How-To Avoid Catastrophic Engine Failure: Finnegan's Garage Ep.70 

Please show the entire build of this engine in this amount of detail. I’m going to build my first engine and this has been VERY informative. Great job.

So now that we know how to do it the right way, we can forget all that stuff and slap a bunch of used mismatched parts into it in an autozone parking lot at midnight in the snow.

Perfect timing, I'm about to put a diesel back together after a lot of machining, and though I understand the process, its always a relief to see someone who makes it look so straight forward, and take a lot of the worry out of it. My father always told me all you need is the confidence to try. Thank you for making it look achievable .

You & David have always impressed me with you mechanical knowledge. Ever since I watched your Roadkill Series.

Impressive. I put an engine together once without cleaning and paid the price immediately. You took cleaning to another dimension which is outstanding. Congrats on your skills.

Coming from a man who has experienced catastrophic engine failure more than anyone I know. Love you Mike ;)

I’ve been building engines for years and noticed the exact same thing on the first engine I built (just a refresh on an old small block that was still running). That the parting line is slightly wider than the middle. After checking the old parts I saw the exact same difference so I knew there had to be some reason why but never knew exactly why until today! Thank you for that small bit of information! This is why I watch videos of others doing what I do all the time. No matter how long you do something there is always more to learn if you’re open to it.

Great video Mike. So glad you got the audio fixed. Sounds great.

I gotta be honest Mike for as long as I've watched you and then seeing this title makes me giggle a little bit

to some people this video may have been basic stuff, that is why i liked this video, i also liked the way he explained not only how to do thing but also why he did them.. what also was was good is that he didn’t pack out his video with needless waffle.. Top video Mike, you have just got another subscriber 👍👍👍

OH MY! I just slapt my engine together hard, no fancy tools. no ring gaping or anything. 7k rpm for a year and no worries until I saw this. I cant sleep now... :/

Probably the most informative and helpful guy on RU-vid. Thx Finnegan!

I like to learn one thing a day. This video taught me many.

Only time I've had engine failure was when I lost an Allen key. Should have checked that it wasn't in the engine. A month later it found it's way into the cylinder bore. I was 12 at the time and building my first engine, so I was kind of being careless now that I look back. My Dad wasn't into cars so I had to learn everything from reading CarCraft and Hot Rod magazines.

Good to see Boshears in another video, that dude really knows his way around an engine.

I actually learned a thing here too! Great video! Also I thought for a minute that this was a lot of hell to go through for a build compared to some normal garage practices I see for truck motors. Then I realized that if you spend $10k-$20k to build an engine this is exactly what is needed. Thanks, Mike!

Thanks, I was worried about falling asleep because I was excited about making my first dirt bike trail at 49 years old and by the time you got to measuring the crank, zzzzzzzzzz. Got up at 7 am! Thanks again, trail is a hoot!

Mike... you, BY FAR, do the best job of balancing education and entertainment in your videos and I just wanted to say how much I appreciate that!! Nobody else on RU-vid can balance these, by you doing so I get so much more out of your videos! So I say Thank you sir for what you do!

Excellent video, being an engine builder (sometimes called an Automotive Machinist lol) this is all second nature to me but for those trying to do their first few builds these details will make the difference between an engine that gives pleasure and an engine that brings pain. I love how you showed the deformed seal, so many people overlook these things and every one of them matter. The difference between a good engine and a fantastic engine is the attention the builder paid to the details and the attention the assembler paid to the builders details, even when I am both builder and assembler I check everything. btw i notice that as of this comment 75 people out there will have some sort of engine failure very soon.

How-To Avoid Catastrophic Engine Failure? Don't let Mike get behind the wheel...

Thanks for showing us the tricks of the trade. It's very meticulous and a lot if patience is required. I've known guys who just slap everything together and call it good to go and either something goes wrong at break in or down the line wondering why. As they say tho, if it was easy everyone would do it (but few do it and fewer do it good), and there's some stuff you address that someone just getting into it would never occur to them, so thanks for the insight!

That's a great video of "best practices" for engines builds...the attention to detail that makes a difference.

Finnegan- Fyi Full strength simple green causes Hydrogen Embrittlement in high strength aircraft alloys. It's actually specifically prohibited as a cleaner for Aircraft. (former USMC F/A-18 Turbine Engine Mechanic)

Thank you for showing how important it is to check everything. I can not tell you how many thinks can happen if you do not check. Simple things blow up!!

