Engine Building Video - Piston Removal - Chevy V8 Small Block

[roh69175]

are pistons costly to replace??

[grngs1]

I use an air chisel to remove the pistons, works great

[muszyngr]

great video, great tips, I like the soda bottle tray as the piston tray, but please, please don't set your tools on the vehicle or parts you are working on, like you did when you put the hammer on this engine next to the crank bearings

[BoxWrench]

@egpg2000 this is a sample from a 3 1/2 hour educational DVD...

You see here that the crank is junk from the damage caused by a spun rod bearing, but that's not going to be the case for every person dismantling an engine.

We're showing the correct procedure to protect your rod journals as you remove connecting rods and pistons. You're not going to know exactly what state your rod journals are in until you clear the rods and pistons. So, here we show how to protect your crank.

[trucolored]

do have a video showing how to change rod bearings without pulling the engine? i'm a first timer trying to save money and my engine....99 grnd prix 3100v6 knocking from bottom end...

[koopooda]

I have to replace the pistons but I mixed them up when I took them out am I screwed?

[BoxWrench]

@koopooda If you need to replace pistons that you've removed and didn't label where they came from, you're going to have a mixed bag of results and a higher risk of engine damage after rebuilding the engine.

It should be easy to determine which pistons came from what side of the engine because of how the machine shop hung them acording to the 'Front' mark on the piston face and the direction the rod tang is facing.

Piston position and rod tang orientation are covered in our full length DVD

[autosensation69]

@koopooda yes and no. they might be marked 12345678 what ever much cylinder you have. put them what ever way they explode at. its hard to describe it. i did the same thing in shop. just think about the way you took them out and look for a # on each piston. then put it in 1357 on the right side so the block is facing up and put 2468 on the left side facing up. if its the wrong one then it might might not brake. it a 5050 chance. next time make them and put them in order. hope i helped

[lotsachrome14]

Can someone send me a link to chapter 1 please?

[TorcoOil]

Awesome info, Thanks a lot guys

[isl04033222]

these guys are fucking awsome

[Trance2mind]

THANK YOU!

Love & Peace!

[jdmk20guy]

i wanna buy the dvd the basic engine building one but i havent seen you working on 4 cylinder engines in the dvd is that included ?

[BoxWrench]

@jdmk20guy the example engines in the 'Basic Engine Building' DVD are mostly V8s, but you can absolutely use the DVD to help you work on any other type of gasoline/piston engine. People use the 'BEB' DVD for 4 cylinder, 6cylinder and many other types of engines all the time.

All of the procedures and tools are the same for each individual piston, the total number of pistons won't change how you remove and install them...

[mmike422]

is it possible to rplace ah spun bearing without having to pull the piston

[3Jx]

im working on a datsun 280z and the engine has been siting open on a stand for 10 years and i got to the point to remove the pistons but they are seized and i cant move the crank shaft so i removed it and was only able to get 2 pistons out we put penetrating oil in to let them move and i cant get them out can you please help me this is also a school project and the teacher has no more ideas i did use your on the video

[BoxWrench]

since your engine is a line four and you were able to remove the crank already, how about supporting the block on the ground and trying to beat the pisons down into the block and pull them from the oil pan side of the block instead of from the cylinder head side...?

You will completely destroy the pistons and the block will need to be bored for sure, but you may get them out by trying to beat them out backwards since you've got the crank out of the way...

[3Jx]

thank you i will try that

[supertec07]

fantastic video chaps i can fix my car now all the best

[tona6g72]

Does the DVD(s) show how to properly use a plastigage, other tools such as dial guages and show how piston rings are positioned and gapped?

[BoxWrench]

Yes the DVD shows the entire plastigauge process for the crank main journals and rod journals as well as ring gap filing and positions during piston install.

The machine shop section shows the machinists using the dial bore gauge and other instruments. We don't cover the use of a dial indicator specifically in the 'Basic Engine Building' DVD as it is part of an "advanced" engine builders tool set.

