tho i think these Ameri barra 6s are pretty cool, have a 92 obs single cab short bed with a 5 speed and old 350 that i would love to swap out for one. setup with a small single turbo and a AR5 manual trans. would be happy if i could get a reliable 400hp daily that still got decent gas mileage out of that combo in a gutted lightweight obs.
@@sierravmax you got to remember it's not fixed up nothing special and it has lifter noise but I have no problem having fun if I get beat okay I should but sometimes you be surprised
@@BB-fv2dw No I am not. Stop getting a big head because of what this guy did. He yanked out the 6 cylinder of a Trailblazer and slapped it in a light weight car and strapped a turbo to it. Sorry but you will be way too slow for me to run. Waste of gas really when I already take out TBSS's easily.
I love the sound of six bangers 😍 I know youngsters love flames, pops and bangs but since I (and most older bike owners) hate popping on deceleration I learned to remove fuel in the hard deceleration, high vacuum area of the map = zero pops, bangs or flames...
@@Jeff7477 It was GMs first drive by wire and VVT. Name the motor that was far more advanced. It is also the most powerful inline N/A 6 cyl. ever made for a SUV or car.
Yes... they did it's called the 6-71 detroit and it was produced for longer than any other engine too I reckon that makes it the best by some measures.
As a Barra owner and person who has played with most all I can say is well done and it’s great to see people starting to look outside the box! 7 main caps rule when it comes to block strength and low rpm torque! Don’t get rid of your variable cams as this is a major benefit in wide overall power development! Well done and welcome to in-line 6 club 💯👍🏼👌🏼🇦🇺
Thanks man! Good to see some positivity out there from the Barra community.
Barra the world 🦾
I'm not knocking the 7 main caps but how many bolts hold them? Ls runs 6 bolts per cap
@@wed3k If you talking Barra? 14 + 10 side bolts that use the sump to tie altogether!
@@Calvin-Nelson keep up the great work bringing light to this engine and also for being such a good commentator reminds me of Doug Demuro lol
This is incredible. So happy to be able to be a part of it. I agree, let’s get some aftermarket support!!
Thanks for all the help!
For a engine that was made less than eight years? Meh.
@@nsboost but they made a billion of them. Have you been to a local wrecking yard. Ours has 20. Take a drive. You'll see at least 5
I'm glad you guys built this up. I always wondered if the inline six would hold up and it's doing fantastic. This could be a motor for a new grand national!!!!!
Pretty wild getting that kind of power out of an inline.
its wild what you guys are doing and showing with this platform!
Thanks bud!
@@Chalmich5 🤣
@@Chalmich5 he is “the denmah “ 🤔
If you look hard enough, you'll find a guy who made 600n/a spinning to 10k with 4200. These engines have been slept on for too long.
ua-cam.com/video/GfUhg2_fxRY/v-deo.html
Holy shit ... Might have to play with one of these
I hear 700 hp reliable on stock bottom end 🤷
Bet their cheap at the wreckers...no one wants them.
Definitely
This is crazy. Not an LS guy. But i am an underdog guy. This might be the way.
@@spankthemonkey3437yes but my little baby LS the 4.8 or four point GREAT as they're often referred as can easily handle 1k plus HP on stock bottom end infact all you'd have to do really is upgrade the valve springs and throw some forced air down her yapp and BOOM she's a ripper!
Props to the dude sitting in the hatch to help the dyno numbers. More brave than I am lol, super neat build.
Congratulations on your 850+ pull. Absolutely great. There were the guys (B. Sizemore, etc) back in the mid 1970's with their Cleveland headed 300 CI sixes making gobs of power for that era. You and your family are trailblazers (pun intended) for this era, and making double the power with less CI.
Thanks. Those old 6s are very cool
@@Calvin-Nelson
Theres someone on UA-cam putting an LS head on a Ford 300
@@mpetersen6 yeah. That's Ken. Cool guy.
@@Calvin-Nelson
If I were younger I'd seriously look at putting a Windsor or Cleveland had on a AMC/Jeep 4.0. Same bore spread. That or use a set of Infinity or GM LQ-1 heads. They're pretty close. A lot closer than the LS to the Ford. In Argentina they race Ford, Chevy and 4.0 based motors with 24V DOHC heads. TC series.
I hope that the aftermarket is paying attention as this is a wonderful platform for the everyday guy to build and race thanks for the information that you all are putting up for us 🇺🇸
Well what anyone should really be paying attention to is how this guys dyno graph is inflated beyond epic proportion.
He states 867 whp, but the HP and Torque numbers dont cross at 5280 on the graph. HP is a calculation based on torque. And the way any dynamometer works is calculate the torque based on wheel speed and engine RPM. So long story short, the numbers should cross right around 5200-5300 range. As you can see, they do not. So this guy is manipulating the numbers somewhere. I’d guess the real WHP numbers are about 600 give or take.