Offset the split in the rear main seal from the split in the cap and block. It may fit better.

Friday and a Finnegan video. Gonna be a good day.

For a minute I thought it would be about the money shift in Blasphemi. Ouch! But...its a big block! You can never be too careful about clearances on bearing and journals. Great job explaining that Mike. Can`t wait for the next chapter in the build.

Attention to every detail makes the difference between greatness and mediocrity. Mike Finnegan has a manner of conveying this in an interesting and entertaining way.

Normal people engine assembly: 1) buy a bunch of used parts from different motors 2) ask advice from all your friends 3) ignore your friends advice 4) clean motor with garden hose and simple green, then brake clean 5) put new bearings in 6) Assemble crank caps and bearings making sure the crank still turns as you tighten caps 7) Drop pistons in the bore with out checking ring gap 8) torque conn rods 9) install "rebuilt heads" you got from craigslist 10) re-use head bolts 11) install used cam and lifters and pushrods 12) install intake, used "rebuilt" carb and smashed up headers, oil pan and leaky chrome valve covers 13) put on leaky fuel pump and hook up shoddy wires 14) fire it up! and fix all the leaks. Mike Finnegan's (and the right) way, watch this video.

I can't believe I missed this video. Thanks for explaining things in terms I can easily understand.

You are a cool dude. So glad you made this youtube spin off series so I can learn from you. God Bless!

Thank you mike im rebuilding a old 440 race engine for my 1965 fury and your video is really helping alot thank you from the bottom of my heart for real

Finnegan, you should tell us all more about balancing the rotating assembly.

Thanks Mike, only patient people have the skills to build racing engines. It takes a special individual to use their confident experience, proper instruments, skills and Cajones to light off a new racing engine for the first time.

This was a great learning video....I saw the quick plastic strip way to measure bearing oil clearance on the Cleatus MacFarland channel and James said that it was the fast down and dirty way to do it so this was a great video on the proper way to physically measure... Thanks for teaching me something new today !!!

Finnegan, if you can avoid using any cleaners on aluminum that contain caustic soda you will be better off in the long run. Simple Green, Super Clean, Purple Power, etc. all contain caustic soda which etches the aluminum and accelerates oxidation. Dawn dish soap works real well and won't oxidize the bright finish. Nice build, best of luck with it.

That was a brilliant tutorial. Thanks for putting that together. Demystifying measurement. Awesome.

Now this is what separates the wheat from the chaff, very informative and great video!

"you can cut it with water depending on how dirty your thing is" that's what she said.

THAT was a good episode, thank you, Finnegan.

Solid video where you learn about things you have noticed, but never knew why or if it was right.

Thank You Mike for a great "How To" Video. All the engines I put together over the years were "Blind Faith" compared to this. You just proved something I have always said....You Have To Know To Know, and I sure didn't know. There is only so much you can get out of a How To Hotrod A (insert engine here) Book. Fortunately they all ran, but how much better would they have run done properly. I will be looking forward to Part2.

I like the method you use by assuming nothing will fit properly new or used on a build. I want to point out I am not an engine builder, I am a machinist. I Have have rebuilt a few engines in the past. I just want to mention that when you checked the ID of the bearing and said you were .004 bigger diameter than the micrometer reading set from the crank, Is actually only .002 total clearance around crank and bearing for oil flow. Unless you want zero clearance on one side bearing half. That being said if you only change one bearing half even .0005 you have created an issue with the rotating assembly. Because you then do not have a true round inline precision lined bore for the crank to sit and rotate in. And that will be a weak point.

This is the first video I've seen of you outside of roadkill...it's really weird to see you doing everything the "right" way as opposed to the "roadkill" way lol

I miss building engines, only have done a few for school and not for any performance. Lots of good information!

this very episode just explained why you beat john and his poorly made engine .! Perfection Finnegan, it think you got it

Great explanation on checking bearing clearances Mike.

I'm going to be rebuilding my 360 Ford big block for my grandpa. Thank you!

Your way of measurement is the best because that's how I build / rebuild cutting machines in my mine

Great video. I have never rebuilt a engine but planning on starting my 289 next month. I have been reading a lot of books to get ready but honestly this is stuff I haven't read before. Looking forward to more videos like this.

