All of my life I have seen black and white images of the old boys working on Offenhauser midget engines and the bigger ones for the champ cars that raced at Indianapolis. But you guys are the only people in the world who have methodically shown us what a daunting task this truly is to assemble one of these engines. Before I was born, my father attended the time trials at Indianapolis and walked around to the back side of the old garages at Gasoline Alley where the pit crews worked on the engines. He was outside the wire fence but took pictures of what they were doing. One picture shows one of the very rare NOVI engines which were also built by Offenhauser. Downstairs, I have the Gordon Elliot White book, the definitive text on Offenhauser engines. In the back, he has the table that reports the date of every single Offenhauser engine in all sizes were made. If you would tell us what the serial number is -- found on the brass builder tag riveted to one of the cam covers on the top -- I could tell you precisely when that engine was cast and assembled. Susie, again, your work recording all of this is simply outstanding! These engines are so rare and parts are very difficult to find. I believe I told you in a previous post, when I was very little my father took me to the dirt races at Tri-State Speedway up in Haubstadt, Indiana. During the intermission between races, the drivers would park their beautiful midget race cars in the middle of the track and they would allow the audience to walk out on the track to get a close look of these beautiful engines. This had to be the late 1950s. My father would lift me up so I could look down onto the engines and I remember seeing those little brass I.D. tags with the numbers hand stamped into them. I have always thought they were beautiful pieces of automotive art. I still remember the smell of castor oil wafting through the grandstands during the heats. Thank you all so much for bringing back these memories!
They may be a bit fiddly to assemble but the design of them is superb with the crank bearing housings tying the centre of the block together, as proved by the later ones turboed to within an inch of their lives.
What an excellent way to spend a day. I'm an old school Toolmaker and the more I see of Millers and Offy's the more beautiful they become. I'm also impressed by Johns calm demeanor, I start swearing if I drop nuts and stuff.
I knew where that missing nut was guys, I was trying to tell you. That is a beautifully made old engine. Lovely work Suzie, Ivan and John. Of course we know Ivan is not a Gynaecologist but I'm sure he'd look into it...
John and Ivan your knowledge in way past my pay grade! It's amazing to watch you two working. Thanks Susie for your encouragement and filming. Cheers from Alberta Canada!
Thanks as always Ivan, Suzie and John for another great and very informative video. I love all of the old school tips and tricks for assembly! These are the things which must be passed on as they are the types of fabrication skills which every good race machine shop needs to be able to do. What a beautiful engine.
That crankshaft is beautiful! As an amateur machinist, I am entranced by that engine's beautiful castings and elegant design. Attaching the cylinder block to the crankcase is very fiddley.
"The magic touch!" Indeed, this is such aa lovely video for me to watch! Thank you. I am so looking forward to it running and nicely tuned! Best wishes from George
Never imagined it would be such a fiddley job to get the end caps on the rods! You lads have a lot more patience than me, I couldn't believe it, you never once stopped for a tea break!!!! Cheers, Paul. 🤓
When you get to 25K subscribers and you will which is a big milestone. Let me be the first to congratulate in advance. Well done guys wonderful video as usual.
What a fascinating engine build, and certainly tedious… but it’s a genuine treat to see how this legendary engine goes together. I’m eagerly awaiting the first startup!
I imagine when these engines were in racing service there were special tools made to service them fairly rapidly. I suppose a team that could afford it would have multiples for a season, but for the dirt track guys it was "run what you brung" and burn the "midnight oil" when they had to rebuild them. I wonder if Harry A Miller, Inc in Troy, Michigan is following this thread.
I always enjoy the videos from this team of Ivan. Suzie and John! Especially those of these unique engines where the head is cast as part of the block to eliminate head gasket issues. in the 70's, i got a job doing valve grinds, and everything then had separate head castings and valve seat grinding was very straight forward. I'd really like to see how valve seat grinding is accomplished within the confines of the cylinder bore on engines like this Offy, the Miller and Bugatti. Unless i've missed it, i don't believe that has been covered by your channel. Cheers!