Ya know, absolutely! Gotta give'em a hand for what they have accomplished...
@@champspecat least he doesn't dump money into 4l60s
these things are so underrated. i had one in my grandpas trailblazer that was handed down to me. it sounded amazing with the 3 inch exhaust me and me dad put on it
Inline 6 is a very good platform. Cummins 5.9, Ford 300, Ford Barra, Jeep 4.0, all of them great engines, inline sixes.
I agree! Super easy access to plugs and other components!
And the 265 hemi in line six down under😊
@@cecilbdemille8079 I've never had a chance to play with one of those, I would love to find one. 300hp! Some things sure are hard to find in the States.
Cant forget the BMW. It's their bread and butter
Maybe we can send you one ..
215 /245/265. Cubes 3 choices
There is a 265 hemi running 7s
And plenty of turbo hemis getting around ...😊
I remember a few years ago when I learned GM made a 4.2L DOHC I-6 I instantly wondered if anyone had ever seriously tried to build one. Great job & I would love to see some more content with this beast & what it could take with some super stout internals.👍
Stay tuned.
2 reasons dropped. A. not a V-8. B. The engine compartments are too short. Yep 2 cylinders too long.
@@warrenpuckett4203 Well some of us just aren't into V8's as much. But it's all personal preference bro.
I wish Gm would invest more in Turbocharged 3L and 4L engines across their car and Suv lineup
I wonder what the 4.3 V6 would do
A tuner who is an “LS” guy told me that LSs are way more difficult to produce power with a Turbo vs the 2jz he was tuning. He now has a 2jz in his Z. I’m loving the content on the 4.2 Vortec!!!!
Thanks bud
@@Calvin-Nelson This is like a large version of a Supra!
@@jackdaniels2657 not just that, but the in line 6 has a perfect stroke/firing order for turbo applications. That’s why 99% of the 18 wheelers are inline 6 turbo diesel. The way the strokes are distributed in the crankshaft makes it into a smooth boost fed animal.
@@jackdaniels2657 it is because train and ship Diesel engines have a rev limiter extremely low. Inline 6 has less moving parts, less rotating assembly.
@@jackdaniels2657 inline 6 has a better powerband.
Dude, just WOW 😳! I am beyond impressed on this straight 6. I've always been a major fan of gm 6's. Especially the good ole 250 & 238. My 1st car being a '74 Nova with a 250 & a 2spd power glide. That was a very fun, & a fairly quick car. Hey I was 16. The I graduated to an '86 firebird with a sm block 400 & turbo 400 trans. That was even more fun in the early to mid '90's. Love the engine.
AMEN BROTHER!!! The more aftermarket support we get for potential platforms THE BETTER!!!
i love the inline 6. its a better engine design than v8 hands down. simplicity, less parts, and power u get for the displacement is best bang for ur buck. this gm is a gem. if there are any parts wanted that can be made from plastic for this engine ill make em if i get any requests. dress up items i guess, wire and hose clips maybe wire and hose mounts? i don't know maybe yall can think of something but im up for it.
These engines are amazing. I personally took one it off a GMC envoy and slapped it in a sand rail with a junk yard turbo from a semi truck, and a all in one blower from an old VW rabbit to spool up that giant turbo.. it makes 770hp with 302,000 miles and engine is bone stock other than injectors and head studs..
What studs did you use?
When I first started watching I was wondering where the intercooler was and then "on methanol" ahhh yes.
I've been watching you and your family develop these for a while now and I'm glad you buckled down and finally built one a little bit. It's great to see how much you were rewarded for it!
Thanks
That’s blooming impressive guys, what you’re doing with these engines is phenomenal given the lack of support for them.
You get a high five 🖐🏼 from me over in the UK 🇬🇧
Very impressive! I think the big reason they are ignored is because not many company’s make parts for these things and I like where your trying to take it
Nobody makes parts for them because nobody makes parts for them because nobody makes parts for them because nobody makes parts for them because nobody makes parts for them. We can break this loop.
2002-2012, then it was scrapped. GM had the LS Based LT in the works along with the LV3 262 V6.
LS has been in production since 1995/1996-2016, that's 20+ years, and the Gen 5 SBC is LS based.
@@Calvin-NelsonI feel the same way about the SOHC VG30/VG33, they're 1000hp capable with the stock block but just not enough aftermarket support to be viable for most people.
@@bearrett50kal17 It's a vicious cycle. Lol
Ive had a few trailblazers. 4200 is awesome, and new bullet proof at stock as long as you keep fresh oil.
My Buddy of 50+ years has a 4200 for a few years now.
