ABANDONED Dodge Monaco Sitting for 40+ Years: $375 Engine "Rebuild"! 

Dylan, buddy, take it from a guy that has made lots of mistakes, PLEASE wear a mask while you are grinding and painting. All the rust dust and fumes from the shaker cans will most assuredly mess your lungs up at a later date. Another great vid!

The Monaco is such a cool, interesting, and period emblematic car. I'm happy to see you taking the time to get an engine in it and get it going. You can do a lot of long haul stuff with it and really discover how your grampa's generation traveled in a big 2 door car during the space race era. They have a lot of charm and character. Can't wait to run into it at an event.

I learn a lot from you in these videos. Thank you for taking the time to share your knowledge with us

Looks awesome! Back in the day my Mom had a 76 Charger SE with the 400 in it. Was a lean burn also. Never could get it to run right when new, so after a year we ended up back dating it with pre lean burn parts. After that it was a awesome car, and ran strong!! I took my drivers test in that car. Keep up the work.

The main thing that engine needed was valve seals and i didn't see you replace them. The old ones always end up in the oil pan/ oil pump and engine will also smoke

You should use EZ OFF oven cleaner, it works great at cleaning grease and grime off

That is a beautiful engine for a 70's smogger. With the addition of the EGR and single exhaust with a catalytic converter these engines ran really hot in the crankcase and almost always are full of carbon and sludge. That looks like a winner!!

Dylan! I believe that you will need to use the oil pan from the 383. Look at the pans carefully. That motor will do great! Like it!

Please please please repaint the engine bay before it goes in🙏

Love your honesty - we ALL make mistakes. Looking forward to the next rattle-can and seeing this mill move a Monaco!!!

"PURPLE POWER" is the stuff to work with for decreasing!

Very similar to a personal project ive got goin myself right now. Super nervous to dig into the engine, but I feel i can do what you did and safely assemble it to run again! Thanks a million for your unintentional confidence booster!

Hello Dylan from Pittsburgh PA! I love watching your videos. I know nothing about fixing cars. But I like your content a lot learn little things here and there. The way you bring old vehicles back to life is awesome. Keep up the amazing work my friend!

Nice build, one thing I would have done differently - steel shim head gaskets. .020 compressed vs .040 - about a half a point of compression, and when you are starting with 7.5:1 compression, everything makes a big difference.

Loving the progress on these builds, but I'm really loving your growth with video quality. You really seem to be finding your niche with editing and adding a healthy dose of humor. Keep it up!

When it comes to cleaning parts on an engine..... A machine shop with a vat or wash cleaner is your best friend.. I always did that and it saved me so much time cleaning and scrubbing.....

This video makes me so happy finally a 400getting some attention instead of getting yanked out and thrown away the paint looks really good can't wait till the next video thanks for sharing Dylan 👍

Dylan this project is aching my heart because in 1985/86 I had exactly the same color and year Monaco 2 door that I scored in Indy from a fellow Mopar gearhead for $400.00. It wasn't running but did bar over,,, I did the same thing to it's 413, cleaned it up, new head gaskets and cam & lifters and ground the valves at school, (Lincoln Tech). I used P.A.W. parts, (Performance Automotive Wholesale) and then, I made 1/4" thick covers for the exhaust ports, fuel pump, intake valley and carb plate,, so that I could low pressure bead blast the whole thing, before applying the Dupont Euro sealer primer, and then the JW Hirsch epoxy turquoise paint. Man, that thing has stayed beautiful all these years, and now, looks like a savage quality survivor, with a little bit of temperature discoloration around the exhaust ports and head bolts, but dammit,, the Monaco got hit in traffic and folded the quarter and roof so hard it broke the rear glass out. I cried for the old car,, it was Dove Grey with Oxblood red buckets and console beautiful with body color cop 15x7's and Dodge Division buzzer caps. I hand welded elbows and straights together out of 3" tubing for a Nascar style right side exit in front of the rear wheel. Even mashed the tips to oval baloney cuts. Loved the way that old girl slid down the interstate. At least I kept all the 413/727 cableshifted driveline, and eventually I found a very straight '66 Monaco 500 two door body to put it all back in. The '66 is beautiful too, better bigger delta taillights, but the old Grey '65 still haunts my dreams. Seeing you wake this one back up has brought really good memories back. Godspeed Man.

