GM stuck with the pushrod engine and did so brilliantly. These engines are bullet proof. They took the original small block and perfected it. Yes, I'm a Chevy guy.
Overhead Cams require too many moving parts and way too much to create an easy engine to manufacture and to maintain. These engines are so easily modified, 1 Cam 1 Chain I really don't see the reason for a dual sprocket Drive with 2 Cams per head. A Cam swap for performance would be ridiculous!
The first Engine I ever rebuilt completely (top and bottom) was in 1973 when I got my first car, a 1966 Mustang w/289. I was 17 and my step-dad was a Choctaw Indian and immensely patient (one of the most patient man I've ever met in my 59 years). Watching how motors are assembled in a modern factory is incredible. My "patient" step-dad taught me how to completely dismantle and rebuild an engine. After the small block Ford I went on to MOPARs and still drive a Dodge V8 Ram Pickup (5.9 liter Magnum). Watching new car manufacturing is just amazing. My 36 year old son is a Mechanical Engineer and is keeping the spirit alive! He's a Chevy guy...
I could have used that tool at 3:29 that guides the rods onto the crank, back in 1978, I burned a hole in one piston of a 340 in 73 road runner, I was 18 with two years of Vo-Tec auto mechanics, my Father wouldn't know a wrench from a ratchet, so I was on my own, so when I put the piston in the cylinder the threads on the connecting rod nicked the crank shaft, so I found a 318 and stuck that in with the hopes of eventually rebuilding the 340, I ended up wrecking the car before I ever got the money together to rebuild the motor.
Wow, me too! I rebuilt my 1966 mustang's 289 in my parents garage. I remember it cost me $150 which was a lot considering I was making $1.50 an hour at Six Flags. Later I had a 70 Charger with the 383 Magnum. When it needed a fresh motor the gas crisis hit...traded it for a new 76 Corolla! Now I have a 72 stingray in the garage, had it for 15 years. My two sons helped replace the small block with a 383 stroker. I will hang on to the original motor and pass it on one day.
@@MrMichaelbuesing About 1977 my friends Father bought a 66 Mustang fastback 289 four speed, for $500, he would dangle that car in front of my friend to get him to do things he didn't want to do, the main thing was finish getting his eagle badge, I don't know if he bought the car for that reason, but it worked, my friend got his eagle, he let me drive it too, that was a fun car. 1972 was the last good year for Corvette, in my opinion.
Glad to see a fair amount of emphasis put on the human fact of the facility. As a new hire at GM's Wentzville Assembly,and former 14 yr. employee of Dodge/Chrysler,what the Plant Manager says is true. Without the people,the machine which is the plant,doesn't function. From the highly skilled tradesmen & women that keep the machinery and tooling maintained,to the lines people that perform the high skill,delicate assembly processes. These are all top notch folks. Very proud moment for me watching this. UAW for life,Union for life.
@EpiDemic117 Gm's and Ford and Chrysler want to build 4000#, 650 hp cars and 6500# trucks for $45K and up- they make more money per vehicle, and their costs are only slightly higher than the small car's. We have consistently failed at the production of small well built cars. Some individuals have designed and built some here but Detroit seems to be unable to do so; the success of the Ford Mustang is as much a hail Mary pass to save Fomoco from financial ruin from the Edsel followed by the Falcon failure to start. All this because "Americans don't really like small cars" was their mantra; now the quality small cars produced by foreign owned plants with American help out number the American cars- Toyota is the largest car builder in America today. The Big Three seem hopelessly unable to "get the memo", so they are going to get out of the small car and passenger cars altogether- except maybe Cadillac and Corvette- and oddly enough, both are client plants of Tonawandas!
I appreciate all you do to help build engines. You union bosses are helping eliminate your jobs. Hopefully you guys figure that out before the engineers automate what you do and no longer need any humans.
I live in the area and had family members work in that plaint. We are very thankful for GM commitment to Buffalo area. The UAW here has Ben great. If I remember correct The ZO6 engine worked out 427 CID going back to a very famous GM engine built buy the same plaint. No other engine in the world has this HP to weight ratio. and there is versions of V8 running on E 85 gasoline as well. great job showing the LT4!!
The valve retainer install blew my mind, anyone thats every struggled to get them on (and off) this was almost magic. Great video, think I would be asking Steve what I needed to do to get one of them out the "back door". Thanks for the upload, very well done.
I have 250k Mile's on all my GM 5.3 trucks and Mini van 320k original motor never apart use no oil no leaks only minor issues. GM came a long way from 1980s junk. I am Gm forever now. Gonna try 400k on 2004 Venture van 3.4. Will send to GM plant to inspect it amazing. Cheap to fix also. LS 6 kicks ass on race day also..
All these Tonawanda Built LS V8 Engines (i.e. LS3,LS1,LT4) have probably more precision and accuracy than you could ever obtain even in an old School Clean Room Race Shop. Probably the reason the LS3 crate engine is the most popular engine for Hot Rod and Resto Mod Builders. Just going by today's Machine Shop Prices; you could not even get close to the cost of a built Crate engine which as you can see by the Video is blueprinted beyond any normal type Mfgering/ Assembly. With the technology of today's Computerized Robot controlled Machinery (i.e. CNC's,lasers, Mills,Boring/Honing,Broachs,etc. They can build an engine with a precision pretty much unobtainable in the days of production Muscle Car Engines of the 60's and early 70's. Probably why Chevrolet has so much Confidence in their new ZL1 Camaro, that they will let you go Off Road Racing and still maintain your full warranty. Don't remember them doing that back in the L88 / ZL1 Days ... Great informative Video !
+steve matz yeah a properly built early small block or big block on a budget is about $8000-$10,000. that LT4 is $12,000. GM is making the choice easier every year. the LS9 a few years ago was out of most people's budget @ $22,000. GM is finally coming around and thinking right.
I became a Chevy man on my own. Growing up in a a Ford household didn't keep me from seeing for myself the things that Chevy "allowed" the common man to have and build his own performance machine with parts interchangeability and ease of maintenance. Simple, easy and reliability are the keys to customer loyalty.
