With each Redline Rebuild timelapse we get a whole host of questions. Some are a little more in depth than others, but most can be answered quickly. So that’s what Davin decided to do this week. The Subaru EJ205 flat-four is now up in its new storage home, but that doesn’t mean we can’t clarify a few little things about the process of how it got there, along with a few updates on the last few projects and where they sit now.

The big questions hanging over the Subaru rebuild are about the machining process and coatings. Davin points out that this engine was not a high-performance build, and thus was not taken to the Nth degree while in the machine shop. Building every engine as if it is going to be tuned within an inch of its life and taking the time to get everything absolutely perfect is only spending money for the sake of spending money. It’s always important to match effort with expected results, and that’s a two-way street.

The second big one is coatings. The Redline Rebuild engines always come out looking gorgeous and stay that way even after multiple heat cycles. Most of that comes from the utilization of Cerakote coatings on a multitude of surfaces, from the exhaust manifolds to the plastic timing belt cover; its a ceramic coating that can flex and maintain shape and color even with heat. Davin has tried it all, and some work pretty good, but Cerakote is the coating that he keeps coming back to.

Now, let’s give some updates on previous projects. These engines are stars for awhile and then just disappear for most of you. Contrary to how it may appear, they don’t get palletized and tucked onto shelves. Some do, but the last few have gone into projects that are being completed and upkept by a separate team at the Hagerty Learning Garage. That space is not always open to the public, but luckily Davin knows who to talk to and can take you on a tour of what’s in progress and what became of a few of his favorite engine projects.

As Davin points out, the next couple updates will be centered around the Ford dirt track racer, and we promise you won’t want to miss them, so be sure to subscribe to the Hagerty YouTube channel to stay up to date on the latest projects.

Thank you to our sponsor RockAuto.com, an auto parts retailer founded in 1999 by automotive engineers with two goals: Liberate information hidden behind the auto parts store counter (by listing all available parts, not just what one store stocks or one counter-person knows), and make auto parts affordable so vehicles of all ages can be kept reliable and fun to drive. Visit RockAuto.com to order auto parts online 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, and have them conveniently delivered to your door. Need help finding parts or placing an order? Visit RockAuto’s Help pages for further assistance.

The post You Asked, We Answered: Subaru EJ20 Rebuild Breakdown | Redline Updates appeared first on Hagerty Media.

It’s not every day that a clapped-out Subaru WRX EJ205 turbo-charged engine with almost 300,000 miles on it gets a second chance at life. Even rarer is having the entire gritty process recorded in time-lapse. But that’s exactly what we did. Whether you’ve been following along with the build via Redline Updates or this is your first time seeing this project, let’s dive into some of the things you won’t see in this video.

For starters, the rusty body of the well-loved 2002 Subaru WRX hatchback was beyond saving, so it disappeared from the shop after the flat-four powerplant and some associated hardware were unbolted and dropped onto a stack of two-by-fours atop one of the shop workbenches. Once the divorced from the chassis, the engine and transmission were parted, and the engine got bolted to a stand for the real teardown work.

“During the teardown there really wasn’t anything too shocking in terms of wear and tear,” Davin says about the grimy engine. “There were a couple things that made disassembly interesting—like how the piston wrist pins are accessed through ports machined in the block.”

After the teardown, it was off to Thirlby Automotive’s machine shop, where the crankshaft, block, and cylinder heads all received attention. The crankshaft was ground to fit fresh bearings before a final polishing, while the engine block was bored to fit new pistons after a cleaning in the hot tank. The cylinder heads received that same thorough cleaning before being decked for a flat headgasket sealing surface and the valve seats cut to accept new valves.

Fresh from the machine shop, it was time to make some of the parts pretty by having West Michigan Cerakote apply a high-temp coating. Then it was assembly lube time, as the block halves came together to clamp the crankshaft in place, but unfortunately it was clamping a little too well.

“These engine blocks are very difficult to line bore, and there are actually only a few shops in the U.S. that handle that, and unfortunately we didn’t have time to send it out to one of them,” Davin says. “Instead we carefully installed the bearings and also decided to use the stock bolts that clamp the engine block halves together because the ARP ones were actually providing too much clamping pressure and distorting the block, which stopped the crank from being able to rotate.”

With problems like that to solve, who could ever call engine rebuilding boring? Certainly won’t hear that from our team. Luckily, Davin’s solution worked and allowed assembly to progress, as the pistons slid into bores and were capped with the freshened up cylinder heads. The pair of camshafts in each cylinder head are connected by a single timing belt that required a little patience to install even though it was a bare engine on the workbench. Davin even mutters, “I wouldn’t want to do that job with the engine in the car,” after pulling the pin to release the belt tensioner that locked everything into place so that he could spin the engine over with a breaker bar to ensure it was still coming together correctly.

The final assembly was a smattering of vacuum lines and little details that sit atop the engine and under the intercooler. From there the engine hoist was brought back out to transfer the completed engine over to the custom-built run stand. OK, yes it is just an 8-foot pallet with everything bolted down, but that doesn’t make it any less custom. With the battery connected, Davin turned the key and the engine fired right off. Well, it fired off after a little electrical diagnosis and fidgeting. That’s to be expected on an engine like this.

Which leaves one final question you might have: Where is this engine going? Well, we aren’t sure yet, but we’re very much open to suggestions as to what kind of chassis this should find a home in. Leave a comment below with where you’d like to see this turbocharged EJ205 end up, and then be sure to subscribe to the Hagerty YouTube channel so you don’t miss future updates and projects—including where this engine will live.

— Kyle Smith

Thank you to our sponsor RockAuto.com, an auto parts retailer founded in 1999 by automotive engineers with two goals: Liberate information hidden behind the auto parts store counter (by listing all available parts, not just what one store stocks or one counter-person knows), and make auto parts affordable so vehicles of all ages can be kept reliable and fun to drive. Visit RockAuto.com to order auto parts online 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, and have them conveniently delivered to your door. Need help finding parts or placing an order? Visit RockAuto’s Help pages for further assistance.

The post Junkyard Subaru WRX engine gets restored | Redline Rebuild appeared first on Hagerty Media.

Davin can finally see the light at the end of the tunnel when it comes to our little Subaru WRX engine. Every engine is essentially a thousand-piece puzzle in which some pieces are obvious and others are quite tricky. Down to the last few pieces, it’s time for this EJ-series flat four puzzle to not only have all it’s pieces together, but for it to run.

The first steps is right where last week left off. The valve covers need to go on with a fresh gaskets before the engine stand is spun to allow for the assembly of all the intake tract bits. Those valve covers also have the holes for the spark plugs, so a fresh set of plugs go in and the ignition coils snap into place on top of that. While the valve covers were rather intuitive to assemble, the intake tract was not so simple. The complexity of which piece goes on in what order turned this assembly into a 4D puzzle and Davin admits that he got one little piece wrong in the order. We think that’s pretty darn good though.

For those asking where this fine piece of work will be going, the answer is a specially-built test stand. It may look like an eight-foot pallet on top of a work table, but don’t be confused; this is custom stuff. With a crossmember to support the engine, an exhaust left over from the poor blue wagon, and a giant mess of wiring to connect, this is one of the more complicated engines Davin has attempted to run outside of a car. Maybe it will all work perfectly the first try. Maybe it’ll be a nightmare and we will learn why doing a full engine-out re-assembly is fairly rare. No matter what, you’ll see it in the next Redline Rebuild. If you don’t want to miss that, be sure to subscribe to the Hagerty YouTube channel to never miss a new video.

Thanks to our sponsor RockAuto.com, an auto parts retailer founded in 1999 by automotive engineers with two goals: Liberate information hidden behind the auto parts store counter (by listing all available parts, not just what one store stocks or one counter-person knows), and make auto parts affordable so vehicles of all ages can be kept reliable and fun to drive. Visit RockAuto.com to order auto parts online 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, and have them conveniently delivered to your door. Need help finding parts or placing an order? Visit RockAuto’s Help pages for further assistance.

The post Final assembly on our 2002 Subaru EJ20 | Redline Updates appeared first on Hagerty Media.

The Subaru EJ205 has been a headache for Davin and the team, but it’s finally reached the point where it’s a pretty headache. This week it becomes a real handful—literally.

The front drive of an engine is critical in running all of the accessories we have grown accustomed to. Things like the alternator, air conditioning, and power steering all hinge upon the belts at the front of the engine transferring the rotational motion of the crankshaft and out to these various accessories. With the long block assembled, Davin pivots to putting these components in place and timing everything. First is the water pump, which includes a fun little side quest to repair a stripped thread in the aluminum block. Drill, tap, Helicoil, and it’s good as new.

Then it’s onto installing the timing belt, and while it is a critical piece that has to work correctly the first time or the whole engine has a good chance of becoming scrap metal, the process is actually quite simple. The belt is marked with reference lines that align with marks in the timing cover and on the pulleys themselves. The only struggle came on the left bank, as Davin needed to rotate the cams into position, which required opening valves and thus fighting valve-spring pressure. With the use of a specialty tool for gripping the timing belt pulleys from the inside, the task wasn’t so bad though.

Final step was pulling the pin that releases the tensioner for the belt. That pin might look like a hand grenade, but Davin is confident that this one won’t be exploding anytime soon. With the timing set and the front end of the engine completed, it’s time to call it a day—at least for Davin. You, on the other, should get out in the shop and work on your own projects. Before you go, be sure to subscribe to the Hagerty YouTube channel to never miss a new Redline Update.

— Kyle Smith

Thanks to our sponsor RockAuto.com, an auto parts retailer founded in 1999 by automotive engineers with two goals: Liberate information hidden behind the auto parts store counter (by listing all available parts, not just what one store stocks or one counter-person knows), and make auto parts affordable so vehicles of all ages can be kept reliable and fun to drive. Visit RockAuto.com to order auto parts online 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, and have them conveniently delivered to your door. Need help finding parts or placing an order? Visit RockAuto’s Help pages for further assistance.

The post I need more hands! Setting timing on our Subaru WRX | Redline Updates appeared first on Hagerty Media.

Speeds bumps are no match for Davin and the Redline Rebuild crew as they make progress on the Subaru EJ-series four-cylinder. While setbacks might have plagued the progress thus far, it’s time for parts to come together, and that starts with the cylinder heads becoming one with the short block.

We’ve said it before and we’ll say it again: assembling an engine is so much more than just bolting things together. Evidence of this fact is present in the cylinder heads of this Subaru. The caps that retain the camshafts have specific locations, and Davin was careful to document those during disassembly. However, the person before him wasn’t so careful. This meant that there was an odd binding in the valvetrain. Davin called up someone who has done a lot more of these engines than he has, just to learn that the cam retaining caps had been shuffled at one point. Even on an engine this young, you have to watch for botched work from a previous owner.

With the heads on and the engine upside down, Davin takes the opportunity to install the Cerakoted exhaust along with the oil pan and oil cooler. Those who regularly tune in will likely question the oil cooler, as Davin had announced earlier that he would be eliminating it. After further research, he elected to backtrack on that plan based on information of how hard on oil these engines can be. While it’s an opportunity for leaks to occur, Davin would rather have a leak than a cooked engine because the oil overheated and wiped a bearing or two.

It’s quick progress and a good looking long block. It’s nice to see progress continue, but if you want to see this engine move closer to and then finally run, be sure to subscribe to the Hagerty YouTube channel to never miss an update.

— Kyle Smith

Thanks to our sponsor RockAuto.com, an auto parts retailer founded in 1999 by automotive engineers with two goals: Liberate information hidden behind the auto parts store counter (by listing all available parts, not just what one store stocks or one counter-person knows), and make auto parts affordable so vehicles of all ages can be kept reliable and fun to drive. Visit RockAuto.com to order auto parts online 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, and have them conveniently delivered to your door. Need help finding parts or placing an order? Visit RockAuto’s Help pages for further assistance.

The post Heads, oil pump and exhaust manifold make their way onto our Subaru WRX EJ20 engine rebuild | Redline Updates appeared first on Hagerty Media.

In this week’s episode of Redline Update, despite its best efforts to thwart our progress at every turn, our EJ20 Subaru WRX engine gets closer to completion. Davin figured out the issue with the main bearings (long story), so he sets out to get the short block assembled. He only hits one small snag in this episode but quickly remedies the situation with the help of a grinder and a sacrificed pair of needle-nose pliers!

The Subaru is unlike any of the other engines that have crossed the Redline Rebuild engine stand. The crankshaft is captured between the two case halves. Astute viewers are likely pointing out the Volkswagen engine from 2017, but you would only be partially correct. Indeed, the case halves are visually similar, but the Subaru has the crankshaft journals machined in a way that line boring them take special setup and tooling. That special process is not something that is in the cards for this particular engine.

Instead, Davin has mixed and matched from three sets of bearings to get the proper oil clearance across all the crankshaft journals. In addition to that, he is also switching from his initial plan to use ARP bolts to clamp the case halves together and is instead using the factory bolts. The ARP hardware required torque of 65 lb-ft, compared to the factory bolts needing just 35 lb-ft, which is a difference in clamping force that changes how much the block distorts significantly.

With the block halves together, it’s time for pistons. Getting the fresh pistons into the cylinder bores is the simple part, as the piston pins that connect the slugs to the connecting rods have to be inserted and retained through holes machined in the engine block. The No. 3 cylinder is especially annoying, as the depth of the hole requires a special tool to be made in order to install the snap ring that keeps the wrist pin in the piston. Building tools is one of Davin’s favorite hobbies though. See why we love him as our Redline Rebuild engine builder?

This motor should come together quickly with this step done, but not so quickly that it’ll be finished in this episode. To see the final steps and hear it run, you’ll have to subscribe to the Hagerty YouTube channel and come back each Monday for your high-octane engine content. In between, be sure to work on your own projects.

Thanks to our sponsor RockAuto.com, an auto parts retailer founded in 1999 by automotive engineers with two goals: Liberate information hidden behind the auto parts store counter (by listing all available parts, not just what one store stocks or one counter-person knows), and make auto parts affordable so vehicles of all ages can be kept reliable and fun to drive. Visit RockAuto.com to order auto parts online 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, and have them conveniently delivered to your door. Need help finding parts or placing an order? Visit RockAuto’s Help pages for further assistance.

The post Subaru EJ20 WRX engine short block assembly | Redline Updates appeared first on Hagerty Media.

Remember being a kid and throwing your toy cars around in the sandbox? We did the grown-up version of that today.

For the latest Redline Update on the Subaru, Davin fires up the forklift and tosses the rusty old wagon body on a trailer for its final ride to the recycler, where the WRX will go to the big car lot in the sky—perhaps to be reincarnated once its steel is repurposed. We do get to have a bit of fun before it actually heads into the smelter: The site’s massive claw picks it up, drops it, punches it down like pizza dough, and folds it into a WRX calzone.

“Now, before everybody gets upset,” Davin says, “this Subaru is not worth saving. Trust me, I know—I save everything.”

With the car crushed and stacked with other rusted-out hulks, the last bits of Subaru are unceremoniously swept away with the help of a huge I-beam. Davin flings in the last rogue WRX part before we send the video off with some more claw’s-eye views of destruction.

Wondering what’s next on the more restorative side of things? Subscribe to the Hagerty YouTube channel and never miss a project.

Thanks to our sponsor RockAuto.com, an auto parts retailer founded in 1999 by automotive engineers with two goals: Liberate information hidden behind the auto parts store counter (by listing all available parts, not just what one store stocks or one counter-person knows), and make auto parts affordable so vehicles of all ages can be kept reliable and fun to drive. Visit RockAuto.com to order auto parts online 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, and have them conveniently delivered to your door. Need help finding parts or placing an order? Visit RockAuto’s Help pages for further assistance.