At last John has a few words to say, great work. I remember my dad working on his midgets one had a 6 cylinder Holden engine with an early electronic ignition the other he worked on had a BRM works engine that has now been returned to the UK. Hi from Hervey Bay in Queensland Australia
For thos nuts, a trick is to use a piece of coat hanger wire held against the end of the stud and then let the nut slide down the wire and you can the use 1 finger to spin it on the stud. Of course you should always run a thread chaser over the studs and through the nuts to be sure the threads are free to spin on.
When I was a kid I put a v8 in my four cylinder Chevy Vega. I spent more time trying to get an oil filter then a remote oil filter. With adapters and hoses. The exhaust was just in the way. In hindsight I should have just done away with the filter. “Nothing” does not leak or have a problem.
I worked on an old Maserati GP car, a 4CLT, it was a similar layout but had 4 valves per cyl. I remember these little valve seat cutters that I needed to fit through the bore and assemble the rest from the top. Fiddly!
Another very cool video from The Shed I’ve been subscribed for ages, and to be honest, I could easily press the like button at the start, in fact I often do Keep it going fellas and fellettes x
Did these originally come with special bent wrenches for working on them? The cylinder nuts look especially painful to get at with general purpose tools. EDIT:Aircraft "cylinder wrenches" come to mind.
A torch is beneficial for aircraft engines also, most mechanics have made them as required. Sometimes you can use it multiple times 😂. Usually someone in the shop has either borrowed or made what you need, and if you need it more than once it’s time to make one for yourself. And share it with the new guy……with positive reminder that it’s got to be returned promptly, and spotless, so your integrity will never be questioned 😊
Suzie it was kind of you to offer to knock the conrod slightly when it caught as the cylinder block was lowered, however with the dangerous brothers in full swing it’s probably prudent to keep your digits firmly on the camera!! 😂 PS had the SWL label fallen off the length of blue clothes line they had supported the cylinder block with? 🤔
When I was 16 my best mate who was 17 bought a 2.8i Granada which developed a leak from one of the centre core plugs. Whilst replacing it he lost it into the water jacket and we couldn't retrieve it so left it and put the new one in..........we soon learned that wasn't a great idea when it knocked the corresponding main bearing out after about five miles.
Ivan, what is the "tiger seal" that John is using with the pressure gun. Is is for sealing any mating surfaces on engines, thanks great show, Mike Thompson.
When I was an apprentice in '67, a MK7 Jag I was servicing had a trans leak. I wiped the drip with engine running, and the rag disappeared. (There was a cooling grid missing). The engine stopped instantly. I told the boss the car wouldn't start. It got towed to an auto electricians who rebuilt the starter and sent the car back. Only they and I knew what really happened.
Always wanted to see what one these engines was like inside, great stuff. As an observation , is it possible to to put the cylinder block on 180 degrees around thus reversing the intake and exhaust? I think I have seen pictures of these engines in both configurations.
There's a whole separate video to be made, "When Ivan met John" the back story of the dynamic duo of Shed Racing. Then there's the "and Suzie too" story
The starter Ivan, is there any way to drive it off the front of the engine with a pulley and v belt? Puch Haflingers used such a system and I believe Smart cars do. I realise they are charging systems also. Just a thought!
yes the smart 451 has a starter alternator in the same unit driving the engine pulley with a ribbed belt had mine for 14 years and only changed belt twice
Monobloc engines may have the advantage of not worrying about head gasket failure but they seen a right faff to assemble. Offy clearly copied this from Bugatti via Miller but this doesn't bother our heroes as working on Bugattis is in the Dutton genes!
Could you Blokes inform me of the properly sized ballpein that is being used on this racing engine? I have a BMW that needs some attention, and if it is good enough for an Offenhauser, then it should work well on a German two cylinder, similar construction of course 😊. It only has half of the cylinders and a quarter of the valves, so it should take half of the time?