I also grew up in a Ford household! Got tired of walking to school and the grocery store! Bought a Chevy and went out on a drunkin Ford killin spree! Ah those were the days!
I hate it when snobs out there think that american engines are less techy. In fact its not.. it's a simple engine design and if it ain't broke, why fix it?...
And look at it this way; Back in the day if you got 100,000 miles out of your engine before needing say a rear main seal, valve job, etc. you were doing pretty good. Now days 100 grand on these engines is trivial. This because the precision tolerances that old school engines never had is incorporated. These Engines even on critical clearances like Con Rod big end Housing ID and Block main bearing clearance ID will stay within .0001 (that's 1 ten thousandth) accuracy. I can remember brandnew Gen 1 SB LT1 Cranks being out as much .008-.010 on stroke from front to back. You won't see that on an LS Crank, another reason these engines have double even triple the longevity of GEN 1 Engines ...
Great video, very informative, really appreciate the insight into a top notch plant producing a top competing performance engine that has great racing heritage and a performing pedigree including many wins over Europe's best sport cars at a very competitive price. The LT4 is a marvelous reflection of engineering and production competence, this plant deserves a big thumbs up! The Tonawanda team is certainly performing at a top level. As for the negative and very misinformed junk comments from some of the haters below relating uniforms to professionalism, a clear demonstration of insecrinty and their realization of how far behind they have fallen behind. Thanks to the team for a great job, I recently took delivery of my 2015 Z06 and could not be happier!
Absolutely mind blowing, especially when a Machinist like me from the old days of hand setting dials to read Thousands and now 40 yrs later we are talking Microns, POW TO THE MOON!!! Thank for the mind trip, lol.
I dig the big block 2 stroke conversions. I good motor to start with is a Harley v-twin 1600, S@S billet aluminum, or honda 1800, kawasaki v-twin have room to cut any port pattern nto those huge jugs.
They built the famous LS6 454/450 horse in the 70"s, Which you can easily make it produce more than 650 HP, without a Supercharger. Always loved Tonawanda, keep em coming Guys and Gals.
Tonowanda has built the best GM engines for years. Any time I'm looking for my next rebuild project in a junk yard I always make sure it has a T stamped on it.
I was honestly more interested in all the robots and technology around the plant throughout its assembly/production lines the the actual engines. Im an engineering student but i also am studying automotive technology as a hobby.
Henry Ford paid his workers enough so they could buy one of the cars they were building. Back then Ford paid $5 a day, a new high for factory workers. But family expenses back then were so much lower than today - no expensive health insurance, internet, cable TV, multiple cell phones, two-and-three car families with car insurance, vacations, airplane flights, boats, motorcycles and other toys, and so on. Today, if those GM workers really average $21 /hour as stated in an earlier post, their $42,000 per year will barely buy a $20,000 car on a five year loan with payments of $375 /month. Maybe a single guy in a modest apartment can afford $375/month on $42k wages (take-home about $2500 /month), but not a one-earner family with 2 kids - unless the employer pays for at least 80% of their health insurance, offers some overtime and pays at least a modest yearly bonus. To me, a sustainable family wage starts about $55k per year for a one earner family of 4, and unless we get back to that we will continue to slide to third-world status, whether we have unions, robots, or whatever. Americans can't thrive on minimum wage, and though a min wage earner would drool for $21 per hour, it is not all that much money, and hardly enough to live the American dream. Not everyone can be the plant manager, or the VP Finance, etc, somebody has got to build the goods and transport and sell and service them. Sadly, all management can think of is the bottom line for the next current and next quarter, so they buy expensive robots engineered and built overseas, and reduce their workforce both in number and in payscale. They plan very short term - which is why we have the sad situation in Detroit that we have today.
$5 per day in 1914 figures out to about $16 per hour adjusted for inflation today. As you mentioned at the very start of your comment, it isn't that Henry Ford paid his workers a lot of money. The real issue is that everything today is so much more expensive. And people consider items that were luxuries even 20 years ago as necessities today.
I am with you I am a retired GM worker our base was almost $55,000 a year and that was 12 year's ago everything is way down since the 08 crash and they have kept the finger down on y'all since it's a dam shame we could afford our top of the line cars and trucks but it's hard on you to make the same thing use to be GM paid for your med insurance us retired folk are on union insurance and some days that will be gone we were always promised insurance through GM that went to hell in the 08 crash too the gov made it were unions can't do anything about retired workers at contact time unless the company offers it they cannot ask for us so at only 40 percent of our working pay we are being hit also that's what you get when we vote for Republicans they fight for company not you look they got the biggest tax break in history and it's forever ours only till 2024 the it goes back up and with the debt we are in it will be the biggest tax hike in history
My last GM vehicle, 2012 Acadia. It was a couple years old. I refuse to buy new, just too much money for what you get. Have Toyota Prius. Never have to work on it, just drive it. All the new cars look the same. Not excited.
So true w when I retired from GM I made around 27 an hour plus over time but today they pay less 20 or so our country is going in the wrong direction so sad yet we have political opponents to unions and fare wages we have those that say Americans first but are doing things that are hurting the poor this makes no since we will be a third world country or at least a second if we continue to believe in the politics of toda6 and I mean both sides of the aisle are wrong and to much to o the right or the left we need to work together and let our company's and union's do there dance this stuff that's going on in the states and on the federal level needs to stop work on getting our country out of debt and ma ok e SS whole again and our insurance from the gov and require companys to insure there workers and rebuild our military there sh6 never be a disabled veteran homeless this other political stuff is getting in the way of the American people and our right's as Americans to work hard and be able to retire comfortably not worry about medical expenses and keeping a roof over your head and food on your table that goes for the still working class also if we really what to make American grate get off the agenda both sides are on and do the real work of helping your fellow Americans
GM really needs to stop re-using the LT designation. This is the third time, it's just getting confusing now. Great video though! Very interesting to watch.
+Spahi77 the LT engine designation was used on first generation small blocks (ex. 70s Corvette), second generation small blocks (ex the LT4 you mentioned), and is now being used a third time for the new engines in the new Corvette and Camaro.