The post Will it crush? Saying farewell to our Subaru WRX | Redline Updates appeared first on Hagerty Media.

Davin is a numbers guy. Sure, he could probably build a great engine by feel, but that’s not how he works. With most of the Subaru back from the machine shop, the assembly can finally begin—and that means getting out the precision tools and getting some numbers.

First up is the oil clearance for the main bearings. This process is a little different than most engines that our favorite engine guys work on, since the EJ-series mill is two case halves bolted together that capture the crank in between. This means that all the bearings need to be measured at once rather than individually, like most V-engine designs that have separate caps for each bearing. No problem for Davin. Clamping the block together with new ARP studs is easy and allows checking multiple things, including the alignment of the crankshaft bore since the block will distort ever so slightly due to clamping forces.

From there is it was on pistons and piston rings. Measurements abound again as the rings need to be properly gapped to prevent premature wear as the engine runs and temperature cycles. With the rings gapped and installed, the last step is aligning the gaps so they seal correctly. Unfortunately, these pistons can’t be installed yet as there is just a little longer wait on the proper bottom end bearings. That’s the price of doing it right.

Of course, this is only a break for Davin. You can still go out and make some progress on your project, or at least subscribe to the Hagerty YouTube Channel to never miss an update.

Thanks to our sponsor RockAuto.com, an auto parts retailer founded in 1999 by automotive engineers with two goals: Liberate information hidden behind the auto parts store counter (by listing all available parts, not just what one store stocks or one counter-person knows), and make auto parts affordable so vehicles of all ages can be kept reliable and fun to drive. Visit RockAuto.com to order auto parts online 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, and have them conveniently delivered to your door. Need help finding parts or placing an order? Visit RockAuto’s Help pages for further assistance.

The post We have clearance, Clarence! Checking our EJ205 oil clearance and ring gap | Redline Updates appeared first on Hagerty Media.

Each and every engine has its own character, and sometimes the true nature of that statement is not borne out until Davin plops a bunch of parts on the machine shop bench at Thirlby Automotive. The Subaru EJ four-cylinder is one such example. Each and every piece of this engine has a special type of machining needed, but luckily nothing cracked up the team too badly—well, almost.

The block was the easiest of the group, as it was a fairly simple problem to address. When cutting and honing the cylinders, it required a bit of special care to not push the hone out the bottom of the cylinders. The way the casting is designed there’s an access hole for removing the wrist pins on the pistons, and that leaves a giant gap in the cylinder wall that is happy to catch a tool and ruin your day. The Thirlby team is used to this though and knocks out the block haves in short order.

Then it’s on to the heads, which require a modified drill press to remove the heavily angled and shrouded valves. Before removing the valves, Thirlby did a quick vacuum test to see how bad the valves and valve seats were, and the results were somewhere between good and bad. A few of the exhaust valves were leaky but not so bad as to cause alarm. What did cause alarm were the cracks in the heads. These propagate from the heat of the exhaust valve seat to the spark plug threads and can cause coolant leaks. Luckily, these heads are cracked but not so bad as to actually cause problems. You could call it luck.

Then it’s all just reassembly and precision setup. The process rolls quickly with the right tools and team, making it easy to see why Davin has one machine shop that he frequents with all of his projects. This Subaru should be rolling back into the Redline Garage shortly, and if you want to see how it all goes back together you’re going to want to subscribe to the Hagerty YouTube channel so you never miss an update.

— Kyle Smith

Thanks to our sponsor RockAuto.com, an auto parts retailer founded in 1999 by automotive engineers with two goals: Liberate information hidden behind the auto parts store counter (by listing all available parts, not just what one store stocks or one counter-person knows), and make auto parts affordable so vehicles of all ages can be kept reliable and fun to drive. Visit RockAuto.com to order auto parts online 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, and have them conveniently delivered to your door. Need help finding parts or placing an order? Visit RockAuto’s Help pages for further assistance.

The post Cracking heads! Our Subaru EJ-205 heads to the machine shop | Redline Updates appeared first on Hagerty Media.

The Subaru EJ205 is proving to have its own roadblocks keeping smooth progress just out of Davin’s reach. It’s not that there isn’t work to do, it’s just that the next step in the process requires some outside help at the machine shop. In the meantime, the blue shell of a car is going to get some attention.

Did we call it a shell of a car? We meant to say hulk of a car. Rust never sleeps, and this chassis was a 24/7 party for the iron oxide. From front to back there is almost more that has disappeared than is left. Frankly the chassis is beyond saving, and thus this becomes a salvage mission for Davin. The goal now is to pull anything that has some value. That starts at the rear of the car with the rear axle and suspension before pivoting to the front in an effort to yank the wiring harness needed to make the engine run. After all, Davin will want to run the engine on a stand to break it in, and that will require having all the appropriate sensors talking to each other.

The pile of parts to save grows a bit, but in the end this car is so crunchy that there isn’t much to save. Even then it always makes sense to save as much as you can because pennies make dollars and project cars get expensive really fast if you aren’t careful. With all the bits that haven’t been attacked by the tinworm on the shop floor, it’s time for the body to become a soda can. The engine is not headed the same direction though, and be sure to subscribe to the Hagerty YouTube channel to never miss an update on the progress.

— Kyle Smith

Thanks to our sponsor RockAuto.com, an auto parts retailer founded in 1999 by automotive engineers with two goals: Liberate information hidden behind the auto parts store counter (by listing all available parts, not just what one store stocks or one counter-person knows), and make auto parts affordable so vehicles of all ages can be kept reliable and fun to drive. Visit RockAuto.com to order auto parts online 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, and have them conveniently delivered to your door. Need help finding parts or placing an order? Visit RockAuto’s Help pages for further assistance.

The post Stripping our 2002 Subaru WRX body for parts | Redline Updates appeared first on Hagerty Media.

If there is one thing to remember about the Redline Rebuild garage, it’s that there is never a shortage of things to do. That means that even when one project stalls, Davin isn’t left sitting around twiddling his thumbs. For instance, the EJ205 out of the Subaru WRX is waiting on parts and research, so this week the attention shifts to the Ford dirt track race car.

First, a brief update on the Subaru. The current hangup is simply parts are still enroute somewhere, including the oil pump, pickup, and pan. During Davin’s reading and research, he discovered there are a lot of people who “upgrade” the oil pump by switching to a higher-volume pump, which is especially interesting considering that one of the main flaws Davin has discovered with the EJ205 is that the engine starves for oil at sustained high RPM due to limited drainback. All the oil ends up in the heads and starves the pump. No oil in the pan means no oil to pump. Is a bigger pump really an upgrade then? Seems to make the problem worse. More research is required.

What doesn’t need research at the moment is the Ford race car. We haven’t highlighted it much, but there has been slow and steady progress, thanks to Davin’s humble helper Jeff. The Ford now holds its own weight after significant rebuilding and redesigning of the suspension. The rear leaf spring setup was fairly straightforward, but the front required significant re-fabrication to make it not only straight but not a binding mess. This could be chalked up to a mix of two things: advancements in suspension movement understanding and also the materials used. The “hairpins” that locate the front axle are actually from the rear suspension of a different Ford and were pretty kinked up. Just bringing those back into shape was a big step forward.

Of course, there are a smattering of other improvements and small touches that bring the car closer and closer to being blown back apart for paint and final finishes. Before that happens for the Ford, the Subaru will have to come together. To keep tabs on both projects be sure to subscribe to the Hagerty YouTube channel to never miss an update.

— Kyle Smith

Thanks to our sponsor RockAuto.com, an auto parts retailer founded in 1999 by automotive engineers with two goals: Liberate information hidden behind the auto parts store counter (by listing all available parts, not just what one store stocks or one counter-person knows), and make auto parts affordable so vehicles of all ages can be kept reliable and fun to drive. Visit RockAuto.com to order auto parts online 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, and have them conveniently delivered to your door. Need help finding parts or placing an order? Visit RockAuto’s Help pages for further assistance.

The post Subaru oil system confusion and an update on our dirt track racer | Redline Updates appeared first on Hagerty Media.

Last week Davin was able to disassemble our 300,000-mile 2002 Subaru EJ205 engine. Did he do it the right way? Maybe not. Did it come apart? Yes, it did. However, after going through all the work and talking to some local Subaru guys, we learned a few things worth sharing.

First major Subaru engine-disassembly lesson learned: There are plugs in the block that, once removed, allow the wrist pins to slide out. That means the pistons can stay in the bores while the connecting rods and crank come out together. Subaru aficionados know this one already, but Davin dives headlong into the disassembly and manages to get the job done regardless. Next up, an inspection of the bores and pistons shows that a bit of honing should clean everything up and the piston’s skirts look only slightly burnished, so they could be fine to reuse once they get a new ring pack.

While inspecting the bottom end of the high-mileage mill, Davin finds bearings that are on their last legs. It turns out that the disassembly and rebuild may have come at just the right time before any catastrophic damage was done to the crank’s bearing surfaces. To make sure that the future bearings lead a long, happy life, Davin plans to install an STI oil pump. That means more volume gets pumped out of the sump and up to the heads—but making sure that oil gets back to the sump is important as well.

After a quick look at the heads and valvetrain, Davin is ready to get started on the clean-up process, so it’s time for the parts washer and vapor hone. Before long, things will be coming back together and we’ll have another update coming your way soon!

Thanks to our sponsor RockAuto.com, an auto parts retailer founded in 1999 by automotive engineers with two goals: Liberate information hidden behind the auto parts store counter (by listing all available parts, not just what one store stocks or one counter-person knows), and make auto parts affordable so vehicles of all ages can be kept reliable and fun to drive. Visit RockAuto.com to order auto parts online 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, and have them conveniently delivered to your door. Need help finding parts or placing an order? Visit RockAuto’s Help pages for further assistance.

The post Everything we learned after tearing apart our Subaru WRX engine | Redline Updates appeared first on Hagerty Media.

We’ve had our fun with this 300,000-mile Subaru WRX. Now it’s time to get down to business and tear it apart. Davin’s never touched a Subaru before, but how hard can it possibly be? Unscrew a few bolts there, cut a couple of zip ties here, and maybe break out a hammer and chisel and it should fall apart … right?

This 2002 Impreza’s 2.0-liter turbocharged flat-four engine is a touch different from the V-8s Davin’s used to dealing with, but that’s a minor setback. “I’m gonna start somewhere, and I’m gonna finish … with just a block … somewhere,” says Davin. (That’s the universal engine tear-down process, by the way. No flaws found.)

First up, Davin has to remove all of the accessory pieces, starting with the power steering pump. Quickly, he realizes how cumbersome this tear-down will be, given the amount of zip-ties and hose clamps he’ll have to work his way through. After removing the wiring harness and making a quick fish joke, (we’re sure that bass you caught was roughly that size, pal) the intake manifold comes off without much fuss. Good news! The intake ports are nice and clean.

With the aftermarket crank pulley removed, (at least 10 horsepower) the timing belt cover is up next. Bolts immediately start stripping in protest, and Davin has to resort to … persuasive methods to get the belt cover off. (Be sure to note the Rock Auto tip of the day here; it may come in handy when you’re dealing with ornery fasteners!)

Next up are the turbocharged and one of the coolant passages across the top of the head. Those come off easy, but after Davin flips the engine over and begins to pick away at the exhaust, rust and rotted fasteners fight back once again. nothing a chisel and a pry-bar can’t fix! “Might not be pretty, but I win every time here,” he jokes.

Peering into the exhaust ports, Davin notices a few issues with carbon buildup and oil leaking through the valve guides. With the oil pan removed (those keeping score at home, that’s Davin, 5, Subaru, 0), it’s time to really get into the internals of this motor. Thankfully, nothing puts up much of a fuss, and within no time, Davin ends up right where he said he would: A block (split in two), a bunch of parts, a few casualties, and quite a bit of sand—wonder how that got there? (Last episode should give you a clue.)

Stay tuned next week as parts head to the washer, then to their necessary shops, and Davin and team begin to bring this Subaru flat-four back to life.

Thanks to our sponsor RockAuto.com, an auto parts retailer founded in 1999 by automotive engineers with two goals: Liberate information hidden behind the auto parts store counter (by listing all available parts, not just what one store stocks or one counter-person knows), and make auto parts affordable so vehicles of all ages can be kept reliable and fun to drive. Visit RockAuto.com to order auto parts online 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, and have them conveniently delivered to your door. Need help finding parts or placing an order? Visit RockAuto’s Help pages for further assistance.

The post Disassembling our Subaru WRX engine: No instructions required | Redline Updates appeared first on Hagerty Media.

Is the hood on the WRX supposed to be quick release? No, but that doesn’t stop it from flying off as Davin hucks around the blue Subie. By the end of the day, of course, the engine will be separated from the car, since the boxer four is due for the full Redline Rebuild treatment. Will it come out easily or prove itself a real pain?

This WRX wagon must have lived a storied life before Davin plucked it out of the CoPart salvage yard last week. With some luck and brute force, he is able to get the car running and driving, which tells him that, though the engine doesn’t need life support, it is hardly the picture of mechanical health. Once the car is up on the lift, however, the engine becomes the least of his worries: Entire sections of the subframe are completely rotted away.

On a WRX, the engine must be extracted from the bottom, which means Davin makes liberal use of the lift before setting the whole front end of the car on one of his worktables and unbolting the final fasteners. The body lifts right off the engine and transmission before those two are divorced and the engine finally reaches an engine stand. Now the real disassembly of the grimy engine can begin. Davin manages to keep all his knuckles unscathed getting the engine out, but will he get it all the way apart without some minor injuries? Maybe, but you’ll have to watch next week’s Redline update to find out. Be sure to subscribe to the Hagerty YouTube channel to never miss an update or time lapse.

Thanks to our sponsor RockAuto.com, an auto parts retailer founded in 1999 by automotive engineers with two goals: Liberate information hidden behind the auto parts store counter (by listing all available parts, not just what one store stocks or one counter-person knows), and make auto parts affordable so vehicles of all ages can be kept reliable and fun to drive. Visit RockAuto.com to order auto parts online 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, and have them conveniently delivered to your door. Need help finding parts or placing an order? Visit RockAuto’s Help pages for further assistance.

The post How to remove a WRX engine … or maybe what not to do | Redline Updates appeared first on Hagerty Media.

Even with the headaches that it brought, you could tell Davin had a real soft spot in his heart for the Chevrolet 283 small block that just got wrapped up. With that little Chevy running smooth it’s time to hook up the trailer and bring in something new..ish.  As much as Davin loves what he knows and has done before, this project is going to stretch him just a bit, and from the first moment he saw the blue Subaru it was a learning experience. Out with the old and in with the new?

This 2002 Subaru WRX is a quintessential midwestern car. The clear coat is flaking off, the interior smells like a sad air freshener factory, and the rust is working overtime to turn the steel body panels to Swiss cheese. Davin thought picking up the project would be the easiest step, but the car had other ideas. Upon arriving at the CoPart facility outside Detroit, Michigan, the team finds out that this trip turned from a quick drive to a crash course in stealing a car.

Well, Davin isn’t actually stealing the car. We did pay for it. After handing a check over there were no keys to be found. Who gives a car to auction without keys? Not sure, but we bought their car and will probably learn a lot more about them as Davin dives further into the project. With no tools in the trailer, it was a small flathead screwdriver and large pipe wrench that saved the day by disassembling the steering column and breaking away the steering wheel lock to allow the tired tuner to be winched backward into the trailer.