As you say, had to make most everything. Intake/injector and exhaust/turbo manifold . Oil pan, steel bell housing, flywheel and 6 speed stick.
This is in a 40's Studebaker pick up.
Daily driver.
The long block was a drop out, just cleaned up.
10psi or so and 500+.
I told the dyno guy to get the dyno calibrated at first.
They are a sleeper engine.
Hasn't even been turned well, it drives too good
I’ve had the 4200 in the back of my head for years as a potential rival to the Barra and 2J. It’s a sleeper engine that you can pick up for next to nothing, but the only real issue is aftermarket support.
I feel there’s lots of companies/people missing out on so much potential lying in wait in every junkyard in America.
Yup. Truth. Speak it.
2jz shits on the barra the Rb and the USA barra,and lots of others not worth comparing
@@definitionmedia1130 ok. Cool.
@@definitionmedia1130 can I get a 2JZ at any junkyard in America for $300?
@@literallyshaking8019 I hear you,but you get what you pay for,if you want to be on the world stage in the i6 game it's toyota.the barra and others are cheap bang for buck,built for built never compete with toyota,but there cheap fun,
Whoa, bro. This thing is sick. I had a trailblazer at one point but could find any aftermarket support for the 4200. Really cool, man. I showed this video to my wife and she says I should try and build one. I can do fab work and a few other things so thanks for the inspiration to get back into it.
the atlas plattform is a solid well engineered modular engine, our trailblazer is closing into the 300k mile mark and still strong
Yes I have a 03 trailblazer closing in on 300k mark also. I looked up info GM said they were only good for 250k. But we know different
Hold onto them and rebuild them to 4.4 using the Avalanche 5 cylinder sleeves and pistons when it's time for a rebuild.
I had this motor in my 2009 Trail Blazer, which was the last year of the Trail Blazer. It was factory rated at 275HP, and a lot of torque, and that is why I bought it to pull my boat. It was a strong motor, and plenty of power on the highway. It had no problems pulling my boat, and did not have any problems at all with it. I wondered why no one had done any hot rod ding with the motor, but assumed it was for all the computer stuff that no one wanted to mess with at the time. This would make a great motor in like a Chevy ll with a straight stick, as would be a torque monster with headers and the like. With turbos I am thinking the sky is the limit! Great article!
54 yr ago I had a 1969 Pontiac Custom S with an overhead cam I-6.
Smoothest engine I’ve ever owned.
After putting about 4K miles on it, I ran Florida to Colorado in record time (for me), like 135mph across boring Kansas.
Smooth as silk.
Engine, and transmission, were superb.
Pontiac made some great cars.
The 1968 Firebird 400ci V-8 was another one.
So was suspension, esp at high speed.
I’ve always loved the I-6 best of all engines.
Had a 1958 Jeep station wagon 4wd with an L6-226 flathead in
It. 5” stroke. Torque unbelievable.
First engine I ever modified was in high school, a 216 ci I-6 in a 1937 Chevy business coupe (0nly a front seat, short and light).
No oil pressure to crank journals for rods.
Scoop on big end (hole thru bottom of cap) picked up oil from trough fed by tube from oil pump.
It all held up with mods though.
Shaved head and ported and polished, big Rochester carb to replace dinky Carter, set of Corvette 6 cyl exhaust headers (first Corvettes were 6cyl).
Burnt clutch disks though til I beefed up pressure plate.
Started my love of 6cyl engines.
Ooooh then again you are the king tuning a figuring out the 4.2. You guys put alot of time and hard work into it.
Before i found your channel years ago I always loved the 4200 engines and wanted to do soemthing with them and you have shown me everything I need to know Thanks calvin
I'm blown away I would of never thought a 4200 could push those numbers
Inline 6 in general is underrated, there have been many excellent ones
Boosted Atlas 4.2 and part availability has been a dream of mine for almost 20 years. Then the waste gate opens, im sticky it ain't gear oil. 2 things wrong still no aftermarket, and i gotta see a Dr. The unseen potential of this beast of an engine. Thank you for making this.
Aftermarket is getting better and better.
Good to see my home track on youtube!
I have always wanted to make a project with one of these. Nothing nuts. Maybe 450whp- 475 lbs..I love every inline 6 ever. Thanks for showing the potential I always thought these could have
So awesome! been loving the 4200 content! have an 08 envoy and would kill to see some more aftermarket support.
videos like this making CRAZY power will help people see how great this engine can be.
they made sooooooo many of these engines, could easily become a popular swap
then i can be one step closer to the ultimate michigan fire road machine, small turbo envoy with mild suspension so i can rip around with 4 others and all our stuff!
That is a lot of power from a built 6 4200. I was waiting to see how much power with that sweet twin setup. God bless you and yours.
Thanks.
