How we rebuilt our Chevy Small-Block V-8 engine | Redline Rebuilds Explained 

Whoever had the idea to do the time lapse videos deserves a raise...Whoever had the idea to do videos explaining them deserves an award!

I enjoyed this video a lot. I am 72 and 50 years ago I was rebuilding these small block engines. Its nice to see I was doing it right and you still are. Great job.

This video needs an academy award. Explaining the process of rebuilding an engine. Just great! Thanks fellas.

This was great and brought back many memories. I can't begin to tell you how many 265, 283 & 327's I built in my parents garage when I was a kid & into my twenties. Back then of course we were hot-rodders and squeezed every bit of HP we could get. We had a local machine shop do all the small block work. We did the valves by hand, using the old spring and hand palm rotating technique. The cam bearings were always new because we usually purchased a solid lifter cam from Isky and the manufacturer dictated the bearing clearances. Cranks were usually reused and machined a little then balanced. We used a product called plasti-gauge to measure the bearing clearances and then bought custom over or undersized bearings. We were teenagers and relied on as you called it rattle cans to prime and paint the block There were high heat engine paints and primers available. We also drilled and pinned the rocker arm studs. Then safety wired same. We usually bought new solid lifter lifters also from Isky. Pistons and pins all new as well. An Eldebrock aluminum manifold and a Holley three barrel carb finshed it off. Along with a Mallory distributor and ignition coil. One trick we did was before installing the distributor we'd run the oil pump with an electric drill and bring up oil to the valve covers. I used a TDC gauge that hatched to the spark plug hole on #1. By the way, I went to Aviation High School in NYC and was trained on rebuilding radial aircraft engines. So a lot of my techniques came with Aviation specs in mind. It was all great fun. My favorite engine was the 327-300. I had a 283 with a Duntov Fuel Injection setup but that was way to difficult to keep running. Luckily a Eldebrock Manifold and a Aluminum 4 barrel (AFB) did the trick. Do you guys recall the Chevrolet 307 engine? We were taking 327 blocks and using a 283 crank for about 301 cubic inches. Pulled plenty of RPM's too. The Hot Rod community always felt that GM never credited us with that engine. The interviewer ragged a little on the exhaust manifolds. Those RAM-HORN manifolds as they were called were very efficient. They easily opened up a little and with a little machine work on the heads made them even more efficient. We always rigged up dual exhaust with glass-paks mufflers. I'm in my 70's now and I really enjoyed watching your video. THANKS for the memories.

I watch a lot of your vids, but don't comment. I like the time lapse, but I also enjoy you taking the time to talk to us and tell us the process

I know this comment is 3 years old but, you guys knocked this one out of the park! Thank you so much for posting and sending me back to a time when my dad had me replace engines for guys he knew in the summer when he went off to work on second shift and I watched my buddies go off to play basketball for half a day. He told me that if I wanted to make some real money in life then I needed to prioritize when and what was more fun. To me it was making my dad happy and learning how to use my hands then, I could go and play. You know out of all of my buddies I was the only one that had a car( 1973 Buick Electra ) that could out run most of the guys my age that were driving because we re-built the engine. Thanks for the memories because I miss my dad and the lessons he gave me! You see, all that from posting one video,,,,,,,,

As someone who is completely new (about 2 to 3 weeks now) to working on engines this video is very interesting to me. I have leaned a lot about what the many different parts are called and have learned about the many tools needed. I dream of tearing down and rebuilding an engine like that some day. For now I will keep watching, reading and learning everything I can. Thanks for posting it. I have liked, subscribed, hit the bell and will continue watching. Looking forward to your next video and will be watching your past videos.

My dad and I have built a ton of these small block chevys, I have a special attachment to them because of this! Chevy small blocks are the most reliable and greatest engines of all time! I will never stop building small block chevys!

I grew up on these. Used to help my dad rebuild small block Chevies at his shop back in the 80s when I was a kid.