Once home the hotwiring continues and when combined with a push start, the little blue Subie putters right to life. The turbocharger even still makes boost and scoots the car along pretty well. Davin thinks it could do better though. If you want to see what he’s got up his sleeve for this flat-four, be sure to subscribe to the Hagerty YouTube channel to never miss an update.

Thanks to our sponsor RockAuto.com, an auto parts retailer founded in 1999 by automotive engineers with two goals: Liberate information hidden behind the auto parts store counter (by listing all available parts, not just what one store stocks or one counter-person knows), and make auto parts affordable so vehicles of all ages can be kept reliable and fun to drive. Visit RockAuto.com to order auto parts online 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, and have them conveniently delivered to your door. Need help finding parts or placing an order? Visit RockAuto’s Help pages for further assistance.

The post Davin’s next engine rebuild project… yikes | Redline Updates appeared first on Hagerty Media.

It was supposed to be an easy build, but the latest Redline Rebuild project provoked quite a few headaches along the way. You didn’t notice as you watched the time lapse? That was the goal, but now you can hear the backstory as Davin and Ben discuss what it took to get our Chevy small-block V-8 restored and running again. It wasn’t always easy, but we got it done and even learned a few things along the way. Nothing is ever straightforward when you’re rebuilding an engine, after all.

From the moment we began to disassemble this 283 small-block, we discovered it was ready for some tender loving care. Davin carefully extracted each piece of hardware and prepped all the key parts for a trip to the machine shop. That meant nearly an entire day of grinding on the engine block. Davin’s goal: to remove as much of the casting flash and texture as possible. His efforts made a big difference later when everything went to the paint booth.

The orange presented a unique problem: It didn’t seem to cover the block effectively. The paint wasn’t thin, but any lump or bump texture was unusually conspicuous—not an issue with any other colors the Redline Rebuild team has used. In this debrief session, Davin thinks a change to the primer or adding a base coat of paint before the final top coat would have solved this issue, but unfortunately we didn’t have the time mid-project.

Final assembly was a breeze … apart from the camshaft and timing-chain fiasco. Once the engine was together, the break-in process proved simple thanks to the hydraulic roller camshaft. Now, this engine is destined for a nice street-cruiser Chevelle.

The mill that is up next might not be so tame, however. If you want to see that and any other future projects, subscribe to the Hagerty YouTube channel.

Thanks to our sponsor RockAuto.com, an auto parts retailer founded in 1999 by automotive engineers with two goals: Liberate information hidden behind the auto parts store counter (by listing all available parts, not just what one store stocks or one counter-person knows), and make auto parts affordable so vehicles of all ages can be kept reliable and fun to drive. Visit RockAuto.com to order auto parts online 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, and have them conveniently delivered to your door. Need help finding parts or placing an order? Visit RockAuto’s Help pages for further assistance.

The post What it took to rebuild our 283 Chevy small-block | Redline Explained appeared first on Hagerty Media.

Rebuild a small-block Chevrolet, they said. It’ll be easy.

Davin hasn’t had the walk through the roses that most expected with this ex-Chevelle 283. Or maybe that analogy is appropriate: At each turn, some thorn waited to create a snag.

Everything started off so smoothly with this latest Redline Rebuild candidate, though. Teardown was a breeze. (Especially if you only watch the time-lapse footage, in which the engine “disassembles” itself.) In the real world, Davin was turning the wrenches; but the bolts extracted easily and each piece that came off was in good shape, considering this engine sat uncovered for the last 25 years.

Once inside, the good news continues. This engine might have been sitting in that Chevelle for 25 years, but it ran well when it was pulled. In the right situation, the 283 probably could have been plopped back in a chassis and continued to run for quite some time. Even the flat-tappet cam and nylon timing gear were still in serviceable shape.

No matter—first, everything had to be thoroughly cleaned. Then, a trip through the machine shop to re-flatten all the critical surfaces, resize the cylinder bores, and freshen all the wear items in the cylinder heads. With all those parts ready to function flawlessly, it was time to make them look flawless. Off to the paint booth. (The self-peeling tape is sourced from a top-secret warehouse, so don’t ask where you can get some for your project.)

The block was treated to a full day of grinding and cleanup work before it saw the inside of the paint booth, and it shows. The absence of visible casting flash either inside the lifter valley or on the outer edges of the block makes for a subtle but really nice finishing touch. Who cares what an engine looks like if it doesn’t run, though?

That’s where things got sticky. The rotating assembly bolted right in and … didn’t rotate. Back to the machine shop for a line bore of the main bearings to get everything back in proper alignment so the crankshaft would not bind. Davin installed the camshaft with a bowstring-tight timing chain—only to discover that it wouldn’t time properly. After three camshafts and four timing sets, Davin finally got a short block that would accept the cylinder heads and was ready for final assembly.

Once it is all together and purring along, the 283’s sound is perfect for a good-looking street car. Just a little bump at idle, as you’d expect with a non-stock camshaft, but nothing that indicates a need for special care and feeding. A perfect cruiser. There are a few projects in the Redline Rebuild shop in need of an engine, but nothing quite fits the cruiser bill … which means there must be something fun hiding in the shadows.

If you want to see what that might be and what may become of the 283, be sure to subscribe to the Hagerty YouTube channel to never miss an update.

Thanks to our sponsor RockAuto.com, an auto parts retailer founded in 1999 by automotive engineers with two goals: Liberate information hidden behind the auto parts store counter (by listing all available parts, not just what one store stocks or one counter-person knows), and make auto parts affordable so vehicles of all ages can be kept reliable and fun to drive. Visit RockAuto.com to order auto parts online 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, and have them conveniently delivered to your door. Need help finding parts or placing an order? Visit RockAuto’s Help pages for further assistance.

The post AMAZING! Time-lapse engine rebuild of a Chevy 283 small-block | Redline Rebuild appeared first on Hagerty Media.

Building an engine is all about the details. Sometimes it seems like measuring everything is just plain overkill, but then you run into a situation like Davin did with the camshaft for the 283 Chevrolet small-block and it all starts to make sense. We’ve said it once and we’ll say it again: Building an engine takes more than just bolting parts together.

The rub on this particular build comes at the installation of the camshaft and timing chain—two critically important pieces to a good-running and long-lasting engine. The first timing set Davin installed was tight as a bowstring. The second had proper tension, but the cut for the keyway did not allow proper timing of the cam. The original nylon gear-timing set fit perfectly, but it is likely on borrowed time before self-destructing. Only a final, fourth, timing set finally put everything into the right place for a proper running valve train.

With that finally sorted, it’s time for a quick check of pushrod length and valve clearance before bolting the cylinder heads on and torquing everything down. Some clay is placed on the tops of the pistons, the heads are bolted down, and the engine is spun over. The clay allows Davin to know exactly how close the valves are getting to pistons, and the top of the valve stem shows the contact patch of the rocker arm, thanks to a little scribbling with a permanent marker.

Luckily, everything spec’d out nicely and final assembly can begin. It’s going to start moving fast now, so be sure to subscribe to the Hagerty YouTube channel and never miss an update—including when this engine has its first start in just a few weeks.

— Kyle Smith

Thanks to our sponsor RockAuto.com, an auto parts retailer founded in 1999 by automotive engineers with two goals: Liberate information hidden behind the auto parts store counter (by listing all available parts, not just what one store stocks or one counter-person knows), and make auto parts affordable so vehicles of all ages can be kept reliable and fun to drive. Visit RockAuto.com to order auto parts online 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, and have them conveniently delivered to your door. Need help finding parts or placing an order? Visit RockAuto’s Help pages for further assistance.

The post 1966 Chevy Small Block 283 valve train assembly | Redline Updates appeared first on Hagerty Media.

Anyone who has built an engine knows that Davin’s double- and triple-checks of each part aren’t just for fun. Each of those examinations serves a purpose, and this week is the example of exactly what he hopes to catch. While it’s not exciting, this process is critical to get all the little details right. Especially the spinny bits.

The block of this 283 Chevrolet is finally ready to begin assembly. That starts with the camshaft, in Davin’s case; he likes to do the cam before the crank because it allows just a bit more access if you need to help guide the camshaft through its bearings. Once he shifted his attention to the crankshaft, however, things got interesting.

The bearings pop right into place. Then, he slathers a little Red Line assembly lube in place before nestling in the nicely balanced crankshaft, retained by the bearing caps. Where’s the drama, then? The video you are seeing here is the second time Davin’s run through this process. The first time left him a little stumped: The caps were torqued, but the crank would no longer turn.

Back to the machine shop, then, for the block to be line-honed.

Line-honing removes minute amounts of material from the block and main caps so that the bearings will be perfectly aligned when installed. This is just one example of how fractions of an inch can completely ruin an engine if it were to be put together instead of meticulously assembled.

Luckily for Davin, he only encountered one problem this week. The rings go right onto the pistons, which slide happily into the cylinder bores. It’s satisfying when assembly is pain-free. Hopefully the rest of the build will be similarly smooth, but whether it’s a dream or a nightmare, you’ll get another update next week on the Hagerty YouTube channel.

Thanks to our sponsor RockAuto.com, an auto parts retailer founded in 1999 by automotive engineers with two goals: Liberate information hidden behind the auto parts store counter (by listing all available parts, not just what one store stocks or one counter-person knows), and make auto parts affordable so vehicles of all ages can be kept reliable and fun to drive. Visit RockAuto.com to order auto parts online 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, and have them conveniently delivered to your door. Need help finding parts or placing an order? Visit RockAuto’s Help pages for further assistance.

The post Cams, Cranks, and Pistons: Assembling the short-block of our 283 Chevrolet | Redline Updates appeared first on Hagerty Media.

Regular watchers of Redline Update know that Davin can sometimes bounce from topic to topic, but today he has sprung onto  one that involves, well, a decent amount of tension. We’re talking, of course, about valve springs. One of the most critical components inside an internal combustion engine are the valves and their configuration. Get it wrong and your engine will not last long—if it runs at all. Luckily, Davin is all about getting it right. On this week’s episode, he shows us what’s essential for you to do the same.

Valve springs are a key piece of a larger engine puzzle. Their function is to keep the valves closed at the proper moment, allowing for efficient combustion, and also to keep the lifter in contact with the camshaft. What kind of lifter you are using is crucial for to making sure you have appropriate springs. A flat-tappet lifter is exactly what it sounds like: a lifter that rides on the camshaft, with a flat bottom on it. That bottom is hardened and the egg-shaped profile of the cam pushes on that hardened end to push the valve open. Simple!

A common upgrade is the roller lifter, replacing that flat bottom with a smooth roller wheel that rides on the cam. This design removes friction from the system and allows for a more aggressive profile on the camshaft. That profile can achieve more lift, and do so faster, which lets more air and fuel flow in and out of the combustion chamber. Roller lifters require more spring pressure to keep the lifter in contact with the cam.

To set the exact spring pressures, Davin uses a handy tool to measure how much force the spring exerts when compressed a to specific degree. From there he can add shims between the spring and the cylinder head to raise the clamping pressure to meet what Delta Camshaft recommends for the custom cam that he is installing. It’s a straightforward but still time-consuming process that ultimately will take our engine to the next level. To learn other tips and tricks be sure to subscribe to the Hagerty YouTube channel to never miss a Redline Update or the full time-lapse Redline Rebuild episodes.

Thanks to our sponsor RockAuto.com, an auto parts retailer founded in 1999 by automotive engineers with two goals: Liberate information hidden behind the auto parts store counter (by listing all available parts, not just what one store stocks or one counter-person knows), and make auto parts affordable so vehicles of all ages can be kept reliable and fun to drive. Visit RockAuto.com to order auto parts online 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, and have them conveniently delivered to your door. Need help finding parts or placing an order? Visit RockAuto’s Help pages for further assistance.

The post Valve assembly and camshaft breakdown on our Chevy small-block | Redline Update appeared first on Hagerty Media.

Progress continues on our 283 Chevy small-block V-8 rebuild, as Davin heads downstate to our friends at Apex Competition Engines to get the rotating assembly—crankshaft, pistons, rods, bearings, wrist pins, and rings—internally balanced.

Why are we putting so much time and effort into this small-block, you ask? Davin is steadfast. “Because I don’t want it to come apart,” he says, “and the devil, is in the details.”

The starting point is balancing the rods—evening the weight of the large and small ends—by grinding off the weight pads as needed. Then it’s on to weighing to the rings (and you include the bearing because it’s part of the rotating assembly), before moving on to the pistons. Davin explains that each piston receives a “bob weight,” a counterbalance that “represents the weight of the rod and piston assembly, including the rings, and the bearings, and the wrist pins …  When you go to spin the crankshaft, you can’t have the rods and pistons flinging around madly—(so) you control it with this bob weight.”

With everything balanced and assembled, it’s time to spin the crankshaft and recheck the weight. As Davin watches nervously, John from Apex shares some bad news: It’s off … by a lot. That’s what Davin assumed might happen, since these pistons are significantly heavier than the stock pistons. “We’re going to need to add weight to the counterbalances to offset that bob weight—and it’s a fair amount, 140 grams.”

Check out how they accomplish that. It’s a fascinatingly meticulous process.

Before we go, Davin considers the vital role that auto technicians play, and he offers this for his RockAuto.com tip of the day: “Whether you’re looking for your first job, or your next career, or whatever it may be, there are local shops around you looking for someone like you.” So go for it, just like our Redline Rebuild guys do each and every week.

Thanks to our sponsor RockAuto.com, an auto parts retailer founded in 1999 by automotive engineers with two goals: Liberate information hidden behind the auto parts store counter (by listing all available parts, not just what one store stocks or one counter-person knows), and make auto parts affordable so vehicles of all ages can be kept reliable and fun to drive. Visit RockAuto.com to order auto parts online 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, and have them conveniently delivered to your door. Need help finding parts or placing an order? Visit RockAuto’s Help pages for further assistance.

The post Balancing the rotating assembly for a small-block Chevy V-8 | Redline Updates appeared first on Hagerty Media.

We have arrived at that step in our Chevrolet small-block rebuild where a good chunk of this video is watching paint dry. Luckily, Davin is well aware of how dull that may appear, and he’s stacked a few tips for you prior to that step. There’s also a big surprise at the end.

The paint process follows a very strict plan—for good reason. Skipping preparation on a paint job is asking for trouble. The first step in the process is taping up all the parts where paint shouldn’t go. Davin is extra careful here, using the gaskets as a template to make sure the paint gets all the way under each piece so no raw metal will be exposed. This helps keep corrosion at bay and also makes the finished product look extra tidy.

All the taped up pieces are then loaded up in the Jeep for a quick drive over to Traverse Body and Paint where the painting process really begins. A thorough wipe down with wax and grease remover gets everything ready for the first coat to be sprayed. An epoxy primer is used on most of the parts to ensure good adhesion, but the valve covers and oil pan get additional attention in the way of sandable primer to fill some pitting and make an extra smooth final product. With primer flashed off, the orange goes on and begins to dry. Next step is final assembly, but first there is a reward to all of you for hanging on through watching paint dry.

Davin builds engines for work, but he also has a few personal projects, too. The latest is a 8-71 blown 400-cubic-inch small-block Chevy that Davin has been dreaming of since he was a kid. It’s destined for his front-engined dragster that he has been running for the last five years. It will be a nice step up from the mechanical-injection small block currently in the chassis. First it needed to fire on the test stand for a break in, which happen this last week. Look close at his face to see the excitement of a proud dad as the engine surges in the way only a big blower motor can.