First I want to say OMG holly crap !!! That is a monster. As far as results goes it seems to me your running the best 6 cylinder you could working with a production engine goes and the smallest LS goes. I understand for comparisons sake they are the closest in size. Externally the LS engines are the same size. If you put the work you did on the 5.3 on a 6.0 or 6.4 the numbers would be 1K on H.P and higher.
The problem is since GM declared a LS in every car and Holley owning alot of aftermarket companies they are reluctant to support other platforms. As a Mopar owner this has been going on for 40+ years with the aftermarket industry. They feel GM first , than Ford, then Mopar and AMC for American made muscle cars go. FTA and FJB!!
It’s good seeing the good old and reliable straight 6 get some love.
I worked at a GMC dealership in the mid 2000's. I got to work on the GMC Envoy and really fell in love with this engine. I spoke to a GM engineer about the idea of bringing back the Typhoon through the Envoy Turbocharging the 4200 in an AWD model. He said it wasn't worth considering. Maybe the 5.3, but not the 4200. It couldn't handle it. I saw the potential in this inline motor. I'm so happy to see you guys proved this engine could build big power.
I knew from 2002 when I was a freshman in high school that this engine was a beast. It seems the 4200 never got love until Nivlac proved the concept years after it was discontinued.
I was starting high school when they went out of production. Wish I could have gotten to them sooner. Lol
I approve this message. As a 300ci diehard, my passion comes from just the love of in-line engines. Factory gear timing I nerd out for too. Check out boss 300, 625 whp NA build (1968). Guy building LS heads for the 300ci also, I’m excited to see results. I might convince my friend to drop his LS build and drop this in his E30 just to keep it a I6. Thanks for the video!
What a great little motor, street rod power
This car is literally. The rarest car I've ever seen. The datsun 260 was only made from 1974 to 1976 I believe not too sure about it. But the only ones that were imported into the US. was the 1974 models. Knowing that there was only one year that this car was in America. Brother. You've got yourself one hell of a car.
Thanks.
Great work as always Calvin. My 05 Envoy with 224K miles still purrs like a kitten. I've converted to 06 coils with your Red, White & Blue kit. One of these days I'll follow some of your tech tips and take my ride from a purr to a growl.
Heck yeah!!
Wasnt that engine used for racing at first but had reliability issues? I remember thinking it sounded like when the northstar first came out
This is my dream engine and I can't wait to see what's next !
THANK YOU!!!! I have been waiting for someone to really experiment with the 4.2! I always believed that it had real potential.
Yea I’m with ya. You can’t argue that much difference
Great stuff! I always wondered why this engine just disappeared after the Trailblazer. When I bought my 2002 TB, there were all sorts of articles about how great an inline six was compared with V6's. I loved the smoothness.
Two cylinders to long to fit in a Silverado or Camaro. Besides cab forward is in style. But wouldn't you just rather have a V-8?
AS for smooth? Yes. Quiet? Yes. My 2005 T-Blazer needed a tach. Because it was the only indicator the engine was idling.
Did a real good job of moving the 7 passenger and the 5000+ lbs around on regular gas.
I6 engines started declining because peter puffer CEOs realized that V6 engines (which have no fucking business in performance vehicles) are cheap to make and package well. Too bad they are too stupid to realize that 'cheap to make' and 'packages well' aren't things that should be looked at when designing a flagship sports car (lookin at you Nissan).
It is nice to see somebody making horsepower with one of those I wanted to swap one of those into my BMW E36 about 10 years ago but no aftermarket support LOL
Yep. Hopefully it will be here soon.
Depending on that engine's dimensions... it could be one heckuva sleeper for any number of older 4/6 cylinder cars. What's great for you guys is you now know the engine very well... hit the track with 80% power then dial it up when absolutely needed. All the best for the upcoming races!
We'll be hitting the track at low boost soon and dial it up over the next month.
@@andrewnelson3733 We're all looking forward to it! Waylon Wire (on UA-cam) has an older box truck, six cylinder. It would be great to see if one of these AB's could be built for long-term solid torque monster use as well as what you've done with them here.
idk exact dimensions but big reason why they stopped these is because its so damn long being an i6, even on chassis its meant for really gotta reach in there to change last sparkplug
@@Robo-xk4jm and they're fairly tall, especially with the stock intake that goes up over the valve cover. I looked in to swapping out a 4.0l out of my Jeep for one, but the dimensions I found put it almost 6 inches taller at the valve cover. That would be fine in a wrangler, but not for my Comanche pickup. The 4.0l with a little work can make in the 250-260 range, but starting at 270, and going up sure would be nice.