Damn I really appreciate the host for simplifying and explaining what's happening. I'm just getting into cars and hope to build my own drag car one day

Just made a lot of people including myself more knowledgeable of small block GM engine great video

I remember my first 350 build with my brother and are buddy's, back in the early 80's it was cheap to build it was a Lt1 block 4 Bolt mains double roller timing chain 10 .25 compression Pistons... 3 quarter Cam.. 194 heads... blackjack headers... Holley aluminum high rise intake... 600 cfm Holley carb 4 barrel double pumper.... that carb I borrowed from my brother that he had in on his small block 318 which he still brings up time to time.... still brings tears to his eyes ; ) this 350 block i put in a 72 Chevelle Laguna it was definitely a sleeper.. good times ill never forget when a time when the cop's pulled up beside me at a stop light if looks could kill lol .... thanks for the fond memories )

Before and after dyno runs would be awesome!

I did this once on a 283. I used power pack heads with 2.02 valves, Chet Herbert roller cam, Hedman headers, two four-barrel carburetors all into a '55 Chevy with a 4.88 posi-rear, 3-speed. I used M & H slicks and drove it at Islip speedway on Long Island, one-eighth mile, back in the sixties. I'm 76. Ahhh, the good ol' days. The engine didn't answer back, either.

It is so refreshing to watch a video and not hear foul language. Thank you.!! Enjoy the rebuild time lapse. I'm a mopar and jaguar man myself.

This video brought back so many great memories ! My favorite engine , I build hundreds of these from 1980-87. Thanks guys !!❤

Loved this video boys! Being born in 1968, I had the opportunity to get several small block V8’s to power my GM cars of the time. We did a couple of engine swaps, popped in a few cam shafts, intakes and better carbs. Seeing this time lapse really brings back memories. Such well done productions guys, a step above. Keep it up!

Thank you! I didn't grow up doing this type of work, so I don't have the same understanding as so many others who really enjoy these videos. These are skills that need to be taught to the young people of today.

I am 80 Years Old ! Have always luv'ed Chevy. Engines. have bever rebuilt one but have hung over the shoulders of many a rebuild mechanic until the shoo me away. Great Video ,!

I'm just a shade tree guy who loves working on my old Jeep and watching how you get things done. I always learn something from your videos! Keep up the good work!!

lol ... When motor took off on engine stand at the end of the video ... that was really cool , thanks for sharing

Well, that twenty minutes went by fast. Nice format, please continue. 👍

Like the last commenter, I am 67 and 50 years ago I was rebuilding small block chevys. I was taught to set hydrolic valves different than you state. I was told down to zero lash + 1/4 turn (for hydrolic lifter preload). Miss any comment on the front and rear oil pan seals. They were cotton and a bear to put in and not leak. You did not talk about the double hump camel heads (2.02" valves). But I really like the video! Thanks for bringing back many memories. I still have all my engine rebuild tools!

Unlike so many RU-vid videos there is no "filler" on this video. Every image and every spoken word added to the experience. Thank you.

I'm loving both the timelapse rebuilds and these explainer videos! Keep up the good work guys!

Its amazing to see how much work goes into a rebuild. Thanks for sharing. Definitely takes a good amount of skill and knowledge patience to do this type of work.

I remember the one guy being a on a show that was a head to head type. He reminds me so much of one of the guys that has worked with me and my dad in some hotrod shenanigans when I was a kid. Just hearing and watching someone that resembles someone from my youth just brings me back to the times of my dad and I with his friends wrenching in the garage.

I just get the biggest kick watching these rebuilds! I have never rebuilt a motor. But I do my best to take care of them. Very educational!

Absolutely phenomenal video. Thank you Larry for asking questions! For a guy who doesn't know a lot about engines the explanations really helped.

This is one of the most amazing chevy small vid I've seen so far on the net hands down 💯

I used to work at a machine shop many years ago,boy did this video brought back fond memories in bringing back life into these tired old engines,

I've been watching this video for almost 3 years. More like this, please!