LS engines were first introduced in 1997 (LS1, duh), and were made every year until 2014. Thats 17 consecutive yrs using the same name and design. the difference between gen3 and gen4 motors is basically just 1 piece, the crank trigger wheel. All the other parts are interchangeable. This makes them very easy to modify and maintain. The LT designation was used in the 70's on gen1 smallblocks, then again 20 yrs later in the 90's on gen2 smallblocks, and now again 20yrs later on the gen5 smallblock. The gen1 and 2 engines share very few parts, and the gen5 shares parts with nothing. See why people complain about LT's?
I'm surprised they don't do a test run. As the top engine I would expect each LT4 would be tested and even put on a dynamometer to document performance.
8/2024: Good Day From The FUTURE. This is one of the best educational videos that I have ever seen. I'm 72 and have owned three 440 magnum engined cars and a 383 & 340. I have a 2004 Corvette Z06 Commemorative with the LS6, the finest engine that I have owned. 133,000 miles on it and it's still factory perfect. All wonderful engines. This video is very interesting. Thank You & Best Regards.
I apparently have been unnecessarily careful with all the engines I have assembled over the years. Looks like just slapping main bearing in place without proper tang alignment to the block register is OK on a 630 hp engine (3:19). Really makes me wonder.... The fully automated cylinder head assembly station in just mind boggling. Really good video!
Nice engine The exhaust manifolds could be better eg welded and mandrel bent. The exhaust system on the cars also could be better. Not bad for a gas guzzler.
Had a 68 Impala with the Custom coupe Top, it had a 327 350 HP Valve cover's had Tonawanda Race team on the Valve cover's....400 turbo trans and 12 bolt limited slip.... only 21,000 miles on it.... silver and black vinyl Top....She was awesome... Mother was rear ended hard warped the frame buckled the quarters.... I put everything in a 72 Chevy swb fleetside....that was 75 drove till 85 sold... The little pick up shocked many.... she was sweet I even installed the 12 bolt, I removed the coil suspension and installed leaf springs...The earlier Impala had same wheel bolt pattern as the half ton pick up....
What is needed is a dual turbocharged LT engine using the LT4 bottom end for its strength and the heads for their flow and fuel system. A larger version of the LT1 intake can feed the higher flow turbo output which would yield over 750 hp due to the removal of the supercharger drag.
So awesome. This is one of the coolest engine building videos I've seen so far and actually seeing the engines being built is just amazing. Imagine if 3D printing becomes mainstream, I'll have no doubt that this plant will convert to additive manufacturing and actually 3D print their engines
When they say "The crankshaft starts as a raw casting" the piece shown is a raw forging. It's a forged crankshaft. All the other info I've looked at for the LT4 specs it as a forged crankshaft.
I guess since a 4 cylinder engine has less pistons than a v8, the quality control manager for the 4 bangers has more free time to give a tour. LOL. Just a stupid joke, I hope someone found it funny.
This car was intentionally designed with certain engineering flaws that are meant to fail. You can't have a reliable car that ran well all the time. Otherwise Chevy would be out of business. To bad it cost an obscene amount just to change the heat/AC diverter doors, remove top half of engine to access firewall, then remove the several hundred pound dashboard as a unit...$5000 to $6000 to replace less than $200 in wear-out parts. Oil pressure sender fail? They DO! and its a $12 part that takes $1,400 in labor to access.
5 to 6 k in labor? @ a hundred an hour shop rate....50 to 60 hrs? I call bullshit. Ya, GM is going to make a part so difficult to replace, knowing that they have to reimburse the dealership if it fails under warranty...retired gm service tech in 95...I loved warranty work, especially at the cad store...sts needs a motor, warranty pays 18hrs... drop it off at 8 am and pick it up at 5:30...evaparator cores bin c/h body cars...1 he and 15 min. Warranty pays 7.2- 7.4 hrs. Shit it all easy.
They try to hide the fact that there are so few workes the plant looks empty. In the end, they praise the workers, but it's pretty hollow since the workers are there just to watch the robots. 71 million engines produced here and with the $400 million retooling, they will have increased production with just a handful of workers. This is typical and spells the end of employment for most people. Their ultimate goal is to eliminate all employees... It's happening all over the world. We will need a Universal Basic Income to survive. There will be no work and eventually the rich that can afford a Z06 will be gone and they can't sell them to homeless, unemployed people.
Lots of camera cuts in that feed. With all the precision engineering the robots might engineer themselves out of a job. If a motor can run 500,000 miles in a corvette thats longer than the owner will live.
Ill bet GM would never notice if one of those beauties just kinda ...slid ...off the line on to a delivery truck to my house. Cmon guys...can we make this happen?
the price did come down, way down. the millions saved went straight into upper management pockets with 95% of it too CEO, then the price of vehicles skyrocketed
lowest price per hp of any engine + quality ..made in USA by workers averaging $21/hr ... manufacturing technology is the means for making America Industrialized Again, while paying workers a decent wage. FYI - 650hp, crate motor price is ~$13,800 .. the cost of a stage I upgrade performance kit for Euro motors, lol !!!
Yea unfortunately rebuilding your own engine is a thing of the past I built a 350 327 and a 460 ford motor back in the day but it really don’t make sense anymore with the availability of crate engines now days.
Love love love it! I think there is a gap in the market between standard "car porn" and technical informative videos on UA-cam. Much like the install videos and even how to check tire temperatures videos you guys are doing is going in the right direction. Much like motoiq provides that in prose, speed academy is in video format. Keep at it!
Sorry m8, but the LT4 isn't the most powerful engine that GM built. The most powerful (and also biggest) would the the legendary 572. Produces somewhere around 900 Hp.
So were all of the LT4s built there and shipped to Bowling Green Kentucky, or were some still made at Bowling Green with the corvettes? If so how do you know where the LT4 was made?
It eliminates the factor of human error. I trust a precisely-calibrated robot more than I trust a human to reliably build an engine correctly time-after-time over millions of engines. I've yet to see a machine show up to work hung over, to say the least...
I wonder how many engineers it took to design it, programmers to make it do what it does, people to install it, people to maintain it. Also, how many people does it take to build that robot?
I wonder how many US jobs these robots have saved because automation cost the same no matter where you're located. "Y'all want robots or you want the plant to move to Mexico?"