Seeing that engine fire up is exciting, but the final assembly starting on the Redline Rebuild 283 will also be big and it starts next week. Be sure to subscribe to the Hagerty YouTube channel to never miss an update.

Thanks to our sponsor RockAuto.com, an auto parts retailer founded in 1999 by automotive engineers with two goals: Liberate information hidden behind the auto parts store counter (by listing all available parts, not just what one store stocks or one counter-person knows), and make auto parts affordable so vehicles of all ages can be kept reliable and fun to drive. Visit RockAuto.com to order auto parts online 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, and have them conveniently delivered to your door. Need help finding parts or placing an order? Visit RockAuto’s Help pages for further assistance.

The post Painting a small-block Chevy engine (plus bonus 1060HP blower SBC footage!) | Redline Update appeared first on Hagerty Media.

At first glance, an engine is a simple thing to dress up. Just spray a little paint and viola, great looking engine. Sadly, that rarely lasts and especially doesn’t hold up on surfaces that get hot. Davin is a man who loves a good-looking engine just as much as a good-performing engine, so he is always on the hunt for a new process or material to keep his work looking great for a long time. The latest coating he’s found is Cerakote, and for this Chevy build he thought it would be fun to get a deeper look into exactly what the process is.

Cerakote is simply a high-temperature ceramic coating. This means it withstands heat without discoloration or flaking, a big plus for items like headers or exhaust manifolds. The build-up of coating is also very thin but highly abrasion resistant, so it’s perfect for parts that might get some rubbing during normal use.

The application process starts with a deep clean in aircraft-grade Simple Green. Just like paint, you do not want any contaminants between your surface and finish. A quick scrub, rinse and bake dry are all that’s needed to clean parts before the spray application can start.

Before the product is sprayed, it must be mixed. The two parts are the Cerakote and a hardener, which need to come together in the proper amounts to get the correct properties and finish in the final product. Then it’s time to load the mix into a high-volume, low-pressure spray gun and fog it onto the parts. Final step is to either bake the final finish or let it air cure for up to five days. Either way, you have a highly durable and great-looking finished piece that you won’t have to worry about for years.

Davin learned a few things on this tour, and we can see the wheels spinning in his head over what he could do with Cerakote on future projects. If you want to see what those might be, be sure to subscribe to the Hagerty YouTube channel to never miss an update.

Thanks to our sponsor RockAuto.com, an auto parts retailer founded in 1999 by automotive engineers with two goals: Liberate information hidden behind the auto parts store counter (by listing all available parts, not just what one store stocks or one counter-person knows), and make auto parts affordable so vehicles of all ages can be kept reliable and fun to drive. Visit RockAuto.com to order auto parts online 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, and have them conveniently delivered to your door. Need help finding parts or placing an order? Visit RockAuto’s Help pages for further assistance.

The post Getting the inside scoop on our favorite automotive coating | Redline Update appeared first on Hagerty Media.

The old adage, “cut once, measure twice” rings true for Davin in this week’s Redline Update as he measures for oil clearance before the crankshaft on our Chevrolet 283 small-block V-8 is reground.

Davin’s been rebuilding engines too long to simply trust the numbers that come from the factory. So today, he’s putting in some extra effort to verify that everything on the rods and main bearings is as it should be.

“These bearings are 10 thousandths [of an inch] oversized, meaning this diameter is going to be 10 thousandths smaller than it would be from GM, let’s say,” he explains. “What I need to do is verify this number and give [our guy] a number that allows for oil clearance.  Oil clearance is simply this: You have to have room for oil … oil lubricates everything … So if this diameter and the shaft diameter going into it are the exact same size, this isn’t going to turn.”

After Davin pulls out his cylinder gauge and gets into the minutia of the process, he offers his RockAuto.com tip of the day: “Measure every one of them. Don’t assume that because you bought the bearings from the same company they’re all marked correctly, that the measurements are the same, because they might not be. Stuff happens. And write everything down so you have a permanent record.”

With his work done for the day, Davin gives an update on the Buick Straight-8 by showing us its final destination under the hood of a 1951 Buick Super convertible. Of course, he isn’t content with just showing us, he takes the beauty for a drive on a gorgeous spring day in northern Michigan.

Be sure to subscribe to the Hagerty YouTube channel so you never miss an update.

Thanks to our sponsor RockAuto.com, an auto parts retailer founded in 1999 by automotive engineers with two goals: Liberate information hidden behind the auto parts store counter (by listing all available parts, not just what one store stocks or one counter-person knows), and make auto parts affordable so vehicles of all ages can be kept reliable and fun to drive. Visit RockAuto.com to order auto parts online 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, and have them conveniently delivered to your door. Need help finding parts or placing an order? Visit RockAuto’s Help pages for further assistance.

The post Measuring crankshaft oil clearance on a Chevy small block | Redline Update appeared first on Hagerty Media.

The small-block 283 came apart without much issue in the last Redline Update, so long-time watchers know what comes next: a trip to the machine shop. Well, this particular trip was hit with a little delay, but Davin knows how to capitalize on a little shakeup in the schedule.

The 283 was actually in pretty good shape once it was torn down, but Davin rarely leaves well enough alone. Take the cylinder heads, for example. The valves and seats are serviceable, but why not perform a couple small upgrades? The original plan was to have the pros in Thirlby’s machine shop tear down the heads and then complete the installation of new hardened exhaust seats and slightly larger intake valves. That plan shifted because Thirlby is running at capacity, so Davin elected to get some pre-work done to help the team out and make their lives a little easier.

The block actually got a similar treatment too. While the casting was OK, Davin took a sanding roll on his die grinder and went to town cleaning up all the casting flash and smoothing out anything too rough for a good, smooth coat of paint. That left a lot of rust and debris on the floor of the Redline Garage, but the block was still in need of the bake and blast cleaning at Thirlby, so that’s where the team started once all the parts arrived across town in the back of the Jeep.

The block was cleaned up before having the deck surface ground flat, and then the cylinders were bored to size. The heads got fresh exhaust seats installed and cut. The intake side received a slight trim as well to fit a marginally larger intake valve. To help the intake flow better, the chamber was trimmed back just a bit to help fuel and air enter the cylinder.

Now all the pieces are clean and freshly cut, so it’s time to order a set of pistons and get the bare steel into the paint booth. To stay up to date on the latest Redline Rebuild happenings, be sure to subscribe to the Hagerty YouTube channel.

— Kyle Smith

Thanks to our sponsor RockAuto.com, an auto parts retailer founded in 1999 by automotive engineers with two goals: Liberate information hidden behind the auto parts store counter (by listing all available parts, not just what one store stocks or one counter-person knows), and make auto parts affordable so vehicles of all ages can be kept reliable and fun to drive. Visit RockAuto.com to order auto parts online 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, and have them conveniently delivered to your door. Need help finding parts or placing an order? Visit RockAuto’s Help pages for further assistance.

The post 283 small-block Chevy heads to the machine shop for block and head work | Redline Update appeared first on Hagerty Media.

You know Davin isn’t one to sit around and twiddle his thumbs. The Jeep XJ is running and driving again with its new 4.6-liter inline-six, and that means it’s time for a new project in the Redline Garage. There were a few options to choose from, and Davin was clearly feeling nostalgic when he pulled a grimy Chevrolet 283 off the shelf.

“This whole Redline Rebuild thing started with a small-block Chevy, so it’s kind of fun to circle back around,” he says about the orange V-8 sitting atop one of the rolling workbenches. “It will be fun to see how far we’ve come in the process and production from that 350 to this 283.”

The teardown happens quickly, but the cleaning takes time—even with the massive Gladiator parts washer in the shop. All these parts will be headed to the Thirlby machine shop for final cleaning after they’re machined, but Davin likes to bring parts to the machine shop that are as clean as possible. That’s how you stay in the good graces of the shop guys, after all.

After a couple wash cycles, the block began to look like, well, a block again. It took multiple cycles to expose the last few oil galley and casting plugs. Davin thought that the warm block might be the best time to tackle removing those plugs, but even with everything warm to the touch these plugs were still locked in place. No matter, the oxy-acetylene torch makes quick work of breaking the bonds of corrosion.

This engine is going to progress fast, so be sure to subscribe to the Hagerty YouTube channel so you never miss an update and, of course, the final product.

Thanks to our sponsor RockAuto.com, an auto parts retailer founded in 1999 by automotive engineers with two goals: Liberate information hidden behind the auto parts store counter (by listing all available parts, not just what one store stocks or one counter-person knows), and make auto parts affordable so vehicles of all ages can be kept reliable and fun to drive. Visit RockAuto.com to order auto parts online 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, and have them conveniently delivered to your door. Need help finding parts or placing an order? Visit RockAuto’s Help pages for further assistance.

The post Chevy small block that sat for 25 years gets torn down | Redline Update appeared first on Hagerty Media.

Davin and Ben sit down to talk about what really went into this Jeep engine. It wasn’t always a smooth process getting this bad boy back on the road, but we’ve made it through and we might have learned something along the way.

Thanks to our sponsor RockAuto.com, an auto parts retailer founded in 1999 by automotive engineers with two goals: Liberate information hidden behind the auto parts store counter (by listing all available parts, not just what one store stocks or one counter-person knows), and make auto parts affordable so vehicles of all ages can be kept reliable and fun to drive. Visit RockAuto.com to order auto parts online 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, and have them conveniently delivered to your door. Need help finding parts or placing an order? Visit RockAuto’s Help pages for further assistance.

The post Breaking down our Jeep XJ stroker Build | Redline Explained appeared first on Hagerty Media.

When Davin heard that the next project rolling throught his door would be a red two-door with a stick shift, he had dreams of Bel Airs and Chevelles. He wasn’t so lucky. No matter. He can put a hot rodder touch on just about any engine, and the Jeep 4.0-liter power plant was no exception.

This ride came from Colorado and was in surprisingly good shape for a 150,000-mile chassis. The tired engine needed some help though, so Davin got right to work.

“Interestingly, this is one of the newer engines we’ve worked on, based on production date,” Davin says about the inline-six, “but the design traces back to the mid ’60s in AMC products. That is a darn long life.” It certainly is, and it’s because the 4.0-liter is designed around durability rather than performance. Even the “high-output” version that came in our Jeep is rated for just 190 horsepower. Davin figured he could do better than that.

As the engine was being torn down, there was little in the way of bad news. Although the engine indeed looked as though it had 150,000 miles, it was not abused. Combined with the extensive Rock Auto parts catalog at Davin’s fingertips and suddenly things got out of hand. Davin started looking at swapping around some parts from a 4.2-liter inline-six, and before we knew what had happened there was a new crankshaft, pistons, and connecting rods sitting on the table that would punch this engine out to 4.6 liters of displacement.

If only it were that easy. As with any engine, this one was being built, not assembled. That means paying careful attention to detail to ensure that all the parts play nicely together and the final result is exactly what was planned. In Davin’s case, everything fit together well, but “good enough” is not good enough for Davin. The compression ration came in under what was intially projected, based on the product specs, so the painted and dressed engine block took a second trip to the machine shop to get an additional 20-thousandths of an inch machined off the deck.

Then came final assembly. With everything together, the yet-to-be-started engine went back into the chassis. Longtime viewers of Davin’s work know he usually likes to break in engines on a test stand, but with the computer-controlled and emissions-connected 4.0-liter, it was easier to reinstall the engine first. Evend the distributor was installed correctly so that it fired right up for the 20-minute break-in.

“It drives really nice. Has a great punch right off idle,” Davin says about the fresh engine. “I really like how it came out and would certainly build another engine like it. Not much to change here, and it went together pretty easy.”

Well, if Davin says it’s good, you know it’s good. Now the Redline Garage has a bright red parts runner with a little more horsepower than stock—in other words, a perfect new addition to the fleet.

The next timelapse rebuild project might be one that viewers recognize, but that’s all we are allowed to say for now. To get the full story, you’ll have to subscribe and stay tuned for the next Redline Rebuild episode to see what Davin is getting his hands dirty on.

— Kyle Smith

Thanks to our sponsor RockAuto.com, an auto parts retailer founded in 1999 by automotive engineers with two goals: Liberate information hidden behind the auto parts store counter (by listing all available parts, not just what one store stocks or one counter-person knows), and make auto parts affordable so vehicles of all ages can be kept reliable and fun to drive. Visit RockAuto.com to order auto parts online 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, and have them conveniently delivered to your door. Need help finding parts or placing an order? Visit RockAuto’s Help pages for further assistance.

The post Jeep XJ time-lapse engine rebuild, 4.0L STROKED to 4.6L | Redline Rebuild appeared first on Hagerty Media.

The finish line is right there for the Jeep 4.6. Davin and crew have been working long and hard to get the stroked inline-six together and reinstalled, but that doesn’t mean there hasn’t been time to make some progress on a project many of you have been asking about while the Mini and Jeep have had the spotlight.

The Jeep mill is all back together and even in the chassis. Normally, these engines start first on a test stand, but Davin points out that with the emissions equipment and computer harness it would be more of a pain to pull everything needed to run the engine outside the bright red body. A fresh exhaust with high-flow catalytic converter is fitted, along with the Rock Auto-refreshed five-speed transmission, and the resealed but otherwise original transfer case. It all came together nicely, mainly because Davin doesn’t fight the parts. That’s his tip for assembly: Items like wires and hoses harden into a shape over years so pay attention to where they naturally want to go when assembling. If you are forcing something in a total opposite direction than it wants to go, you might be doing something wrong.

With the Jeep assembled, it’s worth taking a quick detour to the lift just 20 feet away to look at the ’37 Ford race car. Progress has been in fits and starts lately due to the focus on other projects. Regardless, the exhaust and front suspension have each made advancements. The Chrysler 440 now has big headers and wide-open side pipes, while the front suspension is all but finished with fabrication. Of course, there’s still mountains of work left, but seeing some progress on this dirt tracker is nice and keeps the torch lit for motivation.

To see the Jeep’s first startup and work on future projects, be sure to subscribe to the Hagerty YouTube channel so you never miss a new video.

— Kyle Smith

Thanks to our sponsor RockAuto.com, an auto parts retailer founded in 1999 by automotive engineers with two goals: Liberate information hidden behind the auto parts store counter (by listing all available parts, not just what one store stocks or one counter-person knows), and make auto parts affordable so vehicles of all ages can be kept reliable and fun to drive. Visit RockAuto.com to order auto parts online 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, and have them conveniently delivered to your door. Need help finding parts or placing an order? Visit RockAuto’s Help pages for further assistance.

The post Jeep XJ project nears completion! (Plus an update on an old project) | Redline Update appeared first on Hagerty Media.

The light at the end of the Jeep straight-six tunnel getting brighter every day. With the paint dry and short block assembled, there are only a few final checks to do and bolts to torque before this engine is ready to put back into the Cherokee and fire up. Of course, it’s not exactly that easy.

The crankshaft is installed, along with the rods and pistons, so the oil pan can go back on with a fresh silicone gasket. A tip that Davin has shared at least a dozen times makes its return: Reference the photo you took during teardown to ensure proper assembly. In this case, it’s for the oil pan bolts, as some also serve as studs for mounting other parts and pieces. With those torqued to spec, it’s time to move on to the cylinder head.

Before the final installation of a cylinder head, it is best to check the valve to piston clearance. Typically this is done with a small lump of clay positioned on top of the piston, then the valvetrain and head are temporarily installed, and the crankshaft is spun through two rotations. This opens and closes both valves and leaves the clay in the cylinder pressed to exactly how much clearance there is between the valves and piston at their closest point. Davin’s findings are good, and thus the final stretch of assembly is underway.