The 'BEB' DVD will absolutely guide anyone through a complete rebuild using a base tool kit...

[erikpienk]

well i bought a Holley carb and it came with a BoxWrench video..... its so easy to

understand and learn...

im gonna buy the basic engine rebuilt, the TH-350 AT and the rear axel videos....

with boxwrench its easy to learn...

[caseygtr]

electric car require hours of charging and a ton of batteries. the tesla roadster has 1000 pounds of lithium batteries which is a lot heavier then the small lotus engine it replaced in that frame. so electric cars are expensive, heavy, take a long time to recharge and have poor high end preference. and turbine cars are no better, turbine engines are really expensive, high maintenance and suffer from turbo lag which is when you rev up the engine it takes time to raise compression

[cnocher02]

So why are you watching this video?

[erikpienk]

hey u know mechanical engines are very cheap if u compare to electrical engines, i mean car engines......

and also to produce the same reliability mechanical engines have will take many years to improve in other types of engines.....

[caseygtr]

one really great thing about electric motor is the instant low end torque you get out of them.

[erikpienk]

yes!! electrical engines give 100% all the time......instead mechanical raice to 100% depending on the RPM

but still, for now mechanical are better...

[wovvzer]

hi, do you guys don't sale your dvds on ebay? or anywhere else where i can bid

[BoxWrench]

We don't offer our DVDs on eBay or auction sites because we make combos of various useful DVDs at our site. That way, people can get a customized set of DVDs that match their engine and transmission.

The 'Basic Engine Building' and 'Holley Tuning' DVDs are already a great price for the amount of content on the discs. The full DVDs are 3 1/2 hours and 2 1/2 hours respectably of incredibly high quality visuals and instructions. They are awesome videos that we're very proud of...

[CodyTHEsk8er]

i loved taking apart my engine fun stuff for the first time

now i might be geting a 78 C10 Big ten pickup

and it has a 350 and a 12 bolt rear end i plan on rebuilding and a posi rear end and have a ZZ383 or for now just rebuild the 350

[akalestos1983]

they really do useless things to take the pistons out,,,sure this is the safe way but not the quick one

[BoxWrench]

There is no such thing as a "quick" way to do this without risking damage to the cylinder walls.

You also need to consider that we are showing a lot of potentially inexperienced people how to do something for the first time. Short-cuts are not the best thing to teach in many situations.

The method shown here is the "right" way to do the task...doesn't matter how long it takes.

Any other technique, or leaving out the protective rod bolt covers just leaves your cylinders at risk of scratches

[michelinov]

these are the best engine videos i've watched !!! 10XXX a lot ! btw WTF has this engine been through ??? the pistos have almost become a part of the block...

[BoxWrench]

Check out the video response from us to this video...

The pistons seen here that have the rust all over the top are out of a 351 Windsor engine that was in a boat. The block was cooled by sea water intake instead of coolant and anti-freeze.

The video response above says the rest... actually some funny stuff to watch.

[brenopaul]

Do you guys have a DVD box set on this stuff?

[BoxWrench]

The logo on this page has our site address...

Under the logo is the (more info) button with direct links to our cart. Combo #1 might interest you...

Thanks for watching!

[ezcondition]

if you're getting the block bored we would you why are you using the rubber hose on the rod bolts?

[BoxWrench]

Some cylinder bores will be just fine after disassembly and will only need a glaze breaking to return the crosshatch pattern to the cylinder walls. It's possible in a low mileage engine that the same pistons could even go back in after a cleaning.

If you didn't protect the cylinder walls with hose pieces or other during disassembly, and scratched the bores, you'd have to machine the block.

We're just setting an example for people to consider the possibility so they don't damage a good block.

[Steve340]

the tube on the bolts, is more to protect the crank than the cylinder walls, its easy to touch the crank journal with the hardened rod bolts, just a nick, then you have to turn the crank

[jaywolflover]

i had to do that to strip my 350 small block

[steedie80]

well what if your motor was in a storm and the piston would need some type of lubercant would WD40 work or some other form or would that also do damage?