That sludge you cleaned out of the rear freeze plug is actually the original casting sand that was used when the block was cast. I pulled out about 2 cups of it when I replaced the plugs on my 68 Darts 318. Chrysler was a bit sloppy back in the day. Love your presentations! Keep them coming!

Good Video! I have just bought a 440 with 62,000 miles out of RV going to freshen up and find me a Mopar to play around with also 💪🏻

I love that turquoise! I am doing torqn' teal on my 5.9 magnum with the orange air cleaner. Doing a nod to the old 360s from the 70s in my Ram Van!

Looks good Dylan. Looking forward to hearing it run.

You make it look easy Dylan! Love your easy relaxed approach, you really are Mr Mc Cool! Good luck from Ireland 🇮🇪

You've taken a lot of time and put a lot of effort, I noticed you pay close attention to detail and the results are fantastic 👍☮️

Winner. Finished a late shift at work and now I've got another superb video by Dylan to enjoy with a cold beer and a late night snack. Dylan. Your videos are so interesting and make me feel like I could do this myself. Thanks for your time and effort. God bless you and yours :)

Wow at how clean this 400 big block is even the valley is super clean was well taken care of through its life time @Dylan McCool

I really appreciate that you are humble enough to show your mistakes. It would be so easy for you to edit those out…

Hey Dylan great video, something that's really cheap at the dollar stores for cleaning engines and trannys is oven cleaner sprayed on let it set for a while and power wash

When you install the timing cover, leave the bolts loose until AFTER you install the damper. This will make it self-center on the hub and then you may tighten the bolts for no leaks.

When installing the rockers you can use a straightened out wire coat hanger to hold the pushrods in line to help them stay in place

quote of the day: emision mumbo jumbo I want this on tshirt !!!

30 years ago, a friend gave me a 72 Polara with a 400 and 727. I put in a cheapo PAW 224/234, 465/488 cam (Same one Summit and others sell today), a fresh timing chain, oil pump, and windage tray. Another guy gave me a wrecked, rusty, gutted out 68 Charger with no motor. He also gave me a set of 452 heads with 6 pack springs, and brand new Hedman headers. I combined all that with a 600 Holley, Torker 383, and 3.91 Sure Grip, and ran 13.5s at 105, on Street tires.

You should replace the core plugs on the heads too. I have found the core plug on the back side of the head rot's out faster then the others and it sits against the firewall and you have to pull the engine or take the head off to change it.

All I have yo say is thank you Dylan! This series is exactly what I need right now. I have a '76 motorhome 440 I plan to freshen up over the coming summer to put in my Charger. This is pretty much exactly what I plan to do to it, so seeing the choices you made and the tips you shared will help me immensely. Still need to figure out how to get it to play nice with a 4-speed. Honestly I'm tempted to swap the crank since I'll be right there to do the rear main seal.

I shot my last engine with epoxy primer and then used a single stage urethane paint. Like you'd paint the body of the car. It has held up fantastic. When it gets a little dusty from driving, I just wash it like I would the outside of the car, dry it up, and it looks perfect again. I don't think I'll ever spray bomb one again. The difference is night and day. Great work man

Cleaning the old crud off your engine and trans is one of my favorite activities. Does it make a big difference in the way it performs?? Probably not, but it's gonna run a little cooler and They're a whole lot nicer to work on...

Greetings from australia. Just a tip. I use 2 to 3 cans of oven cleaner aerosol at a few bucks a can here which does an amazing job ist up. Ist coat give the foam a good agitation witj a stiff brush/brushes snd let sit for 5 mins. Rinse and repeat. Will move that thick grease well. Good rubber gloves and eye protection a must. Have fun.