One of the final pieces on this engine is the distributor. Before putting this ignition piece in place, Davin takes the opportunity to prime the oil system using a cordless drill. This allows him to make sure there is proper pressure and distribution before the initial startup, which could save thousands of dollars in most engine builds. This engine pumped up 60 psi of pressure handily, and that tells Davin that it’s time to truly button up everything.

With the engine looking pretty on the stand, the next step is to drop it back into the Jeep and turn the key. We’re taking bets if the distributor will be 180 degrees out this time—leave a comment as to your thoughts, and be sure to subscribe to the Hagerty YouTube channel to be notified of next week’s update … and, of course, the full final timelapse video.

— Kyle Smith

Thanks to our sponsor RockAuto.com, an auto parts retailer founded in 1999 by automotive engineers with two goals: Liberate information hidden behind the auto parts store counter (by listing all available parts, not just what one store stocks or one counter-person knows), and make auto parts affordable so vehicles of all ages can be kept reliable and fun to drive. Visit RockAuto.com to order auto parts online 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, and have them conveniently delivered to your door. Need help finding parts or placing an order? Visit RockAuto’s Help pages for further assistance.

The post Jeep XJ 4.6L stroker engine final assembly | Redline Update appeared first on Hagerty Media.

It high time for assembly to begin on the Jeep straight-six living in the Redline Garage. The steps on a short block go fast, but that doesn’t mean we overlook any essential details. Davin, after all, is never one to take shortcuts. However, sometimes that means taking literal cuts. Stay with us.

The engine block recently returned from a second machine shop trip to re-cut the deck height, and it was  also re-cleaned so it can be ready for final assembly to begin. That process starts with the freeze plugs—and also a few threaded plugs—in the case of this particular engine. Those threaded plugs are a taper pipe thread, which means they don’t technically need any sealant of coating. Davin points out that assembling dry is perfectly acceptable but more than likely will lead to the plugs becoming all but unremovable in the future. A quick dap of teflon sealant will keep them serviceable.

Then it is on to the pilot bushing in the crankshaft, the cam bearings set into the proper places, and then the final torque of the crankshaft main bearings. Toss on the pistons rings and send those into the bores and things were going swimmingly. Almost too smoothly.

The combination of parts Davin uses is all Jeep in origin, but that doesn’t mean they were designed to function together.  The first time these incongruences appear is just as the harmonic balancer is installed on the snout of the crankshaft. The new balancer sits a little further in, and thus Davin has to do some fabrication with the plasma cutter and lathe to make an appropriate “washer” to ensure everything is held properly by the crankshaft bolt. In the end, it’s a fairly easygoing and quick process.

Will Davin keep this pace as the assembly continues next week? We all hope so, but even if it doesn’t you’ll get all the grimy details in the next episode of Redline Update. Be sure to subscribe to the Hagerty YouTube channel to never miss a new episode.

Thanks to our sponsor RockAuto.com, an auto parts retailer founded in 1999 by automotive engineers with two goals: Liberate information hidden behind the auto parts store counter (by listing all available parts, not just what one store stocks or one counter-person knows), and make auto parts affordable so vehicles of all ages can be kept reliable and fun to drive. Visit RockAuto.com to order auto parts online 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, and have them conveniently delivered to your door. Need help finding parts or placing an order? Visit RockAuto’s Help pages for further assistance.

The post 1993 Jeep XJ 4.6L short block assembly appeared first on Hagerty Media.

The light has appeared at the end of the tunnel for Davin and the Jeep engine. It’s still quite far away, but he can see it. Before taking steps toward that light, another trip to the Thirlby machine shop is required to lower the deck height in an effort to raise the compression. And another issue pops up that needs to be discussed with the machinists.

Before loading up and heading off to re-deck the block, Davin takes the time to check the oil clearance on the main bearings. This is an important step, because while most of the time the numbers come out fine, engine building is always a game of “trust, but verify.” With the main caps torqued to spec, Davin measures the diameter of the bearing location on three axis. What he finds is a little uncomfortable. To him, the holes seem a little egg-shaped and also about half a thousandth too wide.

The machine shop doesn’t agree, however. Before bolting the block into the machine to trim the deck down, they use thier measuring tools to “sanity check” Davin, and they certifiy him insane. Davin is a known perfectionist, and on this job the machine shop guys think he might be going just a bit too far. The return on investment of getting this absolutely perfect is pretty slim, and that’s why they advise it would be best to leave this one alone. Those clearances might be a fraction off, but they’re still well within a usable tolerance.

Back at the shop, Davin is the first to admit things are way out of order at this point. A freshly painted block shouldn’t be going to a machine shop, and a block back from the machine shop shouldn’t be getting casting cleaned up again. It makes for even more cleaning work before assembly can begin, but we all know Davin is not one to take the easy route just to get things done. With any luck, things will come together next week, but then again, another roadblock might also appear. To find out for yourself, be sure to subscribe to the Hagerty YouTube channel to never miss an update.

Thanks to our sponsor RockAuto.com, an auto parts retailer founded in 1999 by automotive engineers with two goals: Liberate information hidden behind the auto parts store counter (by listing all available parts, not just what one store stocks or one counter-person knows), and make auto parts affordable so vehicles of all ages can be kept reliable and fun to drive. Visit RockAuto.com to order auto parts online 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, and have them conveniently delivered to your door. Need help finding parts or placing an order? Visit RockAuto’s Help pages for further assistance.

The post Final preparation for assembly on our 4.6L Jeep XJ engine appeared first on Hagerty Media.

Building an engine is vastly different than assembling one. One involves proper fitting of parts—the other, merely bolting things together. Today Davin takes you on a deep dive into one of the key parts of engine building, whether you’re aiming for performance or basic conveyance: compression ratio.

The concept is simple: The amount of space inside the cylinder when the piston is at bottom dead center compared to the amount of space inside the cylinder when the piston is at top dead center. As anyone who’s built an engine will know, however, that which is easily summed up is not always the easiest to execute. Accurately calculating compression ratio takes a bit of math, a bit of knowhow, and some antifreeze (seriously).

Davin starts by obtaining the size of the combustion chamber in the cylinder head, using a plate of glass and burette to measure its exact capacity in cubic centimeters. With some basic math, he calculates the cylinder volume, and all that is left is the volume added or subtracted by the piston dish or dome. In the case of our Jeep’s 4.6-liter engine, the piston is dished. While Davin could measure that additional area exactly the same way he did the combustion chamber, he decides instead to set the piston a small distance into the cylinder and grab a pencil to do the math and get the final number.

Compression ratio determines a few very important characteristics of an engine. The one Davin is most concerned with is this straight-six’s ability to run on “pump gas.” To Davin, that means 87-octane fuels. For an engine to run on fuel that volatile without any knocking, it is best to target between 9 and 9.5:1 compression ratio. He calculates that this particular Jeep’s engine compression would be around 8.5:1 as it sits now. Not ideal.

He devises a simple fix: Use a thinner head gasket and take a quick trip back to the machine shop to shave the deck height just a smidge more. With those changes made, this engine will be ready for final assembly, a process which Davin can begin with confidence, knowing that all the parts will play nicely together and that the mill will run as he expects it do when it’s time for first start-up.

To see the rest of the assembly and other tips and tricks our resident engine builder, be sure to subscribe to the Hagerty Youtube channel.

Thanks to our sponsor RockAuto.com, an auto parts retailer founded in 1999 by automotive engineers with two goals: Liberate information hidden behind the auto parts store counter (by listing all available parts, not just what one store stocks or one counter-person knows), and make auto parts affordable so vehicles of all ages can be kept reliable and fun to drive. Visit RockAuto.com to order auto parts online 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, and have them conveniently delivered to your door. Need help finding parts or placing an order? Visit RockAuto’s Help pages for further assistance.

The post Breaking down compression ratios on our 4.6L Jeep | Redline Update appeared first on Hagerty Media.

Now that our 1993 Jeep Cherokee’s 4.0-liter inline-six engine has been disassembled, Davin has some prepping to do before it heads to paint—specifically, removing the casting shrapnel from what he calls “a poorly designed mold.” Using a die grinder to clean up the mess, Davin’s time-consuming task was becoming a bit tedious. Then he had an idea: Why not try a tool that’s designed to remove rust? Moments later, a descaler is making quick work of the shrapnel.

With that job finished, Davin cleans up the block in the wash cabinet, blows it out, and begins taping it for paint. That’s when he offers another time-saving tip, showing that he made plastic coverings on a 3D printer that slide nicely into the core plug holes. And off we go to Traverse Body & Paint to “let Darryl do his magic.”

With the parts laid out on stands, Davin offers his RockAuto.com Tip of the Day: “If you want paint to stick to anything, the surface cannot be smooth, and it needs to be oil-free.” That means, for example, the coating on the oil pan needs to be scuffed up, and then it needs to be wiped clean to remove any finger prints/oil residue.

Check out the results for yourself and also be sure to subscribe to the Hagerty YouTube channel so you never miss an update.

Thanks to our sponsor RockAuto.com, an auto parts retailer founded in 1999 by automotive engineers with two goals: Liberate information hidden behind the auto parts store counter (by listing all available parts, not just what one store stocks or one counter-person knows), and make auto parts affordable so vehicles of all ages can be kept reliable and fun to drive. Visit RockAuto.com to order auto parts online 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, and have them conveniently delivered to your door. Need help finding parts or placing an order? Visit RockAuto’s Help pages for further assistance.

The post Painting our 4.0L Jeep Cherokee XJ engine appeared first on Hagerty Media.

Each and every Redline Rebuild starts with a plan … and most go off the rails at some point. The original scheme for the Jeep 4.0-liter straight-six gets a revision this week, but, happily, for a good reason.

The whole idea behind the selecting the Jeep was a quick in-and-out rebuild using stock parts. Davin has done plenty of stock rebuilds, and there is nothing wrong with restoring a solid design to factory spec. Well, we all say it’s fine to leave well enough alone, but, given the chance, most of us will take the more fun path. For the Jeep, this approach makes a lot of sense, because Davin can bump up displacement without even opening the aftermarket catalog or ordering custom pieces.

It sounds too good to be true, doesn’t it? Davin thinks so—until he reads that pieces of a Jeep 4.2-liter straight-six’s rotating assembly can be combined with a 30-thousandths of an inch overbore in the 4.0-liter block. Suddenly, Davin has a 4.6-liter engine on his hands.

Of course, it’s not exactly that easy. Davin talks through the exact specifics of why plans like this one must be thought through.

Beyond that shift in plans, there are also a whole bunch of RockAuto boxes to open in this episode. With fresh parts gleaming on the shop table, it is not long before the paint is dry on the block and assembly begins.

If you are curious how the final product will behave, be sure to subscribe to the Hagerty YouTube channel to never miss an update.

Thanks to our sponsor RockAuto.com, an auto parts retailer founded in 1999 by automotive engineers with two goals: Liberate information hidden behind the auto parts store counter (by listing all available parts, not just what one store stocks or one counter-person knows), and make auto parts affordable so vehicles of all ages can be kept reliable and fun to drive. Visit RockAuto.com to order auto parts online 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, and have them conveniently delivered to your door. Need help finding parts or placing an order? Visit RockAuto’s Help pages for further assistance.

The post Breaking down our Jeep 4.0L stroker mod | Redline Update appeared first on Hagerty Media.

It’s a new week, but it’s the same ol’ story in the Redline Garage. The Jeep 4.0-liter is torn down to a bare block, which means it’s time for a field trip to Thirlby machine shop. This block might represent the best starting point Davin has ever carried through the machine shop door. Of course, that doesn’t mean there’s any less work ahead for the team

“Everything was in really great shape,” said Davin after returning with the freshly machined parts. “We could have just honed it and thrown it back together. Just not worth it though. I mean, you’re already there.” What he’s getting at here is that the engine is already torn down, so there is no point putting off a job now that will only be harder later. The 150,000-mile block didn’t suffer oval-shaped cylinders or any other signs of terrible shape, but it still made sense to spend the few hundred dollars and give it the full machine shop treatment. From the deep clean to the decking and boring, this block is better than new.

There are other parts of the Jeep that need that same better-than-new treatment, and the flywheel is one of them. The starter engages a geared ring on the flywheel to start the engine, and the ring often wears out in just one spot. The reason has to do with the physics of how an engine stops when the ignition is turned off, and which cylinder ends up on the compression stroke to stop the rotation of the crankshaft. The ring gear here could just be flipped, but pressing on a new one that will last a long time is easy enough once we are already in there.

Next stop is the paint booth, but before the engine gets there Davin puts some color on the block along with some other parts on which he plans to do some clean-up work. Casting burrs and sharp edges can make even the nicest paint job look grungy—and when has Davin ever been one to cut corners?

It’s fast progress on this straight-six, so be sure to subscribe to the Hagerty YouTube channel to never miss an update.

Thanks to our sponsor RockAuto.com, an auto parts retailer founded in 1999 by automotive engineers with two goals: Liberate information hidden behind the auto parts store counter (by listing all available parts, not just what one store stocks or one counter-person knows), and make auto parts affordable so vehicles of all ages can be kept reliable and fun to drive. Visit RockAuto.com to order auto parts online 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, and have them conveniently delivered to your door. Need help finding parts or placing an order? Visit RockAuto’s Help pages for further assistance.

The post Taking our 4.0L XJ Engine to the machine shop | Redline Update appeared first on Hagerty Media.

Last week you saw us pull in our most recent project, a 1993 Jeep XJ with a 4.0-liter straight-six. In no time, Davin began tearing into the mill. Things go fairly quickly as the pieces fly off this engine, but this is as much an investigation as it is a quick disassembly. After all, you never know what you might find. Could this Jeep have nothing but good news to share?

This is not the newest engine Davin has torn into (you didn’t forget about the Dodge Demon, did you?), but it certainly is a little nicer than a few others he’s dissected. The Jeep’s driveline comes apart so easily—almost too easily. Suddenly, one exhaust stud lets loose. Of course, it breaks nearly a quarter-inch below the surface of the head. No worry this time, though, since Davin is sourcing as much as he can from RockAuto and it stocks refurbished cylinder heads. One is already in the mail.

The next discovery is a noisy timing chain. It isn’t so damaged that Davin can hear something amiss over the sound of the running engine, but turning the six over by hand prompts further investigation. Removing the timing cover reveals the timing chain is indeed tired—and when it is all said and done, that’s the worst of the story. How refreshing.

The main bearings look darn-near new, while the rod bearings show a decent amount of wear on the thrust surface. Overall, the wear might be so minimal the crankshaft may not even need to be turned down. It’s been quite some time since Davin found this much good news inside an engine, but he’s not kicking back and taking a break. No, it’s time for cleaning and parts ordering, which might mean Davin has some fun upgrades in mind. You’ll have to wait for a future episode to find out what his schemes entail. Be sure to subscribe to the Hagerty YouTube channel to never miss a grease-soaked update.

Thanks to our sponsor RockAuto.com, an auto parts retailer founded in 1999 by automotive engineers with two goals: Liberate information hidden behind the auto parts store counter (by listing all available parts, not just what one store stocks or one counter-person knows), and make auto parts affordable so vehicles of all ages can be kept reliable and fun to drive. Visit RockAuto.com to order auto parts online 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, and have them conveniently delivered to your door. Need help finding parts or placing an order? Visit RockAuto’s Help pages for further assistance.

The post Disassembling our 1993 Jeep XJ engine | Redline Update appeared first on Hagerty Media.

Our Mini rebuilt got wrapped up just two weeks ago, but if you thought Davin would wait longer than required to clean the shop before pulling in the next project, you must be new here. For the latest Redline Rebuild, it’s something bright red, two-door, manual transmission–equipped, and absolutely rust-free—just like Davin likes them. This one is a little different than average though, for a few reasons.