That is really neat!! Ive never saw anyone build on of the inline Vortecs and have always thought the 260/280 Zs were really sweet looking cars!! Unrelated story, my father bought a brand new 280Z in 1978. I was 7 years old at the time. He had literally just bought the car that week, it had under a 100 miles on it. I really was trying to be helpful when I began "washing" the hood with a really stiff wire brush. Luckily he came outside and saw me straight mangling the paint on the hood of his brand new Datsun, he was not happy about it. A few weeks later I was in the car playing around with it. I turned the key with the car in gear and drove it through the gate in the fence around our back yard. Didnt do tremendous damage, but that was a really nice looking car and I didnt do it any favors.
Lol. That's funny.
back in like 2013 there was a member on supraforums who swapped this engine into his mkIII supra, used a pontiac solstice 5 speed (same architecture as a 5 speed toyota supra turbo box) slapped a small turbo on it and cracked 550hp at conservative boost levels 10/12psi. Since the I always wanted to swap one into a 3rd Camaro.
Yup. I'm familiar with that one. Very cool project.
Looking good. Thanks for putting in the hard work on what could be a cool swap. My 5.3 made 620 at 12 ish. So you’re making pretty impressive numbers.
6:37, guy on the trunks reaction is absolutely priceless 😂😂😂 love the video Calvin.
I am slowly (so very slowly), seeing more people play with these. Wish I hadn't grown up a poor farm boy, cause I thought these engines were an awesome design then. Now folks are seeing what I suspected for a long time.
Same here, I was 14 when the trailblazer came out and I was obsessed with I-6’s I knew in my soul these things were destined for greatness. So glad Nivlac actually did something about it!
That 03 4.2 is a tank and takes a beatin. At 190k miles, no smoke, and still gets it on the interstate. Love that motor.
So impressive. Used to be a guy that ran an inline 6 in a 64 Nova at 1/8 mile strip near me in TN and the sounds are so unique. It was a 5 second car though and that was 10 plus years ago. Love what you're doing.
I have an sbc swapped Chevy S10 but it started rod knocking shortly after the build. I kinda want to do something newer and different instead of LS swapping, I think a boosted 4200 might be the way to go. Thanks for the inspiration and information.
If the 4200 is too long to fit in the S10, there's always the LV3 4300 that came out in 2014 as the base Silverado engine.
Great video as always!
I just picked up a 02 4200 for my mother's 04 trailblazer and noticed they have a oil level/temp sensor probably going to wire that into a buzzer just for security.
Planning my own 4200 swap after this 4200 replacement.
Sweet. It's dangerous to go alone. Take this: sites.google.com/view/vortec4200wiki/home
@@Calvin-Nelson thanks!
I'm extremely impressed with how sorted out everything is.
Very valuable information.
@@Calvin-Nelson LOL, I remember that sentence from the old school!
@@RJARRRPCGP I figured someone would know. Lol
I'm amazed at how much horsepower you can squeeze out of a Vortec. Who would have thought a grocery getter SUV engine could be such a beast with some boost?
Heck yeah. 4 valve to the front.
We can make every engine a beast with boost. Nice video and good work
It is pretty crazy
Pretty strong engine stock I think many of us ever owned one probably realized the potential.
My mother had the engine in a white trailblazer. Aside from being pretty peppy for a monster school bus sized exterior, that engine had so much torque. The transmissions were junk but man, you could pull a house in low gear with the torque. I never thought of boosting one but always thought it would have been a good mustang starter engine over the 4.slow v-6. Sweet power out of that sweet up there. You guys did great.
I remember some years ago when and where a couple of guys took an old 230 Chevy and made 460+ HP NA'd. @around 6k rpm with carbs and pump gas. They went on at the time to have the fast inline in racing soon after. No VVT, no electronic controls what so ever.
Aussie Mopar fan here, great motor I never heard of before! I grew up driving Valiants with the 245 and 265 Hemi 6, now I can't afford them. Currently drive an 02 Falcon 1 tonne ute( intech 4litre six, dedicated lpg). Another bulletproof big inline six ( I know because I've owned 2) is the Jaguar AJ6 and preferrably the AJ16(no distributor version). These motors were designed to be strong enough to be diesels had Jaguar fulfilled all their plans. Jaguar supercharged some and there were a few built turboed by aftermarket companies and sold as limited run new cars. Jaguar helped Ford with the crankshaft of the intech six for the Aussie Falcon even. Perks of Ford owning Jaguar back then- pretty sure there's more influence than that which has resulted in the Barra.
That's awesome man. I wish we got the hemi 6 cylinders here.
Heck yeah!! For my application I would need a full custom oil pan, engine mounts, intake and exhaust manifolds. Seriously considering the 4200 over an Ls swap
These engines seem really powerful for the size
Some later 4.2s were making 297hp stock
Great work! Love seeing what other GM engines can do!