Uh, the joys of fiddling on nuts blind. We've all been there and got the mental scars to prove it. It's really frustrating watch someone else do it though!
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All of my life I have seen black and white images of the old boys working on Offenhauser midget engines and the bigger ones for the champ cars that raced at Indianapolis. But you guys are the only people in the world who have methodically shown us what a daunting task this truly is to assemble one of these engines. Before I was born, my father attended the time trials at Indianapolis and walked around to the back side of the old garages at Gasoline Alley where the pit crews worked on the engines. He was outside the wire fence but took pictures of what they were doing. One picture shows one of the very rare NOVI engines which were also built by Offenhauser. Downstairs, I have the Gordon Elliot White book, the definitive text on Offenhauser engines. In the back, he has the table that reports the date of every single Offenhauser engine in all sizes were made. If you would tell us what the serial number is -- found on the brass builder tag riveted to one of the cam covers on the top -- I could tell you precisely when that engine was cast and assembled. Susie, again, your work recording all of this is simply outstanding! These engines are so rare and parts are very difficult to find. I believe I told you in a previous post, when I was very little my father took me to the dirt races at Tri-State Speedway up in Haubstadt, Indiana. During the intermission between races, the drivers would park their beautiful midget race cars in the middle of the track and they would allow the audience to walk out on the track to get a close look of these beautiful engines. This had to be the late 1950s. My father would lift me up so I could look down onto the engines and I remember seeing those little brass I.D. tags with the numbers hand stamped into them. I have always thought they were beautiful pieces of automotive art. I still remember the smell of castor oil wafting through the grandstands during the heats. Thank you all so much for bringing back these memories!
They may be a bit fiddly to assemble but the design of them is superb with the crank bearing housings tying the centre of the block together, as proved by the later ones turboed to within an inch of their lives.
The guys traveling to races used to rebuild them in motel bathrooms in-between fairgrounds.
Yet another enjoyable time watching two great blokes. Thank you.
What an excellent way to spend a day.
I'm an old school Toolmaker and the more I see of Millers and Offy's the more beautiful they become.
I'm also impressed by Johns calm demeanor, I start swearing if I drop nuts and stuff.
John and Suzie. What a team.
And that Ivan fella that hangs around the workshop like a cheeky apprentice.
Brilliant as always.
I knew where that missing nut was guys, I was trying to tell you. That is a beautifully made old engine.
Lovely work Suzie, Ivan and John. Of course we know Ivan is not a Gynaecologist but I'm sure he'd look into it...
John and Ivan your knowledge in way past my pay grade! It's amazing to watch you two working. Thanks Susie for your encouragement and filming. Cheers from Alberta Canada!
Thanks as always Ivan, Suzie and John for another great and very informative video. I love all of the old school tips and tricks for assembly! These are the things which must be passed on as they are the types of fabrication skills which every good race machine shop needs to be able to do. What a beautiful engine.
Best look inside an Offy ever! Thank you
Love it. Took a bit of coaxing to get Ivan to say his 'don't forget' part...
That crankshaft is beautiful! As an amateur machinist, I am entranced by that engine's beautiful castings and elegant design. Attaching the cylinder block to the crankcase is very fiddley.
"The magic touch!" Indeed, this is such aa lovely video for me to watch!
Thank you. I am so looking forward to it running and nicely tuned!
Best wishes from George
GREAT PATIENCE REQUIRED love the video thanks Team.
Never imagined it would be such a fiddley job to get the end caps on the rods! You lads have a lot more patience than me, I couldn't believe it, you never once stopped for a tea break!!!! Cheers, Paul. 🤓
When you get to 25K subscribers and you will which is a big milestone. Let me be the first to congratulate in advance. Well done guys wonderful video as usual.
What a fascinating engine build, and certainly tedious… but it’s a genuine treat to see how this legendary engine goes together. I’m eagerly awaiting the first startup!
My word! It’s like wallpapering the back bedroom through the letterbox!
Putting that Offy together is sort of like building a ship in a bottle.