In your GREAT video, you were told & show the LT4 uses a 'raw casting' that is machined, but that's not correct for the Z06 LT4. For the LT4's used in the Corvette Z06, the crankshaft is actually 'forged steel', as per GM's Press own info - quote: COMPACT POWERHOUSE: INSIDE CORVETTE Z06’S 650-hp supercharged 6.2L V-8 LT4 ENGINE, it possesses world-class power in a more efficient package: Rotating assembly - Each component of the rotating assembly is unique to the LT4 to support the cylinder pressures the boosted engine is capable of generating, as well as the unique requirements for a lower compression ratio. Elements include: The 1528MV "forged steel crankshaft" uses tungsten balancing inserts, ground pin collars and intermediate pin drills for rods #1-6.
Didn't notice deck plates torqued on durning machining.Touquing head bolts and 6bolt mains distorts the block by microns.This is a high level mass production process nonetheless.
Hey @j jones Robots don't need cars but people in China would be happy to build engines for $2.00 per hour .. I am glade they are made in the USA ! Meanwhile some Female CEO at GM who makes $22 Million per year and was on a List to run for VP with Hillary Clinton .. just closed 6 GM car building factories .. She wants that Government money to build Driver less cars and electric cars.. I guess the day is coming when Humans will be too stupid to drive their own car.. They don't want you to own a car they want you to rent a self driving car by the mile from Uber.. Really they want you to ride a bus or train ..
![LT5 V8 Engine Assembly by GM Techs at SEMA Show - C7 Corvette ZR1 6.2l Supercharged Crate Motor [4K]](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/s4vjoiJkePQ/mqdefault.jpg)
I toured the engine plant my Senior year of high school 1972. It was amazing. I'd like to see it up close once again.
You're really aiming high...
This would be my favorite type of willy wonka experience.
GM stuck with the pushrod engine and did so brilliantly. These engines are bullet proof. They took the original small block and perfected it. Yes, I'm a Chevy guy.
Yep
Can't really argue with success.
What ? So they never went to overhead cams ? I guess they already have bucketloads of power without needing to go overhead cams.
Overhead Cams require too many moving parts and way too much to create an easy engine to manufacture and to maintain. These engines are so easily modified, 1 Cam 1 Chain I really don't see the reason for a dual sprocket Drive with 2 Cams per head. A Cam swap for performance would be ridiculous!
old school 2 valve per cyl why fuck with perfection.
The first Engine I ever rebuilt completely (top and bottom) was in 1973 when I got my first car, a 1966 Mustang w/289. I was 17 and my step-dad was a Choctaw Indian and immensely patient (one of the most patient man I've ever met in my 59 years). Watching how motors are assembled in a modern factory is incredible. My "patient" step-dad taught me how to completely dismantle and rebuild an engine. After the small block Ford I went on to MOPARs and still drive a Dodge V8 Ram Pickup (5.9 liter Magnum). Watching new car manufacturing is just amazing. My 36 year old son is a Mechanical Engineer and is keeping the spirit alive! He's a Chevy guy...
Love the story
I wonder if your step dad is related to Elizabeth Warren 🤔
I could have used that tool at 3:29 that guides the rods onto the crank, back in 1978, I burned a hole in one piston of a 340 in 73 road runner, I was 18 with two years of Vo-Tec auto mechanics, my Father wouldn't know a wrench from a ratchet, so I was on my own, so when I put the piston in the cylinder the threads on the connecting rod nicked the crank shaft, so I found a 318 and stuck that in with the hopes of eventually rebuilding the 340, I ended up wrecking the car before I ever got the money together to rebuild the motor.
Wow, me too! I rebuilt my 1966 mustang's 289 in my parents garage. I remember it cost me $150 which was a lot considering I was making $1.50 an hour at Six Flags. Later I had a 70 Charger with the 383 Magnum. When it needed a fresh motor the gas crisis hit...traded it for a new 76 Corolla!
Now I have a 72 stingray in the garage, had it for 15 years. My two sons helped replace the small block with a 383 stroker. I will hang on to the original motor and pass it on one day.
@@MrMichaelbuesing About 1977 my friends Father bought a 66 Mustang fastback 289 four speed, for $500, he would dangle that car in front of my friend to get him to do things he didn't want to do, the main thing was finish getting his eagle badge, I don't know if he bought the car for that reason, but it worked, my friend got his eagle, he let me drive it too, that was a fun car.
1972 was the last good year for Corvette, in my opinion.
Glad to see a fair amount of emphasis put on the human fact of the facility. As a new hire at GM's Wentzville Assembly,and former 14 yr. employee of Dodge/Chrysler,what the Plant Manager says is true. Without the people,the machine which is the plant,doesn't function. From the highly skilled tradesmen & women that keep the machinery and tooling maintained,to the lines people that perform the high skill,delicate assembly processes. These are all top notch folks. Very proud moment for me watching this. UAW for life,Union for life.
phattvids :
No..stay away from the union..the only thing you get from that is an "O"nion. You can be replaced at any time.
I am with Brother I am a retired GM use worker
@EpiDemic117 Gm's and Ford and Chrysler want to build 4000#, 650 hp cars and 6500# trucks for $45K and up- they make more money per vehicle, and their costs are only slightly higher than the small car's. We have consistently failed at the production of small well built cars. Some individuals have designed and built some here but Detroit seems to be unable to do so; the success of the Ford Mustang is as much a hail Mary pass to save Fomoco from financial ruin from the Edsel followed by the Falcon failure to start. All this because "Americans don't really like small cars" was their mantra; now the quality small cars produced by foreign owned plants with American help out number the American cars- Toyota is the largest car builder in America today. The Big Three seem hopelessly unable to "get the memo", so they are going to get out of the small car and passenger cars altogether- except maybe Cadillac and Corvette- and oddly enough, both are client plants of Tonawandas!
I appreciate all you do to help build engines. You union bosses are helping eliminate your jobs. Hopefully you guys figure that out before the engineers automate what you do and no longer need any humans.
My GrandSport is running great! Thanks for doing good quality work assembling these engines. It's important to us owners.