I have a 04 trailblazer and I'm pushing only 350 to the wheels but I always wanted to add a turbo but all of my friends and family always told me it wouldn't hold boost but they where wrong know I'm gonna go all out know. Thank for show us that those motors have true potential. 👍
Those z cars up to 78 are sweet and with that vortec engine 🙌 yeehaww!!!!!
I think people are going to be snapping these engines up now! Great job!
that didnt pan out too well
I like the LS engines, but this 4200 build is definitely interesting.
Great work.
So do I. Thanks.
OMG!!!!! That was awesome!!!! This is very impressive and so inspiring to us other car folk. Please keep doing what you all are doing. I love the inline 6. Yes, call them out!! We can do more. The automotive industry needs to do more. All the billions of dollars the big three have been given of all of our taxpayers money. Why have real car men and women not been able to make changes and influence things more. You are right, we could do more and have way more awesome engines and after marketing support form all of the cars, trucks, engines, and all other parts. I am so stoked to do some work on my slant 6 one of these days now.
Thanks man!
Awesome! After this video, I bet there was a run on salvage yards for 4.2s.
Pretty cool. Technology has dramatically increased the hp gains on street and race motors these days. John Lingenfelter (RIP) made over 1,000hp on a GM 4 cylinder Ecotec engine years back. The biggest challenge at the time was keeping the cylinder head from cracking. The turbo he used was damn near the size of the engine block. You guys oughta be killing it on the strip. Best of luck!
Thanks!!!
Congrats guys ! Been following since day 1 Hard to beat a 4.2 vortec
Awesome work to all involved. Adding another oddball engine for gear heads to play with is what makes this so cool!!!
Thanks.
@@Calvin-Nelson are the stock pistons full floating?
I would be happy with a stock 4200 and transmission combo for my old 67 c-10
I've thought about this exact setup.
You could retain cruise control.
I know in the early years 02-05
The engine and transmission harness are one and the ECM/TCM bolts to the side of the stock intake.
A bundle of wires about the thickness of a quarter run from the engine wiring harness into the fuse box.
After watching this video, may consider this little monster for my 67 C-10 as well
Damn near 300hp in stock form. Excellent for an older vehicle with an O/D trans so you can cruise on the freeway. Probably get half decent mileage too.
Also, it’s an all-aluminum motor, major weight savings over a BB v8
What makes these great is they are naturally balanced. I bought an 07 envoy for this powerplant.
I purchased a trailblazer with a 4200 in it that was knocking like crazy. Thing threw a rod on the way home, 2 large holes in the block and it still drove 6 miles to a friends house.
Everybody that knows about these engines know their strong as hell. I rember someone saying GM didn't release cam blanks or cranks for them that's why nobody bothered building them.
You can get so much out of the stock cam grind. There has been a lot of folks that have built them. Most have them have been very secretive about it though.
I honestly love inline 6 engines.
Nothing growls like a good V8, but I can't help but love I-6 engines like the ford 300 for example.
So glad you chose this engine. It is a very pretty engine too. I've seen a few in hot rods now. They can be "oldified" very well too.
90 degree v6 sounds better than 90° v8
Its wild how much power its making with such little boost gotta love that 4v per cyl design. I think a set of forged pistons along with the rods you added would help this thing comfortably make 1000 wheel, which is pretty crazy given how stock this engine is. 2jz guys usually need billet mains, aftermarket cams, and ARP hardware all over to make that happen through an unlocked auto.
Just watched a video of a 2jz teardown on one that was run somewhat hard at Bonneville last year , it had every "unobtanium" part in it money could buy & it was hurt , I realize this is not a comparison but I think it shows the potential of this motor to be every bit a worthy alternative .
There have been 1000hp unopened 2js
@@danielwilliams214 Not through an unlocked auto lol maybe a manual but thats like a 100hp difference between an unlocked auto. Also you usually need head studs and valvesprings atleast to even attempt more than 600 wheel with one through an auto. So idk what you mean by unopened but thats not unopened lol
I’ve personally made 1100+ on an unopened 2jzge, with easily 60+ 1/8 runs no issues.
@@I_Build_Cars post proof all i see is a "sbe" with everything done to it that makes 730whp and thats not "unopened." Basically what i already said, cammed,, springs, arp hardware, etc...
I can’t believe I hadn’t really known much about this engine before. I knew of the L52 and LLR but I had no idea there was an I6 Atlas, and it’s insane!!
Aussie here. I read years ago that ford Australia ran the final concept of the barra, before release, on the the dyno on full load and full power for like 1000 hours with no issue. this vortec looks like its got huge valves in her as standard. bigger than barra. hard to judge from vidya tho. You could be on to winner tho. not knowing how common the vortec are, the barras were so abundant in N/A form, and thats one of the best things about them, a widely available good base for some spestic power potential. as long as you get a good block that hasnt core shifted to much, the good blocks are well into 4 firgures power and torque (nm wise).