Spent my childhood rebuilding chevy small blocks with my late father. Dad had a deep love for these engines and could really get them to scream with a careful tune and break in.

Ahhhh the most popular and widely used internal combustion engine of all time, bar none.👍👍

Excellent. This is how videos on this topic should be. Organized, clear, and filled with real information. Not some shade tree mechanic talking about bits and bobs with terrible camera work. I don't LIKE to pay for insurance, but I'm glad my money goes to folks like these.

Teaching my 7 yr old has been such a breeze with videos like these that are visually stimulating that helps him retain the knowledge. These are rad keep em coming. Nothing like seeing the look on a childs face when they experience 470hp small block chevys 🙏🏼

Excellent stuff! For a guy who only knows how to fill the gas tank - this was totally informative.

awesome video! I have a '67 impala with a 283 that my buddies and I pulled out in the fall and are in the process of getting ready to rebuild it in the upcoming months. Currently the engine gets 30 miles to a quart of oil. we took it apart and found the gaskets were totally shot.

So much knowledge! RU-vid truly is an amazing place to find some great information you’d never even know you’re missing. Thank you for this!

Thanks for explaining the simple questions like changing valve seats for unleaded gas and bearings.

Great video! I'd kill to get to work alongside a guy like Davin on a few of these rebuilds. I've been wrenching on engines for decades, but can only imagine how much I'd learn from a guy like that.

This is beautifully done. Excellent!

Wish I had a dad back in the day to sit down with me and teach me this stuff.... I have been self taught and by careful observation over the years. But as my children know me now; I'm the dad that can "fix" any car or bike problems, lol....... however I'm the first to tell you that I Don't know it All, but video's like these that Hagerty does is worth its weight in gold! Thank you very much sir

I like how the time lapse video was 3:48 seconds long the 350's stroke is 3.48 inches! There my favorite videos on youtube thank u for takeing the time to make them!

Nice job! Love those old rams horn exhaust manifolds.

Love your time-lapse builds BUT as an engineer I could not listen without clarifying: Those bearings on the crankshaft are hydrodynamic plain bearings. Those do not glide on the material itself like it was suggested by you. The fascinating thing is that when rotating they "fill up" with oil and provide an "oil wedge"on which the inner bearing "floats". They only wear when you start the motor because the oil wedge has to build up first (and of course when overloaded or also underloaded). The ones in motors are a bit special because they get a little help with the oil being pressed into the bearing gap.

Such an amazing engine . Made in the mid fifty's right after the flat head bringing birth to a new design of V8 . Used for the next 50 years improved on little by little. Still being used today by many . I love the SBC .

thanks guys. Great format with the video playing in the background and 2 guys commenting. 1 guy who knows it all and the other who asks good questions.

fantastic bro

Morrreeeeeee rebuild timelapse pleaaasseeeeeee and keep up the great work

Love the beginner questions as the build goes on. Not all of us grew up learning this stuff!

Takes me back to my 454 build in 89. Thank you

Couldn't beat the Chevy small block 🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸

Thank God for a commentary video. Keep it up! Just what we needed

I'm a big fan of these type of videos. The original time lapse video is entertaining as well as informative, but to now have some real discussion for a novice like me is really important. You made this video just the perfect length, and now maybe consider extended episodes of different stages of the build.

This was a great video, especially for someone who has never rebuilt any engine. But ti see all the internal parts, and what kind of work and the steps needed was really fantastic! I have a 1976 Chev Malibu station wagon with a 350 in it. The engine runs great, at least it did the last time I ran it which about 4-5 years ago. But there was a fire in the engine compartment about 8-9 years ago, due to a rubber fuel hose that leaked gas on top of the engine and it ignited. Now it needs lots of work to make the car really usable again. I am talking about things like power steering, power brakes, A/C, and a few more smaller items. The car, and engine, has over 220,000 miles on it, and I used Mobile 1 on it its entire life, well, after the original warranty ran out after the first 12,000 miles. GM did not trust Mobil 1 back then.

