How we rebuilt our Buick Nailhead V-8 engine from rusty to roaring | Redline Rebuild Explained 

The gentleman in Pennsylvania Dave referenced for a replacement 'Nailhead' is James Kehr of Best Offer Counts Buick Parts. I do business with James and he's very knowledgeable of Buicks.

Oh my gosh....Buick Wildcat was my first car in HS. I rebuilt that 401 twice in my Dad's shop. When I got rid of that car a couple years later, I kept the chrome WILDCAT letters and have them to this day as a reminder of some very nice days in my life!! YES, a front bench seat where my beautiful girl climbed in the drivers door and sat so close to me that you couldn't fit a sheet of paper between us. 8-Track tapes. Oh my goodness I'd love to re-live those days!!

Nothing is quite like what a freshly painted 60's v8 engine looks like when its brought back to its glory!

Davin makes this series. It's a genuine pleasure to watch each episode thanks to his combination of demeanor, expertise and humor. Just like with Tom on the barn finds series, Hagerty has chosen their hosts very well. Bonus: I have had Hagerty insurance on my '68 GTX for several years now and have had the unfortunate occasion of having to actually have a claim - and they performed flawlessly there, too. Quality all around. They've got a customer (and viewer) for life here! -Ed on the Ridge

I live not far from Traverse City. Back in the early 90s an old GM engineer gave me a boat that he built back in the 50s. Engine was a Buick 322 nailhead with fireball 8 decals. He said he cracked a piston skirt back in 1974 and the boat had been in storage ever since. The boat was an inboard about 19 1/2 feet long and featured many custom sand casted brass and bronze parts made by GM on the gov’t plan….. Engine had been used for performance testing The old guy said it had dynoed at 252 hp. I took the engine apart and had all the machine work done right there at Thirlby in 1993! Was cool to see you guys run through it I worked on that for hours and hours and was glad that we rebuilt it from the bottom up to be sure it was reliable. I still have it and it still runs like a top.

I got my learners driver license in my dad's 65 Buick LeSabre custom 355 wildcat engine. That car was by far the best road car I ever drove!!!

Nail head as a nick name.. I'm pretty old but I remember them being called Nail valves because the valves in a 322 looked like a cheap nail,the heads were very thin with a skinny stem . My younger brother started to build a T bucket with a 332 and jag four speed on the back. (with over drive). This had been in a Allard Sports car and was real torque monster . A 401 is one of those old time engines where torque was more important than screaming revs as anyone who have driven a buick will tell you,while you're accelerating into license losing territory SBC's etc are screaming.i restored a 225 Electra for a friend a few years ago which had 425 on the aircleaner...that meant 425 ft/lbs Torque .Not bad for 1960.

love the full length w/ color commentary ... episodically, i was lost when switching to other projects, which is cool, but this works for me.

Brilliant production. I loved that car but I seem to like rust more than solid metal. I enjoyed the walk through and talking about details that didn’t fit into the other episodes. Thank you so much for all the time and passion you put into your work

Great Time-lapse photography! Well done. The DP deserves a raise.

The content Hagerty is publishing on RU-vid has been fantastic. I love watching everything Davin does too

Wow! I think this has to be about the most extreme engine rebuild I've ever seen. This must have required at least 80--120 hours of hard manual labor, just to crack the case, break down the components, and clean out all of the mess. I've already seen the shorter post, where the time-lapse sequences of the restoration are featured. I was really impressed with the outcome, but so much more so, now, seeing all of the preliminaries. It's a commendable undertaking, to commit to saving an engine in such advanced condition of decay. I wish I could come work with you in your shop. That would be an amazing experience!

Excellent video!! Thank you Davin and Ben for the walk through.

Such an unusual engine design. Some brilliant ideas for the time and some that make you wonder...

I had a 65 Wildcat. My Grandmother had ordered it new. It had the nailhead. engine But it was a 4 door hardtop. I kept it for years but finally had to part with it. I have the Wildcat letters and the four hubcaps. Great riding car. It didn't have cruise control. It had a knob you turned on the speedometer to set when a buzzer would buzz to warn you you had exceeded your limit. You would always hit your limit.

Fantastic video! Congratulations on the final build, you guys are great!

Can you find another 65 for a doner car to put this motor into? Would love to see a 65 wildcat project it's one of my favorite cars ever (my dad had one lol) 65 was the best year.

I love this. My late aunt had a mid 60’s Wildcat rag top, and it was her absolute pride. I am in my mid 50’s so only remember that car being about the same age as myself; metallic blue with I believe a white interior. That Buick stayed in our family for years, and it actually might still be in the possession of my cousin. Would love to know if the motor was a 401 or 425. Thank you so much for your videos, your historical perspective and attention to details. Very much appreciated!

You guys... I love this format!

Nice job! Beautiful motor.👍🏻👍🏻👍🏻

Keep the videos going, great knowledge sharing!!!!

My first task would be to pressure wash the hell out of the engine and transmission

This stuff is truely awesome! Thank you for all the insights and the disbursement of your years of knowledge. Subscribed!

Loved followed it all cheers sir!

Davin = Genius

Incredible to watch this! I'm greatly impressed with all the detail of everything. The engine design itself is a true work of art and innovation. With the little upgrades it seems to me that you have a better than original. I'd love to see it put through the paces for endurance and performance. But with Buick's engineering, it's no doubt it's a performer. Hey, great video! Best wishes with your engine!

Good!

Muy buen trabajo mis chavos,felizidades.

Enjoy these Redline Rebuilds, Davin and Ben make a great team. What about something a little different, like a Corvair 6?