I imagine when these engines were in racing service there were special tools made to service them fairly rapidly. I suppose a team that could afford it would have multiples for a season, but for the dirt track guys it was "run what you brung" and burn the "midnight oil" when they had to rebuild them. I wonder if Harry A Miller, Inc in Troy, Michigan is following this thread.
Yeah, this feels like a special bent wrench set sort of job to me as well.
good to see the intricate assembly!
I always enjoy the videos from this team of Ivan. Suzie and John! Especially those of these unique engines where the head is cast as part of the block to eliminate head gasket issues. in the 70's, i got a job doing valve grinds, and everything then had separate head castings and valve seat grinding was very straight forward. I'd really like to see how valve seat grinding is accomplished within the confines of the cylinder bore on engines like this Offy, the Miller and Bugatti. Unless i've missed it, i don't believe that has been covered by your channel. Cheers!
Great use of the multipurpose paint brush!!
Pointing, pressing and nut placing.
Great to see everyone working together and enjoying themselves 😊
At last John has a few words to say, great work. I remember my dad working on his midgets one had a 6 cylinder Holden engine with an early electronic ignition the other he worked on had a BRM works engine that has now been returned to the UK.
Hi from Hervey Bay in Queensland Australia
Great use of the specialised "Wooden Paintbrush" 🙂
and used by a true artis
Susie adds so much to the quality these videos. Remarkable talent.
remarkable tolerance more like
@@shed_racing lol
@@shed_racing Ooh, care to elaborate ?
You got there in the end Suzi😂!!
For thos nuts, a trick is to use a piece of coat hanger wire held against the end of the stud and then let the nut slide down the wire and you can the use 1 finger to spin it on the stud. Of course you should always run a thread chaser over the studs and through the nuts to be sure the threads are free to spin on.
When I was a kid I put a v8 in my four cylinder Chevy Vega. I spent more time trying to get an oil filter then a remote oil filter. With adapters and hoses. The exhaust was just in the way. In hindsight I should have just done away with the filter. “Nothing” does not leak or have a problem.
I worked on an old Maserati GP car, a 4CLT, it was a similar layout but had 4 valves per cyl. I remember these little valve seat cutters that I needed to fit through the bore and assemble the rest from the top. Fiddly!
Good show, jolly good show! Cheers! 😎👍🏎🏁🏁
Another very cool video from The Shed
I’ve been subscribed for ages, and to be honest, I could easily press the like button at the start, in fact I often do
Keep it going fellas and fellettes x
short 3/8 drive socket with blue-tack in it to hold the nut - works a treat for those types of awkward nuts
I'm thinking a dollop of red loctite on all those internal nuts wouldn't be a bad idea. All it takes is for one to misbehave.
John: "I won't turn it till you've got your fingers out."
Ivan: "Thank you, that would be a help." 😄32:04
Excellent job team.
Good job. I suspect … that Ivan was ‘pulling Susie’s chain’ at the end of the video😁. Cheers from NZ🇳🇿.
That was hard work Suzie.....
Did these originally come with special bent wrenches for working on them? The cylinder nuts look especially painful to get at with general purpose tools. EDIT:Aircraft "cylinder wrenches" come to mind.
A torch is beneficial for aircraft engines also, most mechanics have made them as required. Sometimes you can use it multiple times 😂. Usually someone in the shop has either borrowed or made what you need, and if you need it more than once it’s time to make one for yourself. And share it with the new guy……with positive reminder that it’s got to be returned promptly, and spotless, so your integrity will never be questioned 😊
Suzie it was kind of you to offer to knock the conrod slightly when it caught as the cylinder block was lowered, however with the dangerous brothers in full swing it’s probably prudent to keep your digits firmly on the camera!! 😂
PS had the SWL label fallen off the length of blue clothes line they had supported the cylinder block with? 🤔
No worries, that clothes-line is rated to hold six double bed sheets in a stiff breeze.
Loving these videos!