Love the videos! You guys rock!

always always always rotate your crank after installation of each journal. If there's a bind, you will feel it then and there vs after assembly and scratching your head wondering which journal is the culprit.

A very impressive video, thank you so much for the lesson, it was a great refresher for me to see since I am getting ready to rebuild a 76 350 Corvette small black. Sure brings back old memories...

Wow. Usually I’m fast forwarding a vid. This one I wish I could slo Mo to take it all in. Really enjoyed it. Thanx guys.

Great video and great vibe ,I built a lot of these little monsters,still the best engine per cubic inch

This is awesome. Do a slant 6 rebuild. Those engines are legendary!!

I bought my first car in 1981, a 73 Nova Hatchback for $700!!! It was on a Wednesday, then two days later that Friday the engine threw three rods, one through the hood on my way to Chicago.(Only doing 120mph!) All due to a clogged pcv valve. I called the used car lot (after towing it from south bend Indiana to Ft Knox Kentucky using a Vega wagon and four packages of clothesline as a tow rope, true story and it only took us eight hours.😉) I told them what happened, so in good faith they brought a 327 plucked out of a recently totaled corvette. That had a four barrel, an hei and headers too! Luckily at the time I was stationed at Ft Knox where they had a post garage where you could work on your own vehicles there and storage was only a dollar a day including all the tools you’d need, just sign them out clean and return them to the window. The old guy working the window taught me a lot doing that swap which I’m forever grateful for. I was 19 at the time and had only learned the basics in high school shop so that opportunity was a god send. The only problem I ran into was after I was done it wouldn’t go into second, any guesses why? (350 turbo auto trans) The vac modulator hose broke at the tranny, but soon as I told the old guy, he had me on a lift and went right to it to point it out like he knew or something…😜 Once plugged in all was perfect! I’ve since rebuilt my share from bare blocks up and I’m always tinkering even though today’s cars aren’t anywhere as fun. Hopefully I’ve downloaded all of this knowledge to my boys helping them work on their own vehicles today. The next project in the pipe is going to be a bit challenging. It’ll be an all hands on deck build, because we’re debating on dropping a 350 into a 99 Ford escort ZX2! My oldest is a fast and frustrated kinda guy and is insisting on just working with the existing four cylinder that’s in it. I’ve thought about it but I do love my emission less 350’s! Anyway, thanks for the video, watching those engines being rebuilt never gets old! Wish us luck lol!

I like how the guy on the right asks dumbed down questions, as a beginner this is very informative for me. great video

These two are an interesting match up (first time viewer) - one of the men has a life more closely tied to Technician work and turning wrenches in general, the other guy at least has interest and is successful at prompting dialogue that newbies may be interested in or be able to digest lol.

Freeze plugs are not freeze plugs, they are actually called core plugs and they do not always pop out when the block freezes. Also, I tend to use brass core plugs when I do a motor because steel rusts out. Marine motors are notorious for that. Enjoyed this, think i'll watch your other engine videos.

I would love to watch the entire process, with the cometary in real time, for weeks... Amazing video. Thank you for all the efforts.

Great video loved how detailed and descriptive it was. Came out beautiful.

first time watching this channel under 1000 views 👍

Fel-Pro Oil Pan Gaskets OS34510T 1 piece oil pan gasket....just a FYI.

Great video! Best I've seen on here so far. I'm just learning all of this and you guys make it simple to understand the process.

Very nice presentation. My dad rebuilt about four engines when I was growing up. Watched him, and now I think I need to do one for my bucket list, maybe. Haha

genius level commentary ..!!

Thanks! Brought back a lot of memories to my 75 year old brain! Dirty fingernails, busted knuckles!

I love this type of channels, all my life I wanted a old car like a camaro, this is a beautiful car, I love it, and I love this channel too!