I live in the area and had family members work in that plaint. We are very thankful for GM commitment to Buffalo area. The UAW here has Ben great. If I remember correct The ZO6 engine worked out 427 CID going back to a very famous GM engine built buy the same plaint. No other engine in the world has this HP to weight ratio. and there is versions of V8 running on E 85 gasoline as well. great job showing the LT4!!
The valve retainer install blew my mind, anyone thats every struggled to get them on (and off) this was almost magic.
Great video, think I would be asking Steve what I needed to do to get one of them out the "back door".
Thanks for the upload, very well done.
ramairgto72 lol almost like alien technology no flat head screwdriver
Could you imagine if the engine builders in the 60's during the hay day of muscle cars could see this stuff, what they would be thinking.
I think about that every single day..
Wish I could work at that plant, seems awesome.
I have 250k Mile's on all my GM 5.3 trucks and Mini van 320k original motor never apart use no oil no leaks only minor issues. GM came a long way from 1980s junk.
I am Gm forever now. Gonna try 400k on 2004 Venture van 3.4. Will send to GM plant to inspect it amazing. Cheap to fix also.
LS 6 kicks ass on race day also..
96k on my c5 Z06 stock Ls6...still lots of fun and enjoyment, so I won't be selling it dirt cheap, any time soon...lol
Glad GM still building these reliable beasts !
Thank you, I have driven through Tonawanda 100’s of times driving from Rochester to Buffalo, never knew this.
I love these types videos. Keep em coming, and thank you so much for the uploads!
+Youblixuous Thanks for the kinds words!
So proud of lt1 owner. Yes, mine is 17 Camaro SS. Love of ‘em !!
I have a one of these rocket ships and this engine is absolutely amazing with instant power.
I think 4th gear is my favorite.
lots of talk of union members and management but absolutely nothing could happen without the engineers..
All these Tonawanda Built LS V8 Engines (i.e. LS3,LS1,LT4) have probably more precision and accuracy than you could ever obtain even in an old School Clean Room Race Shop. Probably the reason the LS3 crate engine is the most popular engine for Hot Rod and Resto Mod Builders. Just going by today's Machine Shop Prices; you could not even get close to the cost of a built Crate engine which as you can see by the Video is blueprinted beyond any normal type Mfgering/ Assembly. With the technology of today's Computerized Robot controlled Machinery (i.e. CNC's,lasers, Mills,Boring/Honing,Broachs,etc. They can build an engine with a precision pretty much unobtainable in the days of production Muscle Car Engines of the 60's and early 70's. Probably why Chevrolet has so much Confidence in their new ZL1 Camaro, that they will let you go Off Road Racing and still maintain your full warranty. Don't remember them doing that back in the L88 / ZL1 Days ... Great informative Video !
+steve matz yeah a properly built early small block or big block on a budget is about $8000-$10,000. that LT4 is $12,000. GM is making the choice easier every year. the LS9 a few years ago was out of most people's budget @ $22,000. GM is finally coming around and thinking right.
You forgot the )
Both those engines are maintenance and up keep night mares .
Oh you mean if you park them in a barn for 40 years??
mike mentzer shuda won in 1980.... lol
I became a Chevy man on my own. Growing up in a a Ford household didn't keep me from seeing for myself the things that Chevy "allowed" the common man to have and build his own performance machine with parts interchangeability and ease of maintenance. Simple, easy and reliability are the keys to customer loyalty.
I also grew up in a Ford household! Got tired of walking to school and the grocery store! Bought a Chevy and went out on a drunkin Ford killin spree! Ah those were the days!
I hate it when snobs out there think that american engines are less techy. In fact its not.. it's a simple engine design and if it ain't broke, why fix it?...
Exactly every modern engine design has its pluses and minuses no design is better than another.
yep nothing dumb about it. But the STUPID power it makes :)
+Chris A so you are saying a rotary (wankel) is better since its the simplest engine there is
The Real Santa Claus well technically it could be if it had a bbc in its place but the pushrod block is actually complex
And look at it this way; Back in the day if you got 100,000 miles out of your engine before needing say a rear main seal, valve job, etc. you were doing pretty good. Now days 100 grand on these engines is trivial. This because the precision tolerances that old school engines never had is incorporated. These Engines even on critical clearances like Con Rod big end Housing ID and Block main bearing clearance ID will stay within .0001 (that's 1 ten thousandth) accuracy. I can remember brandnew Gen 1 SB LT1 Cranks being out as much .008-.010 on stroke from front to back. You won't see that on an LS Crank, another reason these engines have double even triple the longevity of GEN 1 Engines ...
And to see all those blocks just stacked up like boxes of candy.
it's wonderful!
Great video, very informative, really appreciate the insight into a top notch plant producing a top competing performance engine that has great racing heritage and a performing pedigree including many wins over Europe's best sport cars at a very competitive price. The LT4 is a marvelous reflection of engineering and production competence, this plant deserves a big thumbs up! The Tonawanda team is certainly performing at a top level. As for the negative and very misinformed junk comments from some of the haters below relating uniforms to professionalism, a clear demonstration of insecrinty and their realization of how far behind they have fallen behind. Thanks to the team for a great job, I recently took delivery of my 2015 Z06 and could not be happier!
Absolutely mind blowing, especially when a Machinist like me from the old days of hand setting dials to read Thousands and now 40 yrs later we are talking Microns, POW TO THE MOON!!!
Thank for the mind trip, lol.
I dig the big block 2 stroke conversions. I good motor to start with is a Harley v-twin 1600, S@S billet aluminum, or honda 1800, kawasaki v-twin have room to cut any port pattern nto those huge jugs.
I used work at assembly line. My favorite task was building ‘head’ blocks
That is a badd ass engine building plant..reapect to gm for keeping the original pushrod engine alive
And Kicking Coyote ass to the curb!
That arm moved the block like it was nothing! So cool
Great engine, great car. Can't wait to drive mine this summer.
Robert MacCready good luck bud
My 70 big block 454 engine in my first Corvette was built here. Long live the Tonawanda plant!
"highly skilled line worker" 😂 funniest part
We have some of those at FCA in Detroit.