I would say if you can decorate your hallway through your letter box, you have all the skills to build an Offy😁
Back in the 80s i dropped a washer down the carb of a V6 Granada whilst changing the air filter 😮
When I was 16 my best mate who was 17 bought a 2.8i Granada which developed a leak from one of the centre core plugs.
Whilst replacing it he lost it into the water jacket and we couldn't retrieve it so left it and put the new one in..........we soon learned that wasn't a great idea when it knocked the corresponding main bearing out after about five miles.
Johns purple neck torque is spot on.
I'm surprised that a racing engine doesn't need precise torque settings on all nuts. Maybe it does, and John's inbuilt torque sensor is spot on.
Great work fellas. I like to use a chain hoist for prisise control, but each to their own.
Ivan, what is the "tiger seal" that John is using with the pressure gun. Is is for sealing any mating surfaces on engines, thanks great show, Mike Thompson.
yes - serious sealant that turns into rubber
@@shed_racing hi is your tiger seal better than permatex?. [great vid]
When I was an apprentice in '67, a MK7 Jag I was servicing had a trans leak. I wiped the drip with engine running, and the rag disappeared. (There was a cooling grid missing). The engine stopped instantly. I told the boss the car wouldn't start. It got towed to an auto electricians who rebuilt the starter and sent the car back. Only they and I knew what really happened.
i thought Ivan was taking the mickey at the end not answering what we all knew Suzie wanted him to say... 🤣
Always wanted to see what one these engines was like inside, great stuff. As an observation , is it possible to to put the cylinder block on 180 degrees around thus reversing the intake and exhaust? I think I have seen pictures of these engines in both configurations.
There's a whole separate video to be made, "When Ivan met John" the back story of the dynamic duo of Shed Racing. Then there's the "and Suzie too" story
Hang on. I've just seen John whacking a valve. I thought there was no whacking in that shed.
👍👍
The starter Ivan, is there any way to drive it off the front of the engine with a pulley and v belt? Puch Haflingers used such a system and I believe Smart cars do.
I realise they are charging systems also. Just a thought!
yes the smart 451 has a starter alternator in the same unit driving the engine pulley with a ribbed belt had mine for 14 years and only changed belt twice
Great video, thanks! Good thing no thoughts of safety wiring, can you imagine how to tackle that?
I see a vacancy for unemployed little boys with little hands who were chimney sweeps
post a link for the merch please!
In thegood old times the goodold boys used Sodium silicate as gasket .😀
Monobloc engines may have the advantage of not worrying about head gasket failure but they seen a right faff to assemble. Offy clearly copied this from Bugatti via Miller but this doesn't bother our heroes as working on Bugattis is in the Dutton genes!
It's all a bit like being a proctologist and trying to do all your work through the exhaust pipe.
What displacement is this engine?
where's the cat?
The cat died last December
Could you Blokes inform me of the properly sized ballpein that is being used on this racing engine? I have a BMW that needs some attention, and if it is good enough for an Offenhauser, then it should work well on a German two cylinder, similar construction of course 😊. It only has half of the cylinders and a quarter of the valves, so it should take half of the time?
Left threaded nuts he is suzie,,te he keep going iven.good show.👍
Hello,ver thought about a dynastarter? you don't need a sprocket, just pulleys 🙂
Uh, the joys of fiddling on nuts blind. We've all been there and got the mental scars to prove it. It's really frustrating watch someone else do it though!
Is it possible to bolt the cylinders on before putting the crank in? Just saying.
Headless engines a nightmare . LOL
Very interesting engine but fair to say these definitely weren't designed with mass production efficiencies in mind 🤣
How may I purchase a tee shirt?
If you are watching youtube on a desktop then check in the About info at the top of the channel for a contact email address - or check out our latest short video 'Fashion' ua-cam.com/users/shortst164MojzB8I?si=gOQuHLWm2YPr0WpB
@@shed_racing Thank you very much!
👍🇦🇺
take five have a cup of tea and go back to the nuts job done
Wot about the gynaecologist who decorated his hallway through his letterbox bum bum