[BoxWrench]

Do you mean that the entire engine was underwater in a storm?

If that was the case you may see something similar to what's in this video with the "marine engine" that needed the metal rod to bang out the piston. There likely would be no saving a set of pistons that froze an engine from corrosion. Each case is different though. You need to pull it apart and find out if anything is salvageable...

[heinj98]

I love your videos dude thx. I WILL buy them sometime, but not atm. Anyway, thx a lot.

[MinuteMaidDrinker]

I love your videos, they are very helpful!

[chimpwork]

Do not ever re-use pistons.

it's just stupid.

[BoxWrench]

In a stock engine rebuild or a build-up that you would like to get some longevity out of, we'd agree not to re-use pistons.

However, many engine builders pull apart performance engine on a regular basis (such as drag racers who change internal pieces such as bearings regularly). In cases where the engine has only been run for a short time or a couple hundred to a couple thousand miles of use, often it's perfectly ok to re-use pistons. They absolutely must pass inspections though...

[spartanic]

I totally agree. It always hilarious when these arm-chair experts try to tell the real experts what to do. Kudos for the professionalism. I am considering buying some of your DVD sets. Its amazing how much detail you guys cover.

[pipidodo]

about d crank... will u replace it or u can stil revive it by machine shops??

[BoxWrench]

The machine shop can measure the crank journals with a micrometer and let you know whether it is reusable, machinable, or junk. One worst case scenario for most engines crankshafts is when the crank has been previously cut on either main or rod journals at 0.030. This is the absolute limit for most cranks as engine bearing manufacturers don't make bearings any larger than 0.030 oversize.

If your 0.030 over crank journal is damaged, the crank is likely junk.

[chimpwork]

they can weld it. but this is not advisable.

you may end up with a two piece crank!!

[hispanicuscorpus]

i have a 93 nissan sentra i think the piston ring are broken, but iam not should, the engine should does not sound the same, it sound like a model T. anyone can give some pointer

[BASSCHAMP101]

who here would rebuild a car if they could? CAN ANYONE TELL ME WHY YOU WOULD WANT TO REBUILD A CAR, BECAUSE MY SISTER THINKS NOONE DOES IT, AND SHE THINKS ITS STUPID SO I JUST WANT SUMTHING TO SHOW HER TO SAY YES PEOPLE DO REBUILD CARS THANX.

[TWINTURBOSky]

Most people have engines rebuilt because the piston comes up at an angle, and gradually widens the bore in the cylinder, and then the petrol will go into the sump thus making the engine gradually inefficient. That's just one reason.

[dipshit782]

Im 17 and ive rebuilt over 20 small engines and 3 4 cyl engines. IT IS NOT VERY DIFFICULT

[eibomz]

I love my car sooo much, that i would rebuild the engine to make it last that much longer. Plus if you want to make some nice power you can add in performance parts when you rebuild it. Just two of the reasons i would rebuild my engine.

[panoulis20]

when at that point (where you have removed the cyl head) it is best to remove all pistons and inspect the block + replace all piston rings (it only does good to the engine) + measuring the cylinders to see if the have become oval or if its been bored before (which is the case where u use oversised rings),if i where to do that i would remove the crankshaft first rather than trying to removethe pistons like that.anyways nice technique though..i didnt know this way.cheers.

[enginemasterbuilder]

the ridge reamer is a bad tool if you dont know what you are doing. I set the reamer against the piston to keep it square. Only a flat top piston lol. not a wedge does a pretty good job of removing that ugly edge if you are careful. remove as little as possible! great vid

[adrianmusclecar]

wow, your videos are really good, i think im gana buy some DVDs 4 u guys, thanks!!

[MYDRAGGIN84]

You guys have the best videos and books.I've been reading chilton/haynes for years but nothings comes to the step by step videos i love it.

[BoxWrench]

Thanks very much! We all grew up reading and working from printed manuals, that's the whole point of BoxWrench is to take the how-to process to the next level of video step-by-step.