Good practice to chase out ALL the threaded holes, too, in case they weren't fully tapped/cleaned out. Normally you don't want to remove any material, just debris, so a worn or blunted tap is a good choice. Good to see you emphasising the checking and re-checking BEFORE initial assembly. On that, I've seen numerous videos of folks putting engines together who checked clearances, and even reworked some parts, during the final and ONLY assembly process! A builder can expect to do at least two assemblies, even after component checking - the first is a dummy/trial assembly (no rings, etc) to double check assembled clearances, including piston-head-valve, the second to check any remedial work is correct (sometimes this step isn't required as things checked out, sometimes it needs to be repeated until it IS right), when all is satisfactory, the final build can be done. Some may disagree - fair enough - but I usually have a couple of cans of brake-clean or electrical degreaser on hand during final assembly, just to wash off any dust with an evaporative cleaner.

Just a heads up. Simple green is corrosive to aluminum. Dawn dish soap and or window works better

while I listened to the explanation of the oblong clearance on the sides of the bearing I can see your point but my opinion from what I was trained is the extra clearance is for the introduction of the oil wedge or surf your bearing will be riding on as it lines up with the oil hole in the crank at the time of least load on the rod to crank pressure . Just a thought

Holy cow..and i thought i was fussy with cleaning engine components! i dont think i would have gone as far as you did with all brand new parts but i applaud your attention to detail. I just wish you guys lived in my metric measurement world of australia :D im already bad at math as it is!

Awesome explanations, great job !!! Totally understand it now, degree a camshaft next, lol

Hey Mike, first off just wanted to say I'm a big fan of your channel and roadkill. You guys are hilarious. And your channel has given me some motivation to find my dream car and build it up from scratch. But I have a couple of questions? 1. What's usually the best compression ratio for an engine. Say I wanted to o ring an engine block, how much power does it affect, and what would be the best choice for a rear end be for a 69 Dodge charger. And also just wanted to say thank you for taking to post stuff on RU-vid and for reading the comments. Thanks Mike

I measure stuff for a living and I approve of this video. I also highly approve of your method of direct comparison between the crank and the various bores. By not doing the math, you are only relying on only one instrument (the bore gage) to read in an accurate and linear fashion for only a few thousandths. If you do it the math way, you rely on the accuracy of the micrometer for measuring the crank, the accuracy of the bore gage for measuring the rod/main bore, and the accuracy of whatever tool you use to measure the bearing thickness. Those inaccuracies add up quickly when you're trying to maintain only .0030 clearance!

I've never had an engines as nice as that BBC there. When I put one of my old re-ringers together I usually just make sure I have the correct under/oversize and that all the right rod/ main caps are in the right place.😁 Can be tricky if you have a basket case engine you want to run again.Thats a good tip on the rear main seal. Nothing suckier that a leaky.

Friken awesome episode Finnegan!! Love this type of informative stuff!!

Finn Great video, thank you. More from this channel please. 👍

Mike, if you only change "half" a bearing to make up the 1000ths of an inch wouldn't that throw of the centerline of the crank?

It's all in the details... great work guys!

If you take the bore gage and lay it on the table (having the anvil and the guides hanging off the table and the dial indicator on the table keeping the bore gage flat) then hold the mic in your hand (moving that around instead of the bore gage to find your smallest size) it makes it easier to set. You don't have to balanced the bore gage as you try to set it and with a little practice it'll be faster to set up. I would also look at getting a Sunnen bore gage, once you use one of those you'll hate going back to these cheap ones. A Couple of interesting things I learned over the years: If you hold a mic long enough in your hand it will change size (as long as the air around you is cooler than your body temp). Your body heat will soak in to the mic and cause it to grow opening up the distance between the anvil and spindle. Of course this takes a period of time but it shows how much the a little bit of temperature difference will affect your measurements. An average human hair is .004 thick, (Mike yours is probably twice that thick LOL), just to give everyone a reference on the sizes your talking about for oil clearance

Finally a car video teaching me something new!

This is fantastic, Mike. Serious de-mystification in this video - thanks!

Finnegan's approach is solid and pragmatic. Always make no assumptions that components are ready for assembly UNTIL verification.