I did my first engine rebuild last summer on a TBI 350 for my g20 conversion van. I kept the old cam, lifters and cam bearings, and didn’t bore out the cylinders, and it’s been running great. The van overheated really badly in 2012, and the previous owner quit paying a local shop to work on it, and so it was transferred on a lien, and sat out front for 11 years. I would always see it on the way into school or work, and I knew I wanted to buy it someday. I got it from the shop owner for $500 and it’s been rock solid with the new engine. They sure don’t make them like they used to

I'd really like to see a 396 time lapse build.

That was awesome!. Question. How much did this rebuild cost from start to finish ? How many man hours did it take to complete a project like this ?

PLEASE make more videos like this haha I enjoyed this thoroughly and would love to see more.

Enjoyed the video, hopefully we will see many more. I love classic cars and I think these videos can be helpful to many of us. Thank you.

Another rule of thumb, darker colors, especially Black, dissipates heat better and more evenly than any other colors. That's why nearly ALL engines are Black from the factory these days. EDIT: Those "awful" exhaust manifolds are actually "Ram Horns" and they flow almost as well as headers. They were on the L-79 327 Chevy II's, the LT-1 350's and the DZ-302 Z-28 motors.

Back in 1983 I was working on a 1978 Pontiac station wagon with a bad lifter in a 400 engine. The owner bragged about changing the oil every three thousand miles and was expecting it to be really clean on the inside but when I pulled the valley cover off there was carbon built up from the block to the cover. It turns out he used cheap Sears oil exclusively. That stuff was the worst oil on the market due to the high amount of ash & lack of additives to keep the oil from breaking down. In the end he had me just put it back together & he traded off.

Love the newbie questions---because some of us haven't been doing this for twenty years!👍

That’s what I just inherited 1969 fast back impala 350 small block. I’m excited to do exactly this to mine💯 great job you guys do👍.

I'm currently doing my very first engine rebuild out of our 71 corvette, really enjoyed this video and seeing how pros do the steps I'm learning to do. I just removed the crank so next the block is going to a local race shop here. Getting nervous and excited to put it all together.

Love these time-lapse videos. For the past 5 decades or so i've been told that one of the reasons the American engineered, factor-built engines have such longevity is because the tolerances are so sloppy, thus plenty of room for wear without losing too much umph. And; after a total rebuilt like you have done here, those loose tolerances are tightened up. Yet i understand you believe these rebuilds last longer. Are those concepts reconcilable?

Found answers to questions I didnt even know I had. Thanks alot for the quality video.

I’ve been enjoying all of the engine rebuild videos! Great production entertainment!

Love the videos, personally I'd like to see this type of commentary, but without the verb basic information. I'd be expecting the people who watch this to know the basics. Tell me more who did the work what did you do to it. Not what is a push rod, what's an oil pickup, etc.

this is MechaPORN

One guy that knows how to do it, and one guy that clearly doesn't. Even still, I absolutely love these videos! 😁

Awesome video!!!!! I'm planing on working on my 64 Chevy Impala this winter!

Those crank bearings are hydraulic bearings silly. They fail when your low on oil or oil pressure and then your engine is toast. That's because the wight of the load of the engine is riding on a hydraulic layer of high pressure oil (its equivalent to hydroplaning on the road).

Those rams horn center dump iron exhaust manifolds aren't that bad! Compared to the newer log type that dump out one end...

One of the best videos I have seen. Thank you very much. Job well done.

Very cool , thanks for taking the time to do this and post it ......!!!!!

How about a Chevy inline six time lapse rebuild?...Everybody has a V8...Let's see a Stovebolt for a change.

you mentioned those plastic timing gears. they were a bad idea, ford used them also. I've had several of these gears literally explode! they were driven by a aluminum gear, so you had to replace it with another plastic gear unless you replaced everything as a unit with steel gears.-

The video was way cool, especialy with all of the funny talk and comments - VERY NICE! Learned a couple of things but overall enjoyed your video very much... KEEP IT UP....

This video was really fun to watch, and I love that Hagerty is an insurance company that actually knows cars.