UTG has a great video on pre paint block prep. He uses lite duty blow torch to exhume moisture and unseen oils to cook off before paint. Got a few negative comments saying his method was no good but his paint sticks like poo 2a blankey on them blocks. I was surprised how much moisture came out of it. Worth a watch.

I'm an old school mechanic 68 yrs old. Before all the silicone stuff became popular we used Indian Head Gasket Shallac! No leaks guaranteed!

Great vid, Dylan! I enjoyed the semi-rebuild. Is good to see that one can do a lot with a little and accomplish the goal of a strong engine. Thanks! steve

Low miles usually means that it "only" needs rings and bearings. Good video this time with no cars abused.

You covered a point a lot of people miss when painting an engine. That primer is important. Wanna take it a step further? Use a "high fill" primer, or even use an epoxy primer or a thin coat of body filler on the cast to give it a smoother finish. The results are amazing for little money if you want it to look REAL good.

HI DYLAN ,, MY SON MAX 7YR.S OLD AND I REALLY LIKE YOUR SHOWS WE LEARN ALOT SINCE I HAVE A OLD CAR ALSO.. MAX SAID LOOK THERES THE MUSTANG IN THE BACK GROUND THAT VIDEO HE LIKED ,,. HE LAUGHS AT YOUR MIC IT LOOKS LIKE A LITTLE MOUSE NEAR YOUR THROAT,HA!! IT IS SO EASY TO TAKE IT APART BUT PUTTING IT BACK TOGETHER WOW!! THANK G-D YOU KNOW WHAT YOUR DOING AND TEACHING US ..GREAT JOB ,, WE THOUGHT YOU WERE GOING TO GET THE ENGINE IN THE CAR AND RUNNING , WELL THATS PART 2 THANKS, PEACE..

You have my dream job , good luck

You’re a hard working young man. Love the content. Keep up all the great work!

Absolutely great episode Dylan, alot of good info, look forward to seeing the progress🔥👍🇺🇲

This is a great job and you got lucky with this engine; it’s in great shape. Looking forward to the continuation! Thanks for sharing.

In my day, these were great motors. Cheap and plentiful in any wrecking yard. Bigger bore than a 440 with the shorter stroke of a 383. Mill the heads and intake for compression, use 340 - 273 adjustable rocker arms with a solid lifter cam. I don't recall having to rebush or modify them. Back then I was doing that with a budget of pickin' strawberries and buckin' hay. Sometimes the locals would bring out cars so fast I never stood a chance at the stoplight. But I always pulled over, a few miles down the road, to swap stories with them while their engine cooled down...

These videos are gold Dylan. Thanks for sharing. Just love this sort of real world stuff. I'm in the process of saving my brother's first car, a '70 Lemans. Doing this same sort of thing so this video was just perfect.

Loving the longer videos it’s awesome nice work

It’s awesome someone finally throws some appreciation towards the 400bb, it seems like the bad compression ratio scares people away from it and some have never heard of it, but it’s really a good way to get a cheap reliable 70s era big block

I'd rather watch Dylans reruns than all the others newer episodes..he is real and takes this serious..

Great video. Glad you're keeping the 383 on the side. A numbers matching engine on an old car is quite rare. Might be able to do a video on how to get the machine work done for a rebuild over several months for those who aren't able to spend the money all at one time but can piece things together and eventually have a completely rebuilt motor ready to go on the shelf.

Awesome, Dylan! Can't wait for part 2!

Fantastic video! Takes me back to my first engine rebuild - 62 Chrysler Newport 361 2 bbl! Thanks again!!!

Thanks Dylan. I really enjoyed this vid. Looking forwardto seeing more of this build. Cheers Dude.

Great vid. Looking nice. Love the looks of the Monaco. Can't wait to c u driving it.

been a while since last seeing dylan build a clean engine .........satisfactory to see the engine get a new look

My son and I really enjoy your vids. You are a blessing!