Say hello to this 1993 Jeep Cherokee with a 4.0-liter inline-six. It’s the newest car to be on the receiving end of the Redline Rebuild treatment, which means there are a few pieces and processes that will be new. Those surface right away as Davin yanks the engine and transmission onto the floor to be cleaned and prepped for disassembly.

Two of the new elements of this rebuild are the catalytic converters on the exhaust, but they are rusted in place just like most exhaust systems Davin encounters. One cat is also blown out from years of use. Just because it looks good from the outside doesn’t mean it’s functioning properly inside. The transmission tells the same story, as it just doesn’t shift quite right. Another odd hurdle was all the wiring that had to be removed before the engine could be pulled. From the fiddly fuel injector clips to the air conditioning system, it all comes apart, though. Now, it’s time to get cleaning.

This might appear to be a relatively boring build, but we’ve seen Davin’s search history and suspect there will be a few fun parts going into this one. To see just what he has up his sleeve, be sure to subscribe to the Hagerty YouTube channel to never miss a video.

Thanks to our sponsor RockAuto.com, an auto parts retailer founded in 1999 by automotive engineers with two goals: Liberate information hidden behind the auto parts store counter (by listing all available parts, not just what one store stocks or one counter-person knows), and make auto parts affordable so vehicles of all ages can be kept reliable and fun to drive. Visit RockAuto.com to order auto parts online 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, and have them conveniently delivered to your door. Need help finding parts or placing an order? Visit RockAuto’s Help pages for further assistance.

The post Removing a ’93 4.0L Jeep XJ engine | Redline Update appeared first on Hagerty Media.

We just wrapped up rebuilding our 1965 Mini Cooper S 11275cc engine. It was a journey of trial and error throughout the process, so, join Davin and Ben as they break down what it took to get this little monster running again.

Thanks to our sponsor RockAuto.com, an auto parts retailer founded in 1999 by automotive engineers with two goals: Liberate information hidden behind the auto parts store counter (by listing all available parts, not just what one store stocks or one counter-person knows), and make auto parts affordable so vehicles of all ages can be kept reliable and fun to drive. Visit RockAuto.com to order auto parts online 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, and have them conveniently delivered to your door. Need help finding parts or placing an order? Visit RockAuto’s Help pages for further assistance.

The post Breaking down our Classic Mini Cooper S rebuild | Redline Live appeared first on Hagerty Media.

Davin may not be Michael Caine zipping through Turin, but rebuilding this classic Austin Mini Cooper S brought him a few thrills. This little 1275cc engine from 1965 gave him a few headaches but that’s just par for the course when you’re constantly working on cars you aren’t completely familiar with. It just goes to prove that even the simple rebuilds can be frustrating and rewarding all at once.

This Mini rolled into the Redline garage running but still in need of serious attention. The exhaust pipe was more like a smoke machine, and in general everything under the hood could use a good cleaning. With the literal millions of 1275cc A-series engines on the road Davin had hopes that this rebuild would be a quick in and out job, but of course, the engine had other plans. During teardown, all the dirty secrets came out.

First was the gutted thermostat, which implied there were likely some overheating issues in this Mini’s recent history that someone tried to band-aid rather than fix. Then there was the two large gouges in the engine block that Davin found when the cylinder head was removed. There was no other real bad news, but when the issue at hand could require a new engine block it was obvious Davin and the team were holding their breath as they headed over to Thirlby machine shop to get the machine work done.

“The rest of the block and cylinder head were pretty good, but those gouges were pretty deep,” said Davin about the hand-wringing on if the block would be salvageable.”We got a little lucky in that while decking the block didn’t completely remove the damage it got it plenty flat enough for a gasket to take up the rest.”

Direct from the machine shop to the paint booth, a fresh coat of dark green was sprayed on the freshly machined parts and also a few of the sheet metal cover pieces. With the infamous self-peeling tape out of the way it was time to click off the torque wrench and get things put together. While noting the fact the oil pan was also the transmission case, Davin said, “Taking a lot of this apart was strange, but putting it back together was even weirder.”

Even with a few hiccups on finding just the right part, this Mini still didn’t turn into the maxi problem that it could have. The engine got its break-in and final setup in the wee-hours of Saturday morning and it won’t be long before the car rolls out of the Redline garage and over to the Hagerty Learning Garage for a complete restoration. Of course, Davin is not going to sit and twiddle his thumbs now, as he has other projects running and a new one currently in transit to the Shop. To see what that is and never miss an update, be sure to subscribe to the Hagerty YouTube channel.

Thanks to our sponsor RockAuto.com, an auto parts retailer founded in 1999 by automotive engineers with two goals: Liberate information hidden behind the auto parts store counter (by listing all available parts, not just what one store stocks or one counter-person knows), and make auto parts affordable so vehicles of all ages can be kept reliable and fun to drive. Visit RockAuto.com to order auto parts online 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, and have them conveniently delivered to your door. Need help finding parts or placing an order? Visit RockAuto’s Help pages for further assistance.

The post Small car, big project: Rebuilding a classic Mini Cooper S engine time-lapse | Redline Rebuild appeared first on Hagerty Media.

When it comes to New Year’s resolutions, there’s one that Davin will never agree to: Go on a diet. After all, the man loves carbs. He couldn’t cut those out of his day-to-day life even if he wanted to. This episode of Redline Update is all about carbs and getting the Mini’s twin SU fuel mixers ready to rock.

The process is simple and starts with placing an order for two new carb kits. The boxes come filled with everything Davin needs to refresh the carbs functionally, but of course Davin is after more than just a functional redo. To help the aesthetics, the stripped-down pieces get a bath in the ultrasonic cleaner before some careful vapor honing to restore the aluminum finish. Only then is it time to re-assemble. Davin’s big tip this episode is to do the carbs one at a time. This way you have a reference point if you forget exactly how the one you took apart goes back together.

While the second carb is in the ultrasonic cleaner, there’s a quick pivot to getting the shaft rocker assembly ready for reinstallation. The assembly comes apart easily and is cleaned even easier by utilizing a tumbler that will do the work overnight while Davin is asleep and dreaming of big blocks and bang shifting quarter-mile passes. The shaft is too big for the tumbler, but he has a tip for making life easier: chuck the shaft in the lathe and spin it at low speed while holding a scouring pad against it. This makes quick work in removing the caked-on oil and grime from years of use. A drill press or even hand drill with a large enough chuck can do the same thing for your projects.

This little engine is making big progress lately, and it won’t be long before the whole thing is back together and on the run stand for break in. Never miss a tech tip or project update by subscribing to the Hagerty YouTube channel.

Thanks to our sponsor RockAuto.com, an auto parts retailer founded in 1999 by automotive engineers with two goals: Liberate information hidden behind the auto parts store counter (by listing all available parts, not just what one store stocks or one counter-person knows), and make auto parts affordable so vehicles of all ages can be kept reliable and fun to drive. Visit RockAuto.com to order auto parts online 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, and have them conveniently delivered to your door. Need help finding parts or placing an order? Visit RockAuto’s Help pages for further assistance.

The post Our Classic Mini engine gets its SU carburetors restored | Redline Update appeared first on Hagerty Media.

The “oil pan” for our 1965 Austin Mini Cooper S needs to be reassembled. Typically an oil pan wouldn’t require so much work, but it just so happens that this one has an entire transmission inside it. Davin gets to work putting every bit and piece of the transmission back together along with several new parts (mostly bearings) that were well worn past the point of using again.

The compact nature of the Mini’s drivetrain is a big part of its character, but it’s also a big source of headache for Davin. The engine’s oil pan houses the entire transmission, and even with small gears that makes for a cluttered assembly. Luckily, he has all his reference materials lined up and everything is ready to go together. A little assembly lube here and a dot of oil there and everything slips together nicely—and we do mean everything. Davin points out that sometimes assembly is a process of elimination game, even when you have the right materials. All the proper parts are on the table, so nothing should be left when the job is done right.

With all the hardware torqued and no “spare” parts left over, this transmission is ready to be mated up to the engine. That will happen on the next Redline Update episode so be sure to subscribe to the Hagerty YouTube channel to never miss a grease-soaked minute.

Thanks to our sponsor RockAuto.com, an auto parts retailer founded in 1999 by automotive engineers with two goals: Liberate information hidden behind the auto parts store counter (by listing all available parts, not just what one store stocks or one counter-person knows), and make auto parts affordable so vehicles of all ages can be kept reliable and fun to drive. Visit RockAuto.com to order auto parts online 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, and have them conveniently delivered to your door. Need help finding parts or placing an order? Visit RockAuto’s Help pages for further assistance.

The post Classic Mini manual transmission gets assembled with some new parts | Redline Update appeared first on Hagerty Media.

These days, not much surprises Davin when it comes to events in the engine assembly room. Elements outside his control, however, can provide an entertaining change of pace. Take for instance the incorrect bearing size setback he discovered last week. His plan was to pivot to the transmission, but instead he got something unexpected. A surprise, but not such an unpleasant one.

The first set of bearings that were ordered ended up being too small for the finished machined crankshaft, but a replacement set arrived faster than expected and allowed progress to roll forward (almost) without a hiccup. We say “almost” because Davin might have had the proper bearings, but he lacked the proper tool to check the oil clearance on those bearings. Without micrometer that will do the job, he had to resort to a very basic tool that he doesn’t use often—Plastigauge.

“It’s not that Plastigauge is bad; it’s not,” said Davin about the measuring material. “It’s more that I find it to be a little inconsistent and I don’t have any way of confirming what it tells me with hard numbers.” No matter; it will have to do for this engine, since there is a bit of a deadline looming. Instructions for using this tool are simple: assemble the connecting rods to the crankshaft with a small piece of Plastigauge between the bearing cap and the crankshaft, torque everything down, then disassemble and use the Plastigauge package to determine the clearance. Davin first thought this engine to be a bit tight, but then he remembered that the journals on this crank are much smaller than he is used to.

With a few other parts already installed, the Mini engine is effectively sitting now at the short-block phase. The cylinder head is next, and if the rotating assembly was any indication that will come together quick. Or maybe there will be another odd hurdle? We don’t know, but regardless we will be back next week with another Redline Update. Be sure to subscribe to the Hagerty YouTube channel to never miss an oil-soaked minute.

Thanks to our sponsor RockAuto.com, an auto parts retailer founded in 1999 by automotive engineers with two goals: Liberate information hidden behind the auto parts store counter (by listing all available parts, not just what one store stocks or one counter-person knows), and make auto parts affordable so vehicles of all ages can be kept reliable and fun to drive. Visit RockAuto.com to order auto parts online 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, and have them conveniently delivered to your door. Need help finding parts or placing an order? Visit RockAuto’s Help pages for further assistance.

The post Classic Mini Cooper S 1275cc short block assembly | Redline Update appeared first on Hagerty Media.

The green paint on the Austin engine has dried and the infamous self-peeling tape has left the building, which means it’s assembly time for Davin. Of course, assembly is a lot more than just bolting things together, and this time around there are tips to be shared and lessons to be learned about why the engine assembly process is, well, a process.

The bare block is cleaned, painted, and ready for the fun part of installing the bottom end. Before Davin can go about pressing the cam bearings into place, he needs to reference the photos he took during disassembly. You hear him talk about taking reference photos before and during every rebuild, and it’s moments like this when they can make your life so much easier. The cam bearings have a few relief cuts and directional oil holes that need to be clocked correctly. A quick look at photos from disassembly makes the process fast.

Next up, it’s time to check the machine work. This isn’t Davin saying he doesn’t have faith in the team at the machine shop to do it correctly, but more of an assurance that once he starts putting pieces together everything will actually work. Bearings can be accidentally packaged wrong, measurements can be goofed, and if either one of those happens you want to know before you are trying to torque things down and wondering what happened. In this case, it comes down to confirming the rod bearings are incorrect. Davin was optimistic and ordered standard-sized bearings before dropping the crank off at the machine shop, where it was discovered that the rod journals would need to cut one size under after all.

That hiccup is not going to stop Davin from making progress though, and he pivots to installing the crank. Same process, measure the assembled bearings and fresh crankshaft to make sure that oil clearance is correct before slathering it all with assembly lube and torquing down the caps. It was also a quick projects to assemble the valves into the cylinder head before the roadblocks stacked up enough to hinder progress.

New bearings will be in shortly, so be sure to tune in next week to see the continued progress on this engine and the many other projects currently running in the Redline Garage.

— Kyle Smith

Thanks to our sponsor RockAuto.com, an auto parts retailer founded in 1999 by automotive engineers with two goals: Liberate information hidden behind the auto parts store counter (by listing all available parts, not just what one store stocks or one counter-person knows), and make auto parts affordable so vehicles of all ages can be kept reliable and fun to drive. Visit RockAuto.com to order auto parts online 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, and have them conveniently delivered to your door. Need help finding parts or placing an order? Visit RockAuto’s Help pages for further assistance.

The post Assembly begins on our classic Mini Cooper S 1275cc engine | Redline Update appeared first on Hagerty Media.

The engine for our 1965 Mini Cooper S may be bored, but we’ve never been more engaged. This week Davin heads over to Thirlby’s Machine Shop to get this 1275cc British rocket cleaned up and (nearly) back to its original shape. We had some concerns about what we unearthed last week on the block, but it’s up to the boys at Thirlby’s to diagnose the severity of the damage. Happily, luck proves to be on Davin’s side.

This may be the first time in a while that Davin doesn’t need a hoist to drop pieces off at the machine shop. Both the cylinder head and engine block are easily carried in by hand for the first step: cleaning. Each piece has pressed-in brass plugs that must be knocked out before both components are baked to remove the old paint and built-up grime. Rather than open up the cylinder head, though, Davin decides to simply tumble it, fearing he may not be able to replace the brass plugs with pipe plugs after cleaning.

Once the head and block are looking spiffy, it’s time to check for cracks. No cracks found means it’s time to start cutting iron. The cylinder head gets its valve guides knurled and machined to size before new valve seats are pressed in and cut. That’s the easy stuff, though—the block is the main worry. With a larger arsenal of measuring tools than Davin, the Thirlby crew takes a look and devises a plan that they think will save this block with no extra work.

The bore is cut to 40 thousandths of an inch larger, which removes a sizable portion of the two eroded sections of the deck. Next, that deck surface is machined flat. Just 14 thousandths of an inch is removed here, which succeeds in cleaning up the mess Davin found. That 14 thousandths is just over half of the 25 we had to play with, so this block should happily live on and could likely even be machined again in the future should the need arise.

Right out of the machine shop, the parts go into the paint booth. Some taping off and a thorough wipe-down with wax and grease remover preps the lot for a quick spray of dark green that Davin has mixed up to match the color he spied under the grease and grime of the block. Once the paint has cured, it’s back to the Redline Garage to begin final cleaning and assembly. Of course, there are a lot of interesting pieces and processes to talk about there, but you will have to tune in to future Redline Updates to see those. Until then, be sure to keep working on your own projects, and subscribe to the Hagerty YouTube channel to never miss an update.

Thanks to our sponsor RockAuto.com, an auto parts retailer founded in 1999 by automotive engineers with two goals: Liberate information hidden behind the auto parts store counter (by listing all available parts, not just what one store stocks or one counter-person knows), and make auto parts affordable so vehicles of all ages can be kept reliable and fun to drive. Visit RockAuto.com to order auto parts online 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, and have them conveniently delivered to your door. Need help finding parts or placing an order? Visit RockAuto’s Help pages for further assistance.