But anything can make power, the real winners are the ones that can handle it for a decent period of time.
cool vid mate. subed for sure. oh and ... Gday mate
Thanks. The 4200s are extremely common in the US. One of our local junkyards has 20 of them. Trying to make a market before they're all gone.
I bought a 07 Trailblazer 4x4 with a rod knock. It took me a good long while to source all the parts and lots of unexpected TTY bolts everywhere, and rethreading head bolt threads on the block deck. But, after all that, the thing puts a grin on my face at WOT at 5k rpm and up. It's a cool motor.
Normally, I would steer away from a GM, but I like this motor.
the transmission probably doesn't like 5K rpm though - I got a reman transmission but sometimes I still do 5K. The highest torque peak is actually 3600 rpm.
I remember having read a car magazine several years ago when those inline six were new and the guy that wrote the column says that the GM engineers basically copied a Supra engine and made it bigger
The power numbers really hit me when you showed the cam numbers. That's less lift than any stock LS cam & same duration as an L92, but then again 4 valves do flow a lot better than 2. 2JZ & Barra guys have to be a bit annoyed, especially when you consider how easy it is to adapt a 4l80e, th400, or glide. Similar power & sound for a whole lot less.
To be fair to the LS, it's also a lot cheaper for a TBSS intake, Holley oil pan, and stock coils than a custom-fabbed intake & oil pan and aftermarket coils.
70 years after going out of production people are buying flatheads. Folks who like straight 6s will love the video. Guys who don't have an open mind d will not see merits in any platform except the one they love. The days of the $100 LSs are eclipsing. The car scene is still fun. The next platform is still waiting to be fun...did I mention the car scene is still fun
why would barra guys be annoyed they're cheap and they make more power. and there's already adapters for any transmission you'd want to run behind one if you exceed the limits of the zf 6 speed.
@@6226superhurricane most won't get jammed up. But there are more then a few haters who have commented
How about the Mercedes Benz Diesel Inline 6 Engine? The OM606 Engine.
@@6226superhurricane exactly, guys are making those numbers on ex taxi non turbo barra engines with 800000km on them
As a technician and not ever having to open up a 4200, I've always heard nightmare stories. After seeing this specifically NOT in a trailblazer im less intimidated. And suddenly very curious looking at a pile of used turbos 🤣
Still waiting since 2004. Got only 200,000 miles on it. No oil leaks. Happens when you change the oil at less the recommended intervals and pay attention to the coolant too.
BUT working on any thing under the hood is a major pain. The spark plugs are kinda sorta easy. After you remove the beauty cover.
Awesome! Got one for a 3800?
@@warrenpuckett4203 Yup! Coolant is very important. The 3 vehicles I hot-rod have 160° thermostats. Forgot...and new radiators!
no way!! the other day i was just at work looking at one of these thinking why its never been done. cool to see this turbo
I have been talking about this motor for a decade. And have never had the funds to build this kind of machine but I knew it was possible. For a decade, I have been screaming that we already have a barra in the us
Makes since, I believe a inline requires much less balancing wizardry / has better harmonics than any other piston engine configuration. I don't know why we don't see more inline v6 engines... other than they are likely longer than the v8 or v6 for that matter.
Inline V6's are very rare I hear.
Bro you're so ignorant. Inline v6? Shut up. No 6 will ever be more balanced than an engine with say twice the cylinders. 12s and 10s and inherently more balanced by their nature.
Now this is some cool shit! I know there seems to be a lot of people doing stuff with the 3.5/3.7L inline 5 which is just this engine minus one cylinder. What do you think of the 5 cylinder? I've been considering getting my hands on a Camaro and seeing if I can shoehorn in the 5 cylinder with a turbo or two.
3.7L in-line 5 this would awesome for H3! 👍
They are one of the best sounding engines out there.. have a 3.7 in my Colorado Xtreme.
@@adamcnow H3 came with this engine as a base. 2004-2012 canyon/Colorado/H3
@@twiitchish yes H3’s came with 5 cylinders only, not 6 cylinders. Oh, and Alpha V8. Be awesome to see if someone could build a turbo on a 5 cylinder H3.
I have always been a fan of the Inline Six and am thrilled that people are taking another serious look at the benefits and potential of this engine family! Ultra-Mega-MAGA
I have very often thought about the 4.2 GM DOHC inline 6 as great choice for a vintage mid 30's through 48 Chevy Street rod project and thus keeping the car t rue to it's inline 6 heritage. Even in slightly modified state of tune it would make a sweet running and quick street performer. I'm an inline six fan and have always preferred working on them.
I daily a 03 trailblazer with the 4200. It surprises Alot of people. 52mph in 1st, 94mph in 2nd, buried speedo in 3rd. I've been contemplating a 100 shot of nos to help get off the line.