I don't know about Buick's engine block inspection but I worked for a brief time at Caterpillar Tractor's now long gone building Mossville BB basic engine plant doing final inspection after machining and one of the things I looked for was thin casting flash that might break off when the engine ran and yes I removed it with a hammer and chisel.

Last time I rebuilt a motor with dual valve springs the cam maker was very specific about breaking the cam in with only the outer springs installed then installing the inners after break in.

nice job

28:31 what a beautiful color

Have a 59 black buick electra( 225)with a wildcat nailhead engine.passed down in the family from new. Completely original.the front and the back of that cat look so cool.the backseat is like a couch.its lived in a dry garage its entire life.wonder if its worth restoring or just getting it road worthy

15:36 I have heard of using nickel spray welding to add material to pitted valve seats, but that typically is only done to cylinder heads that are extremely rare. According to some of the nailhead experts who commented in earlier videos, rebuildable nailhead cores weren't too difficult to find.

Awesome

Great!

Interisting side note. When building a high rpm engine they dont go for round on the rod big end . they want it ovaled to where the hole is wider than it is tall as the big end will flex causing the sides of the rods to pinch in eliminating the oil clearance burning up the rod. Hence the term hotrod.😂

Where do all these engines end up? Do you have projects they go into? Or do they belong to customers? Id love to have my survivor Mustang's 289 all spiffed up with everything working again (original A/C and smog car). Great work as always... thank you for interesting content!

Y'all should build a Ford 460. Hell, I would send y'all mine, as long as you send it back in working order. lol

Need to see him rebuilt Honda B series and Toyota Supra 2jz engine for once.

i always want to see a redline rebuild explained for the 331 hemi..i've been searching for a long time..but never find it..please do a redline explained for hemi

if possible to ask, I would really like to know what type of Camera and set up was used for these Redline Rebuild vidoes?

Great looking car, needs a 455, judge))

good video ,from tauranga new zealand

This is my dream car

Where do i go to get those tools n parts that walk over to the jobs by themselves? Handy!!!

MY 66 Rivera lost the top of a piston had a 57 Buick blew out the plug on the bottom of the intake. THEY are not to bad to work on.

I own a 364 Nailhead that came out of the biggest 1959 station wagon I have ever seen. It’s a 2 bbl and I want to convert it to a 4 bbl intake and rebuild it. It worn out, still rolls over freely ( good start) it was running when removed but smoked. Is there a preferred parr’s supplier that you would recommend for a complete rebuild. I won’t know how bad the cylinders are until I tear it down, but it’s probable its going to need more than a dingle ball hone and new rings. Any help aligning with a parts supplier would be great!

ok, i was wondering why you guys werent uploading the redline update! guess you were busy doing this!

You guys should do a Ford FE. I would love to see that

Any idea how it ended up in that shape? It had a hood covering the engine... did it sit through a flood? Always a shame to have to scrap old cores like this.

Anyone else wearing headphones almost crap themselves when Davin sneezed at 42:20?

where do you find the torque figures for so many different engines? Please

How do you decide which engines are good rebuild candidates? Ever considered a Willys F-134 engine?

Rebuild a Ford FE or 385 series block.

The rubber O-ring has worked for decade after decade.

If you had to do this again what kind of Klondike bar would it take?

I'm sad to hear that the Wildcat can't be saved.

How can i get that paint color??? Nice job !!

🤝👍

Curious if they have a car to put this engine into. The old Buick's are pretty rare, I got the idea the donor car was junk.

what happen to the chasis if you just rebuild the engine??it's go to the junkyard or somebody take it to be a part car??

how much all this process will cost$$? And how much time? Can I use a different engine for my Buick? 350- etc!

Mine and my wife's question is where are you doing these rebuilds? Town and State?

usually how much does it take to fully restore such an engine?

So the car body was a waste. Then the heads were trash followed by the engine block. If the trans is also shot, this was a complete bust … well, you guys tried. Hopefully you are able to recoup the buying price when you part out what is left of the body.

Flame spray cylinders and valve seat beds?

Did I miss something? Cause nobody seems to be asking. What're you gonna do with it? I'm thinkin' it's not goin' back in that old Wildcat. Seems like a shame at this point to stick it on a shelf.

Damm the intake has to be removed to adjust the push rods that sucks

Could I get that Color Code and the bran d of pain from you? I have been trying to find that color from different places who say that htey have the color, then when I receive it from them it's the wrong color. I am having a tough time with this. I cried to color code it with my color coder, but can't find a spot big enough. I would totally appreciate it if you would help me with this....

What is it going into?

do some good ole FE FORD ENGINES

I had 66, it would smoke the big ol tires until I threw a rod.

Haw much is for rebuilt the engine like you do.

What kind of color you used

the people that say you should use a ridge Reemer are clueless been a machinist for 35 years never ever use one so many blocks ruined by dufas customers with a ridge reamer all the people telling you to use one are for sure the guys that will ruin their block

when is it going on the dyno ?

How much would it cost to rebuild my 1986 Oldsmobile 5.0L 307cui?

Whats up with Davin? Was that a compromise between his parents, one wanted to name him david, and the other wanted to name him gavin?

From crap to beauty!

I’m shocked that engine was unusable 😂

hihi videos veru good

What's the HP?

Great video but that backward and forward time lapse got a bit tiresome.

Это вам не Приору чинить!

No way in hell high temperatures silicon will stay it will cook it in 15 min

Why not paint the whole assembled engine? Or you could throw the heads and oil pan on without gaskets and it would save lots of masking off time and tape.

Nice job but that guy touching the computer back and forth all the time ruined the video

Hello

meh...i would have went with the regular Buick V8, like a 300/340/350. Nailheads explode bigtime if you run them hard, everything cracks on them.