The post Gouged Mini block hits the machine shop … can it be saved? | Redline Update appeared first on Hagerty Media.

The Redline Rebuild garage is no stranger to interesting discoveries during engine disassembly, but the 1965 Mini has some new ones for Davin. Remember, the car drove itself into the shop, but that doesn’t mean everything inside the tidy four-cylinder is just peachy. It’s proving to be quite the opposite.

This Mini put up a maxi fight when asked to give up its engine and transmission, but with that task finally completed, it’s time for Davin to tear into the engine and get a better look at exactly what he’s working with. Compared to a few of the previous projects—like the Buick Nailhead—this engine (once out of the car) was practically giving up its parts. Fasteners backed right out and things split apart easily. Too easily. Then Davin found the thermostat and got a hint of what may be hiding inside.

“The thermostat had been gutted in what I think was an attempt to help with an overheating problem,” Davin says, looking over the greasy parts on a workbench. “It’s a common thing I see, but it’s only a bandaid and often a bad one at that.” The thought is to improve coolant flow and thus dump more heat via the radiator. Sadly, the increase speed of coolant through the block often means it actually picks up less heat while flowing through coolant passages. That’s just the first sign of bad news.

Things get more interesting when the cylinder head and gasket are removed. Two fissures on the deck surface of the block appear to be from a leaking headgasket. Combustion heat and pressure can erode the aluminum or cast iron of a block. Is there enough material left that this block can be machined flat and still be used? Davin isn’t sure, but he has his fingers crossed. If you want to find out, you’ll have to subscribe to the Hagerty YouTube channel and watch a future episode of Redline Update.

Thanks to our sponsor RockAuto.com, an auto parts retailer founded in 1999 by automotive engineers with two goals: Liberate information hidden behind the auto parts store counter (by listing all available parts, not just what one store stocks or one counter-person knows), and make auto parts affordable so vehicles of all ages can be kept reliable and fun to drive. Visit RockAuto.com to order auto parts online 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, and have them conveniently delivered to your door. Need help finding parts or placing an order? Visit RockAuto’s Help pages for further assistance.

The post Classic Mini Cooper S engine teardown and … uh-oh | Redline Update appeared first on Hagerty Media.

For this week’s Redline Update, it might be best to get an appropriate snack of tea and crumpets. The newest Redline Rebuild project has arrived and God Save the Queen is playing on the shop stereo. It’s dimensionally small but big on character. If you haven’t guessed it already, Davin’s next engine rebuild will be pulled from a 1965 Austin Mini Cooper S. Currently it’s got a bit of a smoking problem, but if anyone can help it break that addiction it’s Davin. First, he has to get a good look at what he’s got though.

The Mini drove itself into the shop but has multiple signs that it has not lived a life of careful pampering. The tailpipe could be a fog machine while the engine is running, and more than a few parts and pieces are visibly tired. With a flurry of wrenches, Davin gets right to work taking parts off in prep to pull the engine and transmission. There are plenty of interesting finds, but the starter is one worth mentioning. At some point, a non-correct starter was made to fit by enlarging the holes in the mounting ears. It’s not stupid if it works, right?

The four-cylinder engine is a small package, but the Mini is also quite small. That means that getting the powerplant out is not as easy as, say, a 1937 Ford race car. At first lift Davin found that his plan was maybe not the best, but with a few more parts pulled off the engine finally left its cozy sheet metal home and gets bolted onto a nicely fabricated engine stand mount.

If you are itching to see this tidy little package pulled apart, you are going to have to wait ’til next week. For now, you should subscribe to the Hagerty YouTube channel and then go out and work on your projects.

Thanks to our sponsor RockAuto.com, an auto parts retailer founded in 1999 by automotive engineers with two goals: Liberate information hidden behind the auto parts store counter (by listing all available parts, not just what one store stocks or one counter-person knows), and make auto parts affordable so vehicles of all ages can be kept reliable and fun to drive. Visit RockAuto.com to order auto parts online 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, and have them conveniently delivered to your door. Need help finding parts or placing an order? Visit RockAuto’s Help pages for further assistance.

The post NEW PROJECT! Our latest rebuild finally enters the garage | Redline Update appeared first on Hagerty Media.

If you watched our last two updates, you saw Davin swap a T5 transmission into our 1946 Ford pickup. Part of that process was getting a new driveshaft to fit the new length of the T5. So, we thought we’d take you behind the scenes with Dan at Valley Truck and see what it takes to make a custom-fit drive shaft.

The process seems so simple on the surface, but like any automotive project that appears simple, it rarely is. A tube with yokes welded on both ends will get the job done, but there are a couple fine points that separate the best from the rest. The first is the selection of the tube for the driveshaft. Wall thickness is dependent on the application, with heavier tubing used for high-torque builds. A person could build the same heavy-duty driveshaft for everything, but the rotational weight would actually make a lower-powered vehicle feel sluggish. The second critical factor is the phasing of the yokes on either end. If these are not clocked perfectly to each other, there will be a vibration that will cause any driver to go crazy.

It’s a simple process that requires serious accuracy, and Dan makes it look easy. It’s shops like this that make swaps possible in our old cars and trucks. Measure properly and give your local driveshaft shop a call for your project—or at least go out into your workshop and get your project done.

Check out the T5 Swap here:
Part 1 – T5 Transmission Swapped into 75-year old Ford Truck
Part 2 – We put a T5 transmission into our 1946 Ford pickup

— Kyle Smith

Thanks to our sponsor RockAuto.com, an auto parts retailer founded in 1999 by automotive engineers with two goals: Liberate information hidden behind the auto parts store counter (by listing all available parts, not just what one store stocks or one counter-person knows), and make auto parts affordable so vehicles of all ages can be kept reliable and fun to drive. Visit RockAuto.com to order auto parts online 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, and have them conveniently delivered to your door. Need help finding parts or placing an order? Visit RockAuto’s Help pages for further assistance.

The post What it really takes to cut and weld a drive shaft | Redline Update appeared first on Hagerty Media.

Last week, you saw Davin tear out the transmission of our 1946 Ford pickup and get our junkyard T5 transmission ready to swap in. This week, it’s full steam ahead as we complete this modern upgrade. There are some bumps along the way, but nothing a little time and determination can’t solve. So, watch along and see what it takes to bring this 1940s relic a little closer to modern times.

The process has been moving along smoothly, but that was all just disassembly and cleaning. Now it’s time to start putting things together, and that means little problems can pop up easily. From ensuring everything is properly lubed to removing burrs to allow the throw-out bearing to function smoothly, it’s not “just throwing parts together.” If you keep everything organized and follow the proper assembly plan, your project will probably fly along just like Davin’s.

A new driveshaft is the last piece to assemble and goes in nicely. That’s probably because it is a brand new driveshaft Davin had made for this project. With all the bolts tightened underneath, it’s time to look inside and get to the custom bits of this swap. The shifter was for an S10 pickup, but the angle is all wrong for the fixed seat in the Ford. Luckily, that is easily fixed with some heat and muscle. Fabricate a quick transmission tunnel and it’s time for testing. Engine running and wheels in the air the transmission shifts smoothly through all the gears.

This is a fairly complicated project, but you can also see how every complex thing is a just a punch list of easy tasks stacked up. Now Davin can cruise in comfort in the 1946 Ford pickup, but he says you should get out and get your project done. Before you go though, be sure to subscribe to the Hagerty YouTube channel to never miss a fun project or update.

— Kyle Smith

Thanks to our sponsor RockAuto.com, an auto parts retailer founded in 1999 by automotive engineers with two goals: Liberate information hidden behind the auto parts store counter (by listing all available parts, not just what one store stocks or one counter-person knows), and make auto parts affordable so vehicles of all ages can be kept reliable and fun to drive. Visit RockAuto.com to order auto parts online 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, and have them conveniently delivered to your door. Need help finding parts or placing an order? Visit RockAuto’s Help pages for further assistance.

The post We put a T5 transmission into our 1946 Ford pickup – Part 2 | Redline Update appeared first on Hagerty Media.

Davin is a man of focus, striving to improve his surroundings and make objects more usable. In that spirit, this week kicks off a three-part series focusing on one of his favorite pickups in the Redline Garage fleet: the Swap to Street 1946 Ford. It’s a truck that is no stranger to highway miles, but the original-type three-speed transmission has left both Davin and the flathead under the hood wanting more. Now, it’s time to see about an upgrade.

This truck was assembled in just four days at the 2015 Hershey fall swap meet, from parts purchased on the grounds. It was a tough challenge, and since then Davin has been making metered improvements to the truck. The flathead got the Redline Rebuild treatment, wiring was cleaned up, and a small amount of insulation was placed inside the cab. It can run down the road at 65 mph without much issue, but the flathead is turning nearly 3200 rpm at that speed. Not ideal.

The plan is for Davin to give the truck two more gears by swapping that original three-speed for a T5 five-speed. It’s a common and durable transmission that has a better spread between the gears, not to mention an overdrive. Of course, nothing just bolts right in, so Davin has a few tasks to tackle before he can pilot the ’46 Ford again.

First up is disassembly and removing all the items in the way of test fitting the T5 while also getting the “new” transmission ready for installation. That means changing out the speedometer drive, cleaning the case, and inspecting the internals to ensure that it’ll function as expected once installed. Sounds simple, but this is just the first part of the three part series that will wrap up this swap. (To never miss an update or project, be sure to subscribe to the Hagerty YouTube channel.)

Thanks to our sponsor RockAuto.com. RockAuto.com is an auto parts retailer founded in 1999 by automotive engineers with two goals: Liberate information hidden behind the auto parts store counter (by listing all available parts, not just what one store stocks or one counter-person knows), and make auto parts affordable so vehicles of all ages can be kept reliable and fun to drive. Visit RockAuto.com to order auto parts online 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, and have them conveniently delivered to your door. Need help finding parts or placing an order? Visit our Help pages for further assistance!

The post T5 Transmission Swapped into 75-year old Ford Truck – Part 1 | Redline Update appeared first on Hagerty Media.

Nothing guarantees that something will break quite like declaring a project done. The 1969 Mustang Mach 1 that Davin has been working on is the most recent example. Following the celebration of reuniting the car with Grandma Sue, it promptly left a puddle of oil on the floor. Time to roll the sleeves back up.

With a little investigation, it comes to light that the power steering hoses are the culprit. A couple of clicks on RockAuto.com, and all the parts needed to refresh the system are on the workbench. This is a perfect example of “while I’m in there” syndrome, because while replacing only the lines might have solved the leak, replacing the whole system is a better use of Davin’s time. It eliminates the possibility that another tired piece in the system will fail tomorrow and bring the car right back to the shop. Just for good measure, a fresh set of shocks goes on as well.

Before Davin signs off, we get a couple of speed updates on the other projects. The Snowball race car’s headers are coming together, but more importantly the pistons are finally in for the Chrysler 440 that is destined to sit between the frame rails of the dirt track racer. That opens up a new path for progress, but you won’t see that for a few weeks. That time will be used to take be an in-depth look at what was required to update our Swap to Street 1946 For pickup with a T5 transmission. To see that process and so much more, be sure to subscribe to the Hagerty YouTube channel and never miss an update.

— Kyle Smith

Thanks to our sponsor RockAuto.com, an auto parts retailer founded in 1999 by automotive engineers with two goals: Liberate information hidden behind the auto parts store counter (by listing all available parts, not just what one store stocks or one counter-person knows), and make auto parts affordable so vehicles of all ages can be kept reliable and fun to drive. Visit RockAuto.com to order auto parts online 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, and have them conveniently delivered to your door. Need help finding parts or placing an order? Visit the Help pages for further assistance.

The post Uh, oh … the ’69 Mustang Mach 1 power steering system needs replacing appeared first on Hagerty Media.

The Redline Rebuild team is in the midst of some “show and tell” right now, in case you haven’t been watching for a few weeks. Davin learned about a 1969 Mustang Mach 1 that had been in storage for 30 years and determined that rest period was just too long. That’s when he decided to both show you the find and tell you exactly what it takes to bring a car like this back to life. So far, he’s dragged the car out of storage, inspected it, and convinced the engine to run. What more is there? Well, a good bit.

It’s one thing to get a car driving, and another to get it driving safely. Davin is pursuing the latter. That’s why the leak on the passenger rear wheel gets addressed as part of a thorough chassis inspection. When he first discovers it, Davin estimates the leak is due either to an axle seal or to a wheel cylinder. Luckily, the culprit is the axle seal—a far easier fix than the wheel cylinder, since opening up the hydraulic brake system often produces a can-of-worms situation.

Since the axle seal requires him to remove the brake drum, Davin takes the opportunity to replace the brake shoes, even though all signs point to those components being healthy. Why? It’s cheap peace of mind to replace those parts now and also saves time compared to disassembling things twice, if a stopping problem were to emerge once this pony was back on the road.

With fresh brakes installed, it’s time for a test drive, a challenge which the Mustang passes with flying colors. Then, a little surprise: Davin has been working on the car in secret, behind the back of the car’s current owner. Cam was the one who brought Davin to the car and gave us some of the story behind it, but Cam’s grandmother has the most history with the ’69 Mach 1. She was the one who drove it into storage so many years ago, and she gets one heck of a surprise when she sees Davin and Cam rumble into her driveway.

Even when life gets in the way and delays projects for a long time, it is always worth the effort to get back to work and revive those long-stored machines. It only took Davin a couple days of focused effort to bring this Mustang back to life, so make sure to take his advice and get out in the shop and work on your projects. Of course, if you want to see what Davin is working on next, be sure to subscribe to the Hagerty YouTube channel to never miss an oil-soaked minute.

— Kyle Smith

Thanks to our sponsor RockAuto.com, an auto parts retailer founded in 1999 by automotive engineers with two goals: Liberate information hidden behind the auto parts store counter (by listing all available parts, not just what one store stocks or one counter-person knows), and make auto parts affordable so vehicles of all ages can be kept reliable and fun to drive. Visit RockAuto.com to order auto parts online 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, and have them conveniently delivered to your door. Need help finding parts or placing an order? Visit the Help pages for further assistance.

The post ’69 Ford Mustang Mach 1 drives for the first time in 30 years! appeared first on Hagerty Media.

Finding a cool car that has been tucked away for decades is inspiring, but firing it up for the first time can be less so. Davin found that out last week with the 1969 Ford Mustang he attempted to bring back to life. Without spark, that V-8 was never going to roar to life—so, rather than abuse the tired parts, Davin put in a RockAuto order. Now, it’s time to get serious.

This Mustang is a prime example of an honest, “ran when parked” car. Everything under the hood is still there and connected, which makes the project seem hopeful. Simply being present is the minimum criterion for parts, however; they should also function. Something in the ignition system is not doing its job, and thus Davin is electing to replace the entire ignition system. This decision seems a bit extreme at first blush but, since the parts are available—and easy to remove and replace—he’s actually saving some troubleshooting time at just a few dollars’ cost.

Other to-dos include curing a few leaks and sussing out what the interior of this engine has to say about the car’s history. The valve-cover gaskets were leaking and Davin pulled and cleaned the covers and installed fresh gaskets. Before those last components went back on, Davin spun the engine over with the spark plugs removed. This allowed him to visually inspect the valvetrain and see whether the engine would build appropriate oil pressure quickly.

Put it all back together, cross fingers, and turn the key. Of course, the V-8 fires right up and idles along happily on the choke. There is still a bunch of work left before this Mustang hits the road again, and Davin’s only got one week to make that happen—so as happy as he might be about winning this particular battle, the war wages on. What issues may surface in the brakes and driveline to keep this car off the streets? We aren’t sure yet, but you’ll know next Monday. Be sure to subscribe to the Hagerty YouTube channel to never miss an update.