It's crazy I just realized the potential of these motors last month and it was so random seeing a junkyard post with a trailblazer "l6" I was like a straight 6 , 4.2? I never heard of? Why? And now it's all I think about and am mad I wasn't a year easier fuckkkk
This just might be the ultimate motor for an insane low budget but red hot sand car to embarrass all the $300k LS fluff out there these days! 👀 😎
I've always told my bros that I wanted to take the motor out of my trailblazer and put it in a race car. I can tell that they have a lot of potential
Dude that’s impressive, I knew they were strong back then but never imagined this , awesome work
I dig it. Those are the kind of stats I've seen from a 4.0. 6 cylinder jeep motor. Impressive 🤔👍❤
I've not seen a Jeep 4.0L that has the cylinder head flow that these do. Throw enough boost at anything, and it'll make power
@@Calvin-Nelson thats awsome, I'm talking about Profesional high proformance engine building, and dynamic testing, with stats beyond a diesel 700 pluss hp with 700 foot pounds of torque. And they said they believe they can easly hit 800 horse with the same torque, and torque is whats going to move it beyond horsepower,
I read about it and watched the videos of what they achieved, 6 cylenders are no joke, hell even the iron Duke. A 4 calendar was known to get over 400 horse. Done right is the name of this game. You've done an awsome jobe. I'll pat you on you back, and give you 🤔👍👍👍👍👍, yeah, several of these, . Good video.
Oh yeah, I don't know about the motor you showed, sorry, engine, but the jeep motor has 7 bering journals on its crank, very strong torque monsters . 🤔👍
The engine has a double overhead cam four valves per cylinder it’s just superior in the cylinder head. I know you want to mention 71 in.³ but the cylinder head technology is superior to the LS!
Yup. Volumetric efficiency through the roof.
Kinda proving the point that the LS never should have gotten the cult it has now... Especially given that it is essentially pre ww2 cylinder head design...
@@Ludofjn what lol??? The pushrod engine is an excellent design, especially with the introduction and implementation of hydraulic roller cams in the more “modern” engines. The most powerful crate engine you can buy has over 1000hp and is a pushrod. It’s a simple, tough, inexpensive, and extremely reliable platform. It completely deserves the cult following it has, and it will last longer than a modular, overhead cam engine with similar power.
@@iDrive4fun93 ya i dont get all the people that hate on the LS platform, the only bad thing you can really say about it is that you are tired of seeing them swapped into everything but that alone should tell someone everything they need to know. its pretty rare to see a ford or dodge swapped project for a reason. as soon as people mention push rods as being a bad thing is when they expose themselves and their ignorance of engines. not hating on ford, dodge, or anything else but plenty of well known engine builders that will tell you the LS is king.
on another note tho i think these Ameri barra 6s are pretty cool, have a 92 obs single cab short bed with a 5 speed and old 350 that i would love to swap out for one. setup with a small single turbo and a AR5 manual trans. would be happy if i could get a reliable 400hp daily that still got decent gas mileage out of that combo in a gutted lightweight obs.
It has variable cam timming and 4 valves per cylinder of course it will make more power per cube
they are impressive engines I have a ext Trailblazer with nearly 200,000 miles on it and a dodge hemi truck can't walk me
I highly doubt you could keep up with a 2012 and up Hemi Ram.
@@sierravmax you got to remember it's not fixed up nothing special and it has lifter noise but I have no problem having fun if I get beat okay I should but sometimes you be surprised
@@BB-fv2dw Their 1/4 mile times are 16-17 seconds. Not going to surprise anyone. lol
@@sierravmax you seem sensitive about this I in churchville MD anytime
@@BB-fv2dw No I am not. Stop getting a big head because of what this guy did. He yanked out the 6 cylinder of a Trailblazer and slapped it in a light weight car and strapped a turbo to it. Sorry but you will be way too slow for me to run. Waste of gas really when I already take out TBSS's easily.
I love the sound of six bangers 😍
I know youngsters love flames, pops and bangs but since I (and most older bike owners) hate popping on deceleration I learned to remove fuel
in the hard deceleration, high vacuum area of the map = zero pops, bangs or flames...
I have a 6.0 LS and had a 4.2 L in a trailblazer. I love both. When the 4.2 came out, it was GMs most advanced engine.
lol there were more advanced engines in the early 90s
@@Jeff7477 It was GMs first drive by wire and VVT. Name the motor that was far more advanced. It is also the most powerful inline N/A 6 cyl. ever made for a SUV or car.
@@kevin122759 vettes and trucks had electronic throttle years before that…so what?
Yes... they did it's called the 6-71 detroit and it was produced for longer than any other engine too I reckon that makes it the best by some measures.