Nice work Dylan! That’s going to be a super sweet ride! Congrats on another fine video. Love your work.

Very good instructional video.Good work Dylan. Would love to see other everyday engines rebuilt.

Hi Dylan

Great just great ! I'm loving how this is going, can't wait to see the Monaco back on the road !

O'rielys engine degreaser in a can works great. Soak it with one can, let it sit for about a half hour and pressure wash. Soak it down with the second can after the first wash and wash the 2nd time and it will be almost spotless for grease and debris.

Nice engine! Can’t wait to see it run and drive the ol’ Monaco!

This was incredible your narration has become just so engaging Dillion you are the man !!

Great video Dylan. I love all things Dodge built and I'd go with that 400 as well and build the 383 at your leisure and save it for something else. The 400 will give you a good cruiser. Introduce us to the big pooch in the background.

Awesome video, Dylan..! We love your honesty & your humbleness. You are a great guy. Cheers from California.

Thats one of the best engine colors out there!!!!

Sooo glad to see this car headed back to the road! Thank you so much

You should not put parts in until the whole block is clean, including the mating surfaces. Hole bunch of grit and dirt will fall in those new parts when you clean the mating surfaces. But over all good to see some one showing the whole process of refreshing an old engine.

Amazing work! Great budget build!

Great video and such a cool car can’t wait to hear it run and see it back on the road.

Very informative with how you suggest doing things and why. God bless you. Good stuff on this channel.

Wow that freeze plug block port is nasty

Hey Dylan how you doing I've been following for a long time you always give me motivation on my car that I'm working on I have a 1988 Dodge diplomat police interceptor with a 360 transplanted in it every time I get unmotivated I always watch your videos to get back in it God bless and I hope your all your builds oh great as always God bless my brother

Great budget build , great engine colour , thanks for sharing 👍

Great Video! Learned a lot keep up the good work!

I used to daily a 68 Monaco with a 318. I had to jam a screwdriver in the carb on cold mornings to get it to fire up. I loved that car and wish I still had it.

Absolutely amazing rebuild, thanks for sharing.

Another great video. Thanks Dylan!

Nice video! I think I would have spent the extra time take if the valves apart and lapping them and replacing the valve stem seals too!

Very cool vid.. And music is on point like always.. Nicely done.

Awesome video as usual….great looking engine. She’s gonna look amazing in the Monaco.

you're going to love the way that thing rides when you finally get to drive it. it's like floating on air, it's so smooth!

Thanks Dylan, great video and always look forward to a new one!

Great content Dylan binge watching these video for week now love the monaco

Thanks, good video. Good to see the old cars saved and back on the road.

When you were flushing the water jackets the song for some reason made me think of val and earl driving into perfection chased by graboids in the movie Tremor's. Love seeing low buck rustorations that most average gearheads can afford.

Love those ole big blocks. Can't wait to see it run. Good choice Dylan.

40 cubic inches Shy of PURE VICTORY

thanks for the video cant wait to hear see it back in the car!

Dylan, I thank you for your passion to get these beautiful old cars running again.

Awesome! I did a similar build 20 years ago. I picked up a low mileage 76 440 out of a New Yorker. I did have a valve job done to them 452 heads. I installed a Comp 268H cam. I dropped it into a 66 Coronet. With a 323 gear, ran great! I did install a set of headers and a dual plane intake. My wife loved to drive it! Even ran a 13.40 at the strip

Excellent! I've used oven cleaner from the $ 1 store to degrease things. Really enjoy your videos. You're an amazing mechanic for saving old cars and money. Keep up the good work. GOD bless you and your family!

Superb work engine looks stunning i look forward to seeing it in the car running .

Thanks Dylan for your content. Christ’s blessings to you and your family.

9:50 OMG ITS YOUR CLONE!!!!

The engine look really nice you do such good work working on cars keep up a good work

My brother had a 73 roadrunner with a 400. It was built in the petty garage. Ran 185 on the track. He street raced it on weekends for years.