When that worker was asked what his job is, he replied, "I screw things"
I walked through one of GMs abandoned engine plants in Australia today 😞 I would've loved to see it in action a couple of years ago
I drove by the GM McKinnion works being dismantled. That's why I don't drive GM.
GM used to put a sticker on the valve cover that said "Power by Tonawanda"
Joe Milko Built By Chevrolet Tonawanda The Number 1 Team
A chrome plated decale! I have several stored away.
They built the famous LS6 454/450 horse in the 70"s, Which you can easily make it produce more than 650 HP, without a Supercharger. Always loved Tonawanda, keep em coming Guys and Gals.
can one of these workers ecplain to me the camshaft lifter issues we have with the l86 6.2
Tonowanda has built the best GM engines for years. Any time I'm looking for my next rebuild project in a junk yard I always make sure it has a T stamped on it.
Wow. Incredible to see.
I live 500 yards from the Tonawanda gm powertrain. You can hear them testing engines. They run them full bore for looong periods of time. Its awesome.
great video loved it thanks for posting
I was honestly more interested in all the robots and technology around the plant throughout its assembly/production lines the the actual engines. Im an engineering student but i also am studying automotive technology as a hobby.
2:45 theres my mom making your z06
+Nikki Naydenov lol
+Nikki Naydenov You are joking, right?
Nikki Naydenov you have a cool mom. Respect.
Nikki Naydenov I remember her! she loves facial shots,how could I forget.
Nikki Naydenov now I know who to blame my engine just blew up no warning yesterday fucking G.M. junk!!
What is more amazing are the engeneers that build and program the robots and assembly line!
3:40 forging not casting
I hope so - was wondering on that.
A+. Long live the Corvette engine. Thank God for USA V-8
Henry Ford paid his workers enough so they could buy one of the cars they were building. Back then Ford paid $5 a day, a new high for factory workers. But family expenses back then were so much lower than today - no expensive health insurance, internet, cable TV, multiple cell phones, two-and-three car families with car insurance, vacations, airplane flights, boats, motorcycles and other toys, and so on. Today, if those GM workers really average $21 /hour as stated in an earlier post, their $42,000 per year will barely buy a $20,000 car on a five year loan with payments of $375 /month. Maybe a single guy in a modest apartment can afford $375/month on $42k wages (take-home about $2500 /month), but not a one-earner family with 2 kids - unless the employer pays for at least 80% of their health insurance, offers some overtime and pays at least a modest yearly bonus.
To me, a sustainable family wage starts about $55k per year for a one earner family of 4, and unless we get back to that we will continue to slide to third-world status, whether we have unions, robots, or whatever. Americans can't thrive on minimum wage, and though a min wage earner would drool for $21 per hour, it is not all that much money, and hardly enough to live the American dream.
Not everyone can be the plant manager, or the VP Finance, etc, somebody has got to build the goods and transport and sell and service them. Sadly, all management can think of is the bottom line for the next current and next quarter, so they buy expensive robots engineered and built overseas, and reduce their workforce both in number and in payscale. They plan very short term - which is why we have the sad situation in Detroit that we have today.
$5 per day in 1914 figures out to about $16 per hour adjusted for inflation today. As you mentioned at the very start of your comment, it isn't that Henry Ford paid his workers a lot of money. The real issue is that everything today is so much more expensive. And people consider items that were luxuries even 20 years ago as necessities today.
I am with you I am a retired GM worker our base was almost $55,000 a year and that was 12 year's ago everything is way down since the 08 crash and they have kept the finger down on y'all since it's a dam shame we could afford our top of the line cars and trucks but it's hard on you to make the same thing use to be GM paid for your med insurance us retired folk are on union insurance and some days that will be gone we were always promised insurance through GM that went to hell in the 08 crash too the gov made it were unions can't do anything about retired workers at contact time unless the company offers it they cannot ask for us so at only 40 percent of our working pay we are being hit also that's what you get when we vote for Republicans they fight for company not you look they got the biggest tax break in history and it's forever ours only till 2024 the it goes back up and with the debt we are in it will be the biggest tax hike in history
THEY ARE GLOBALISTS WORKING WITH CHINA.......Nothing American about GM now
My last GM vehicle, 2012 Acadia. It was a couple years old. I refuse to buy new, just too much money for what you get. Have Toyota Prius. Never have to work on it, just drive it. All the new cars look the same. Not excited.
So true w when I retired from GM I made around 27 an hour plus over time but today they pay less 20 or so our country is going in the wrong direction so sad yet we have political opponents to unions and fare wages we have those that say Americans first but are doing things that are hurting the poor this makes no since we will be a third world country or at least a second if we continue to believe in the politics of toda6 and I mean both sides of the aisle are wrong and to much to o the right or the left we need to work together and let our company's and union's do there dance this stuff that's going on in the states and on the federal level needs to stop work on getting our country out of debt and ma ok e SS whole again and our insurance from the gov and require companys to insure there workers and rebuild our military there sh6 never be a disabled veteran homeless this other political stuff is getting in the way of the American people and our right's as Americans to work hard and be able to retire comfortably not worry about medical expenses and keeping a roof over your head and food on your table that goes for the still working class also if we really what to make American grate get off the agenda both sides are on and do the real work of helping your fellow Americans
very impressive! it looks like a nice place to work.
1:29 dude has such a sweet comb over I can't wait to get old
I don't why, but I always find it relieving to still see a real human doing something in a factory assembly line in the middle of all these robots!
GM really needs to stop re-using the LT designation. This is the third time, it's just getting confusing now.
Great video though! Very interesting to watch.
I am thinking the LT4s of the mid 90's...has me confused....if someone with knowhow can chime in would be great
+Spahi77 the LT engine designation was used on first generation small blocks (ex. 70s Corvette), second generation small blocks (ex the LT4 you mentioned), and is now being used a third time for the new engines in the new Corvette and Camaro.
+UndergroundTrev thnx, appreciate timely response
yeah but how many times have they used ls? like 19 different fucking times
LS engines were first introduced in 1997 (LS1, duh), and were made every year until 2014. Thats 17 consecutive yrs using the same name and design. the difference between gen3 and gen4 motors is basically just 1 piece, the crank trigger wheel. All the other parts are interchangeable. This makes them very easy to modify and maintain.