Probably only one thing ? About ingraving the rods. Taking material out. Will change the weight slightly. Would a permanent marker be better. Just a thought. 😉🤔👍👍 very detailed and tourer. Top job. 👏

Really enjoyed seeing this! It is different to hear Mike talking tech through a whole video, definitely dig it though.

this is the stuff we're all here to see! good video Mike

I see you too have a JBL charge speaker. Great choice. Personally when I rebuilt my 3800 seriesII supercharged motor i went by way of calculations. That way i was crushing bearings and stretching bolts more then once. It was also my first motor rebuild and a daily driver not a race boat or car. Thanks for your way of checking tolerances.

I've always used simplegreen on fresh blocks. Wash, rinse repeat. Then I'd start checking measurements. I custom built a "turntable wash station " for my 1st build. All my friends thought I was nuts. but..... that Chevy bigblock is still running strong. In my friends Ford F150. (He plans on selling the truck next year. After he pulls the engin and transmission)

Going to the front yard … yanking my 400 cubic inch engine out of the car. Tearing it down, then rebuilding it and slapping it back in. After that … going to have some cold ones. Now I know many of you will say that is just wrong and I will agree with you. No reason to wait till I'm done to start having some cold beers …. good call guys

Great job keep up the good work I'm learning a lot.

Glad to see boshears back. He has been missed

Thanks Mike look forward to the rest. Your a great teacher bro!

So every time you said “gallery” I wanted to correct you. Lol I’ve always called them “galleys” But... in doing some searching online I’m wrong and your right. Seems a lot of people have had this debate unbeknownst to me. Haha Nice job 👍🏼

Love this show, I’m learning so much!

Mike, please do a kick flip in your next video. Thanks. The dishes are done, man.

Please turn this into a playlist and show the whole process in this much detail.

If I heard you correctly, the total clearance is x therefore the oil film thickness is going to be 1/2x. Am I correct in this?

Thanks for Sharing very good information with the hot rod community I highly appreciate it

Brilliant viewing! NEXT please keep the build comin mate

I like useful information like this. Shennanigans are fun but knowledge is awesome

Learned something new today thanks Mike.

Be careful with simple green on aluminum. It is quite alkaline and can accelerate corrosion. Probably fine in this application, but I would ensure you are assembling or wiping with WD-40 like Finn did.

Great video and engine building tips Mike, thank you!

Thank you. Please do more videos like this one !!!

Thank you for the SHORT title page. 5 seconds and out. I hate when a channel throws an ego-stroking 60 second title page at a 6 minute video. Good information especially on the attention to detail with the seal. Lessons like that don't just apply to engine building.

Thank you for the video! I’m preparing to start my own engine build. Bearing clearances was a little confusing until now. Plasti gauge seems a little sketchy and I don’t trust my math haha. I’m a huge fan also! Thanks

Great episode 👍😎 Very educational

I just finished building my first ever car engine, which is a 383 stroker Chevy with 10.3:1 compression and a flat tapper cam with roller rockers. Some of these tips would’ve been nice to know but I just broke it in yesterday and it seemed to go great (except for my plug wires lighting on fire).

Very clear and concise information. Cheers

When it comes time for final engine assembly do you need to replace the torque to yield bolts that stretched while checking your oil clearance measurements?

This is how i was taught exactly and i build all my engines this way I've been told I'm wasting my time but i assume the machinst has had a bad day as well as the guy who packed the parts boxs,ihave also been told I'm damaging my bearing surface with the bore gauge but im yet to have a failure to confirm that cool vid thanks.

And that "mike" is why your dad is proud of you. Attention to the details. I just remember the episode of roadkill when you and freiburger stopped by your pop's pizza shop and his face lighting up when telling the stories of your youth.

Engines really are fucking amazing. Controlled combustion equivalent to hundreds if not thousands of horses, all at the pull of a throttle.

Were any of the techniques applied to BlaspHemis' engines, 1, 2, or 3? Lol. Where's the video on BlaspHemi's engine failure? People wanna know what caused that!

If it wasn't for you guys i wouldn't know what to do with my dream truck i got not long ago, just wish i had your guy's tools!

I was watching a video about 2 guys assembling a high horsepower engine in the parking in Midland, Michigan he didnt care for engine clearances, got some torque wrenches, sockets, wrenches, and assembled a whole HEMI in 2 days and fired it up and ran 9s all day. It was i na 55 chevy I believe, black one, called, 'Blasphemi'...pretty cool dudes and funny too.

You are not supposed to touch the metal part of the micrometer. The plastic block is there to insulate from the heat of your fingers. Also measurements should be taken at the same temperature as your calibration temperature.