The LT designation was used in the 70's on gen1 smallblocks, then again 20 yrs later in the 90's on gen2 smallblocks, and now again 20yrs later on the gen5 smallblock. The gen1 and 2 engines share very few parts, and the gen5 shares parts with nothing.
See why people complain about LT's?
Who makes the air intake manifold for this engine?
I'm surprised they don't do a test run. As the top engine I would expect each LT4 would be tested and even put on a dynamometer to document performance.
Machining is so precise that is not necessary. Only the test sample and up to the final engineer prototype production ready assembly one.
8/2024: Good Day From The FUTURE. This is one of the best educational videos that I have ever seen. I'm 72 and have owned three 440 magnum engined cars and a 383 & 340. I have a 2004 Corvette Z06 Commemorative with the LS6, the finest engine that I have owned. 133,000 miles on it and it's still factory perfect. All wonderful engines. This video is very interesting. Thank You & Best Regards.
Tell me about Cadillac/GM timing chains...........Quality right?
Add to that the total crap turbo fours
I apparently have been unnecessarily careful with all the engines I have assembled over the years. Looks like just slapping main bearing in place without proper tang alignment to the block register is OK on a 630 hp engine (3:19). Really makes me wonder....
The fully automated cylinder head assembly station in just mind boggling. Really good video!
Nice engine
The exhaust manifolds could be better eg welded and mandrel bent.
The exhaust system on the cars also could be better.
Not bad for a gas guzzler.
What. A. Time. To. Be. Alive! 💪🏼🤘🏻❤️
"deeper in the engine's V"
Brandon Moreira thank you!
Brandon Moreira you are the true mvp.
YESSS...
Minorities and women I now love GM and will buy two this year.
They should hardly call this motor hand built??? LOL
I'm a Honda boy at heart, but there's nothing like an American V8.
If the block doesn't past the test can i have it?
this video was so awesome. blows how its made out of the water! :)
i need one for my V8 MONZA , how much $$$$$ ?
Thanks for uploading, good video.
I don't think this is the most powerful engine gm has. LSX 454R is 770 hp naturally aspirated
Production engine. LSX 454 is a crate motor so it doesnt count according to GM.
Speed Academy
You dumb ass!
RT
I can see the misconception Production vs Crate..
TN
might as well mention the 780 bbc 1500hp if we're talking crate engines
Had a 68 Impala with the Custom coupe Top, it had a 327 350 HP Valve cover's had Tonawanda Race team on the Valve cover's....400 turbo trans and 12 bolt limited slip.... only 21,000 miles on it.... silver and black vinyl Top....She was awesome... Mother was rear ended hard warped the frame buckled the quarters.... I put everything in a 72 Chevy swb fleetside....that was 75 drove till 85 sold... The little pick up shocked many.... she was sweet I even installed the 12 bolt, I removed the coil suspension and installed leaf springs...The earlier Impala had same wheel bolt pattern as the half ton pick up....
I'm getting a Mustang and ordering it with the Corvette engine.
matrox why the vette chassis is so much better
Fantastic video. Would have asked the GM folks what the most prolific GM engine is that was built at that plant.
"....Deep into the engines V..." 😂😂😂😂
Great video, great plant materials, great team!
Now if they could somehow stop them from leaking oil.
BETTER GASKETS?
My LT4 don’t leak shit.
What is needed is a dual turbocharged LT engine using the LT4 bottom end for its strength and the heads for their flow and fuel system. A larger version of the LT1 intake can feed the higher flow turbo output which would yield over 750 hp due to the removal of the supercharger drag.
GM offer turn key engine LT4's for people that, lets say, want to put them in a 240sx?
tempted after my KA-T goes boom
+stephen dwyer burning oil only means it needs a little head work most likely. great motors those 318's :)
Thats too much for that car . 450 in a 240sx is perfect and you can drive it anywhere and whoop anybodies ass. Power to weight!
+stephen dwyer I don't think we understand. Punctuation helps a little too.
+walperstyle
Yes they do. Jegs has them for a measly $21,455.
So awesome. This is one of the coolest engine building videos I've seen so far and actually seeing the engines being built is just amazing. Imagine if 3D printing becomes mainstream, I'll have no doubt that this plant will convert to additive manufacturing and actually 3D print their engines
I guess Im old school but you lost me on a CAST Crank Shaft?!
Mike Valek people are running these cranks in builds upwards of 1000hp
Mike Valek my 1972 402 big block has a stock cast crank
When they say "The crankshaft starts as a raw casting" the piece shown is a raw forging. It's a forged crankshaft. All the other info I've looked at for the LT4 specs it as a forged crankshaft.
Mike Valek I was thinking the same thing - a cast crank on an over 650hp high dollar premium engine. It didn't seem right.
Rev Mikey buy a manesium one , those supposedly increse in strength as heat rises.
I can't help but miss that Tonawanda Orange that Chevy engines used to be painted.
I guess since a 4 cylinder engine has less pistons than a v8, the quality control manager for the 4 bangers has more free time to give a tour. LOL. Just a stupid joke, I hope someone found it funny.
I did!
Carl Brooks I'm not the best at jokes. Thanks
+julio lausell but it does make sense because 4 bangers don't take that long to make so they should have free time to do tours
Very true. I bet he's pushing for the production of a more fuel efficient 3 cylinder engine. Lol.
+julio lausell 3 cylinder?! lol! thats worst than when they decided to make the 5.3 v8 a active fuel management engine
Interesting video, and a very impressive facility.
When I got my 6.0 gmc from the factory, it was over filled with oil. Lol
Man, RFID is in everything, right down to the head bolts anymore......
This car was intentionally designed with certain engineering flaws that are meant to fail. You can't have a reliable car that ran well all the time. Otherwise Chevy would be out of business. To bad it cost an obscene amount just to change the heat/AC diverter doors, remove top half of engine to access firewall, then remove the several hundred pound dashboard as a unit...$5000 to $6000 to replace less than $200 in wear-out parts. Oil pressure sender fail? They DO! and its a $12 part that takes $1,400 in labor to access.
5 to 6 k in labor? @ a hundred an hour shop rate....50 to 60 hrs? I call bullshit. Ya, GM is going to make a part so difficult to replace, knowing that they have to reimburse the dealership if it fails under warranty...retired gm service tech in 95...I loved warranty work, especially at the cad store...sts needs a motor, warranty pays 18hrs... drop it off at 8 am and pick it up at 5:30...evaparator cores bin c/h body cars...1 he and 15 min. Warranty pays 7.2- 7.4 hrs. Shit it all easy.
Nice Video,My little Cosworth Vega motor was made there.
They try to hide the fact that there are so few workes the plant looks empty. In the end, they praise the workers, but it's pretty hollow since the workers are there just to watch the robots. 71 million engines produced here and with the $400 million retooling, they will have increased production with just a handful of workers. This is typical and spells the end of employment for most people. Their ultimate goal is to eliminate all employees... It's happening all over the world. We will need a Universal Basic Income to survive. There will be no work and eventually the rich that can afford a Z06 will be gone and they can't sell them to homeless, unemployed people.
Read the book, "Rivethead" by Ben Hamper.... robots are a big plus
Lots of camera cuts in that feed. With all the precision engineering the robots might engineer themselves out of a job. If a motor can run 500,000 miles in a corvette thats longer than the owner will live.
There will always be a need for a non-inverting unity gain amplifier and those that understand what I am talking about, cathode follower.
Its sad how people dont see your point. but it is clean though.
The LT 4 is impressive, and all those assembly line robots and RFID bolts. Plus the employees.
Ill bet GM would never notice if one of those beauties just kinda ...slid ...off the line on to a delivery truck to my house. Cmon guys...can we make this happen?
Had friends that worked there back in the 80s...lets say it wasn't unheard of.
so cool! Nice to see Tonawanda going strong.
With all those robotics and automation you'd think the price would be down
the price did come down, way down. the millions saved went straight into upper management pockets with 95% of it too CEO, then the price of vehicles skyrocketed
@@ACDC940 amen brother
This video may not be the big view count now but can be a historical interest a century from now.
lowest price per hp of any engine + quality ..made in USA by workers averaging $21/hr ... manufacturing technology is the means for making America Industrialized Again, while paying workers a decent wage. FYI - 650hp, crate motor price is ~$13,800 .. the cost of a stage I upgrade performance kit for Euro motors, lol !!!
No tesla electric motors are cheaper. Also made in the US.
BigCooter.com x
Those RFID bolts are an awesome idea.
well, I guess there's no bluprinting the engine in the garage anymore :p
Yea unfortunately rebuilding your own engine is a thing of the past I built a 350 327 and a 460 ford motor back in the day but it really don’t make sense anymore with the availability of crate engines now days.
Love love love it! I think there is a gap in the market between standard "car porn" and technical informative videos on UA-cam. Much like the install videos and even how to check tire temperatures videos you guys are doing is going in the right direction. Much like motoiq provides that in prose, speed academy is in video format. Keep at it!
I would like an L86 or LT4 for my Silverado, dear GM please sponsor me :)
Awesome American engineering at its finest..
Sorry m8, but the LT4 isn't the most powerful engine that GM built. The most powerful (and also biggest) would the the legendary 572. Produces somewhere around 900 Hp.
the LT4 is for production cars that is everyday driving. The 572R is for race purposes only.
+Erik Burrell you can have a everyday driver with a 572
+Erik Burrell it would be badass
+Erik Burrell damn! I thought the 572 was rated a some 700hp, but 900hp, that's insane naturally aspirated power.
it is rated at 727hp at the crank MAX...some of the 572s only make 600hp
So were all of the LT4s built there and shipped to Bowling Green Kentucky, or were some still made at Bowling Green with the corvettes? If so how do you know where the LT4 was made?
Wonder how many jobs those robots eliminated?
With the invention of the car, I wonder how many carriage and saddle makers they put out of work. Either move forward or be left behind.
It eliminates the factor of human error. I trust a precisely-calibrated robot more than I trust a human to reliably build an engine correctly time-after-time over millions of engines. I've yet to see a machine show up to work hung over, to say the least...
All those robots and assembly machines are designed, built, installed and maintained by people.
I wonder how many engineers it took to design it, programmers to make it do what it does, people to install it, people to maintain it. Also, how many people does it take to build that robot?
I wonder how many US jobs these robots have saved because automation cost the same no matter where you're located. "Y'all want robots or you want the plant to move to Mexico?"
In your GREAT video, you were told & show the LT4 uses a 'raw casting' that is machined, but that's not correct for the Z06 LT4.
For the LT4's used in the Corvette Z06, the crankshaft is actually 'forged steel', as per GM's Press own info - quote:
COMPACT POWERHOUSE: INSIDE CORVETTE Z06’S 650-hp supercharged 6.2L V-8 LT4 ENGINE, it possesses world-class power in a more efficient package:
Rotating assembly - Each component of the rotating assembly is unique to the LT4 to support the cylinder pressures the boosted engine is capable of generating, as well as the unique requirements for a lower compression ratio.
Elements include:
The 1528MV "forged steel crankshaft" uses tungsten balancing inserts, ground pin collars and intermediate pin drills for rods #1-6.
Love Chevrolet!
Didn't notice deck plates torqued on durning machining.Touquing head bolts and 6bolt mains distorts the block by microns.This is a high level mass production process nonetheless.
I wonder if the robots will buy a vehicle.
yup, a honda ; lmao
Hey @j jones Robots don't need cars but people in China would be happy to build engines for $2.00 per hour .. I am glade they are made in the USA ! Meanwhile some Female CEO at GM who makes $22 Million per year and was on a List to run for VP with Hillary Clinton .. just closed 6 GM car building factories .. She wants that Government money to build Driver less cars and electric cars.. I guess the day is coming when Humans will be too stupid to drive their own car..
They don't want you to own a car they want you to rent a self driving car by the mile from Uber.. Really they want you to ride a bus or train ..
@@mikeskidmore6754 Some People are already to stupid to drive, thats why Ford came out with parking assist! Ford shut down 9 plants as well.lol
Nice to see there still using ls9 beehive valve springs.