— Kyle Smith

Thanks to our sponsor RockAuto.com, an auto parts retailer founded in 1999 by automotive engineers with two goals: Liberate information hidden behind the auto parts store counter (by listing all available parts, not just what one store stocks or one counter-person knows), and make auto parts affordable so vehicles of all ages can be kept reliable and fun to drive. Visit RockAuto.com to order auto parts online 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, and have them conveniently delivered to your door. Need help finding parts or placing an order? Visit the Help pages for further assistance.

The post Will it run? Starting up a 1969 Ford Mustang Mach 1 for the first time in 30 years appeared first on Hagerty Media.

There are project cars that require major time, effort, and finances, and then there are project cars that can be up and running in just a matter of weeks. In this latest Redline Update, Davin is thrilled to be laying his hands on one of the latter.

Davin’s coworker Cam is the caretaker of a “ran when parked” 1969 Ford Mustang Mach 1 that has been sitting for 25–30 years … not in an open field and not under a tarp outside, but on a trailer in a warehouse. It had been Cam’s grandfather’s “we’ll get to it next” project car for years, but it never came to fruition. Cam’s grandpa passed away before the Mach 1 could get back on the road, but he’d love to get it running himself—and Davin just has to help.

“It’s gorgeous …” Davin says. “Since I’m not Tom Cotter [of Barn Find Hunter fame], I don’t like to just look at ’em. What would you think if we can this running?”

“That sounds awesome,” Cam says. “The thought of this being on the road is almost too much to comprehend.”

And we’re off.

After bringing the Mach 1 to the Redline Rebuild garage, Davin explains why working on the Mustang is so appealing to him and the video team.

“We want a real quick payback,” he says. “We’ve been working all summer long. We got the [Honda] Trail 70 running, and quite frankly, we’re hooked. We want to see something else done quickly. And the weather is beautiful this fall, so we’re going to take this and in two weeks turn it so it’s driving down the road.”

The plans include replacing all the ignition components first—fresh wires, cap, rotor, points, condenser, and coil. “That may be a little more than you want to do,” Davin says, “but it will completely eliminate all those ignition problems.”

Then, Davin will attempt to start it, check on a small oil leak, replace the hoses, and check the radiator. Once it runs, idles, and doesn’t overheat, then he’ll assess brakes and steering.

Before diving in with both feet, Davin can’t resist trying to start the car. No luck. “We’re not getting any spark,” he says. “Well, bummer.”

But not for you. Stay tuned for next week’s show, in which Davin promises, “You are going to hear this run.” To keep track of this and other projects in the Redline Garage, be sure to subscribe to the Hagerty YouTube channel.

— Jeff Peek

Thanks to our sponsor RockAuto.com, an auto parts retailer founded in 1999 by automotive engineers with two goals: Liberate information hidden behind the auto parts store counter (by listing all available parts, not just what one store stocks or one counter-person knows), and make auto parts affordable so vehicles of all ages can be kept reliable and fun to drive. Visit RockAuto.com to order auto parts online 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, and have them conveniently delivered to your door. Need help finding parts or placing an order? Visit the Help pages for further assistance.

The post “Ran when parked” 1969 Ford Mustang Mach 1 uncovered after 20 years in storage appeared first on Hagerty Media.

The Honda CT70 is looking beautiful after its Redline Rebuild treatment and, of course, it’s running like a top. Davin is not one to keep secrets about the work that’s been done and what challenges arose along the way. There were  plenty of updates along the way, but sometimes the best time to talk particulars is when looking at it reflectively. So Davin and lead videographer Ben sat down to talk through the nuts and bolts of this big little project.

First, Davin explains why he chose a Trail 70. “We’d been getting messages about doing something other than an engine for awhile, and motorcycles always rose to the top of the conversation. Between my personal experience with the Trail 70 and its nearly legendary status with enthusiasts, it was the perfect choice.” Of course, when it came time to pick up a restoration candidate, Davin fell back on an old maxim: Purchase the best example you can find to restore. In this case it meant a running and riding bike.

“That machine was pretty tired though. Complete, but tired.” That often makes things a lot easier for a restoration. Documenting how parts fit together during disassembly is a lot easier when they’re all there. Also it can make better financial sense to buy something with parts that can be restored rather than swiping the credit card for each missing piece. Davin guesstimates there are about as many parts into the entire Trail 70 than a single V-8 engine, which means this project might look fairly simple, but it  can also be deceptively complex—mainly to keep organized once it’s all apart.

In that blown apart phase it was all about cleaning and acquiring parts. Luckily, Davin had the experts at Trail Buddy on call to help find and advise on just what he needed. They also helped rebuild the front forks and sprayed the tri-stage candy paint, a paint that surprised Davin both then and now. “It really blows me away that Honda would have done such a complicated paint process on what amounts to a kids bike. These were often used and abused, and that paint makes touch ups really difficult.” No matter when he was re-spraying the entire frame.

Then it came down to assembly, which is where this man thrives. Between Davin’s trusty shop manual and the guys at Trail Buddy, the bike slipped together quite quickly. Now it’s ready for some off road adventures—right after someone puts the first scratch in that beautiful paint. Davin is still a bit squeamish, but he knows that after that first ding, all bets are off. This bike was made to have fun, and that’s what it’s going to do.

To keep track of this and other projects in the Redline Garage, be sure to subscribe to the Hagerty YouTube channel. — Kyle Smith

Thanks to our sponsor RockAuto.com, an auto parts retailer founded in 1999 by automotive engineers with two goals: Liberate information hidden behind the auto parts store counter (by listing all available parts, not just what one store stocks or one counter-person knows), and make auto parts affordable so vehicles of all ages can be kept reliable and fun to drive. Visit RockAuto.com to order auto parts online 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, and have them conveniently delivered to your door. Need help finding parts or placing an order? Visit the Help pages for further assistance.

The post Redline Rebuild: Honda Trail 70 restoration explained appeared first on Hagerty Media.

Davin and the crew in the Redline Rebuild garage love a giant project, but they love a tiny one, too. Especially since even their small-scale projects are pretty involved. The latest full rebuild to begin is also the first to be finished. That’s right, the 1973 Honda CT70 is done. Might have something to do with the number of parts … Or maybe the fact that Davin used his phone as much as he did the wrenches.

The CT70 is better known at the Trail 70 and served as a literal and figurative jumping-off point for the lifelong passion of many gearheads. Honda introduced the little trail machine in 1969 and produced it until 1981 without changing much. With a lay-down, single-cylinder four-stroke engine, the CT70 is easy to maintain and has enough power to scoot around most adults, although with slightly less vigor that it would a lightweight kid. The easy-to-use, clutchless three-speed gearbox most models featured meant that just about anyone could operate one—and get hooked on the fun of two wheels.

Davin enjoys a motorcycle ride as much as the next guy, but the shop is his happy place. He didn’t hesitate for a second when this bright orange model popped up for sale in the Traverse City, Michigan, area. It was more than a little tired, but the pint-sized bike was complete. “It was really a perfect restoration candidate,” Davin says, sitting atop the finished bike in the Redline Garage. “Everything was there, and it hadn’t been cut up or really abused.”

That made for a quick teardown that left only the bare stamped-steel frame on the workbench. Davin then realized this machine was a little bit outside his normal piston-powered projects. Out came the phone and soon on the other end of the line was Trail Buddy Inc in Zeeland, Michigan. The crew there served as the expert resource for Davin throughout the Trail 70 restoration process. In fact, it was Trail Buddy that helped rebuild the front forks and sprayed the frame with three-stage orange-candy paint.

The 700cc thumper was all Davin, though. “A little engine like this is great for beginners to learn, and really fun for experienced folks, too. There aren’t a lot of parts but they all work just the same as they would in a bigger and more complicated engine,” says Davin. Add in that most, if not all, parts you will need for a rebuild are available and fairly affordable, and you have a great project candidate.

The paint was not the only item for which Davin called in the experts. From the final cam-chain tension adjustment to his dad stopping in to re-cover the seat, this project evolved into a serious group effort. Davin admits the process was more involved than he expected, but he’s still adamant about telling folks to undertake similar projects themselves. “There is nothing wrong with phoning the experts or reaching out in-person to someone who knows more than you do. No one knows everything, and the friends you will make in those conversations can last a lifetime.”

With any luck, this Honda CT70 will last just as long. Where will Davin take this little adventure-ready bike? We don’t even know, but if you want to find out, and discover what is next for the other projects in the Redline Rebuild garage, subscribe to the Hagerty Youtube channel and wait for the weekly updates like the rest of us. We promise it’ll be worth the wait. — Kyle Smith

Thanks to our sponsor RockAuto.com, an auto parts retailer founded in 1999 by automotive engineers with two goals: Liberate information hidden behind the auto parts store counter (by listing all available parts, not just what one store stocks or one counter-person knows), and make auto parts affordable so vehicles of all ages can be kept reliable and fun to drive. Visit RockAuto.com to order auto parts online 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, and have them conveniently delivered to your door. Need help finding parts or placing an order? Visit the Help pages for further assistance.

The post Honda’s LEGENDARY mini bike fully restored in under 10 minutes | Redline Rebuild appeared first on Hagerty Media.

As slow as the CT70 will be once it’s done, it is sure coming together fast. Davin is making big strides to tidy up the little machine and ready it for its first outing. Between here and there are some hurdles though, and they have the Redline Rebuild master calling for a little help.

The front end of the bike, which was pre-assembled a few weeks ago, slid right into the steering neck of the stamped steel frame, and a burette that’s normally used to cc combustion chambers in the engine room got repurposed to put just the right 3.5-ounce oil into the fork legs. It’s probably a little bit of overkill on the accuracy, but Davin is not one to ballpark something he can measure perfectly. That might be why he struggled with the second task of the day.

The cam chain has a hydraulic tensioner, but it still needs a base setting. The manual was no help as it says to set the tension with the bike running. Davin doesn’t want to risk damage by starting the engine and then adding tension. That could lead to the chain skipping a tooth and causing valve-to-piston contact. So Davin dialed up Trail Buddy to get get a professional opinion. A quick conversation got the base setting dialed so the engine should be all but ready to start.

Before that first fire up though, the bike needs a seat. It’s been looking awfully naked this entire time, and though upholstery can be an approachable first project, it is Davin’s dad who comes to his rescue this time to make the CT70 seat better than when it rolled out of the factory. A new cover, foam, recondition trim and base all combine to become one very tidy and pretty package when assembled by skilled hands.

Speaking of skilled hands, the engine was assembled by Davin, and that’s why the spark plug fires a strong and bright spark when he turns the kickstarter by hand. Only finishing touches are left, but you won’t get to see this one again until it’s all done and running. We promise it will be worth the wait. Be sure to subscribe to the Hagerty YouTube channel to get notifications with each video that goes up—including the full timelapse of this restoration.

Thanks to our sponsor RockAuto.com, an auto parts retailer founded in 1999 by automotive engineers with two goals: Liberate information hidden behind the auto parts store counter (by listing all available parts, not just what one store stocks or one counter-person knows), and make auto parts affordable so vehicles of all ages can be kept reliable and fun to drive. Visit https://www.rockauto.com/?a=HG-YT-21Q3 to order auto parts online 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, and have them conveniently delivered to your door. Need help finding parts or placing an order? Visit our Help pages for further assistance.

The post Almost there! Calling in backup for our Honda CT70 motorcycle restoration | Redline Update 97 appeared first on Hagerty Media.

The orange Trail 70 has been a real fancy workbench decoration for the last six months. All the new and refinished parts have been sparkling from their perfectly organized places in a corner of the Redline Rebuild garage. Now final assembly is underway, and the bike’s current is a unicycle. Davin thinks he could still ride it. We think he shouldn’t try.

Assembling the Trail 70 gives a real lesson in the thrift and cleverness that the Honda designers had back in the late 1960s. There are plenty of 10mm bolts clamping things together, but the gas tank is an example of effective cost cutting. Rather than clamping it in place, there are a few small rubber isolators that effectively wedge the tank inside the stamped-steel frame. A small top plate keeps it all snugly in place. Simple, relatively fail-proof, and easy to assemble.

The rest of the rear end is similar but has a few more fasteners. The swingarm bolts into place followed by the rear wheel, shocks, and brake pedal assembly. For once, things are sliding together easily. Could that continue through the rest of the Trial 70 assembly and first start? Maybe, but you’ll have to tune in to future episodes to find out. Be sure to subscribe to the Hagerty YouTube channel to never miss an update.

Thanks to our sponsor RockAuto.com, an auto parts retailer founded in 1999 by automotive engineers with two goals: Liberate information hidden behind the auto parts store counter (by listing all available parts, not just what one store stocks or one counter-person knows), and make auto parts affordable so vehicles of all ages can be kept reliable and fun to drive.

The post One wheel and no steering! Assembling the rear end of our Honda Trail 70 | Redline Update #96 appeared first on Hagerty Media.

We all have when been waiting in suspense for the return of the Redline Rebuild CT70, and Davin is breaking the suspense with a suspens—ion project. The front end of the little Honda is pretty simple, but there is one special tool that—in true Redline Rebuild fashion—Davin elected to build himself rather than wait for the mail.

The first steps are a mock-up of the front-end assembly. A small amount of paint needs to be removed to allow the fork tubes to slide into place in the triple trees, but a small flap wheel makes quick work of that. From there everything slides together and confirms not only that it all goes together as designed, but also that Davin has all the parts ready for final assembly onto the frame. He might have all the parts, but he doesn’t have all the tools.

That’s right, his massive shop full of ratchets and drivers lacks the tool he will need to torque down the triple trees on the Honda. Rather than wait for a tool to arrive in the mail, Davin fires up the Bridgeport to make his own. Some tubular steel chucked in the vice followed by a few careful measurements allows Davin to mill away just enough to create the perfect four-prong tool to engage the top nut of the steering stem. A lug nut welded in place gives him something to put his torque wrench on when it comes time to assemble.

The project is rolling now—well not quite—but at least progress has returned. To never miss an update on this or the other projects in the Redline Garage, be sure to subscribe to the Hagerty YouTube channel.

Thanks to RockAuto.com for sponsoring this week’s video. RockAuto.com is an auto parts retailer founded in 1999 by automotive engineers with two goals: liberate information hidden behind the auto parts store counter (by listing all available parts, not just what one store stocks or one counter-person knows), and make auto parts affordable so vehicles of all ages can be kept reliable and fun to drive. Visit Rock Auto to order auto parts online 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, and have them conveniently delivered to your door. Need help finding parts or placing an order? Visit our Help pages for further assistance!

The post Honda Trail 70 progress! It almost looks like a motorcycle again! | Redline Update 95 appeared first on Hagerty Media.

There’s a stage in every project car when a bunch of tasks pile up, and even when they’re completed they don’t provide any obvious progress. It’s one of the hardest phases for any at-home garage mechanic. Luckily, Davin is an expert when it comes to staying motivated and keeping things rolling. The 1937 Ford race car is in that phase right now, but there’s nothing to fear.

The most difficult part of this phase is there’s a lot of work that’s relatively invisible. A couple of examples on the Ford are the roof panel getting straightened out and patched in a couple of places, along with the trunk lid. All this sheetmetal work is a little easier since the race car is going to continue living on the track—not a showroom floor. Davin is rarely a “good enough is good enough” type of guy, but for the ’37 he’s leaning that way about aesthetics. Function over form here.

The trunk lid was hollowed out to save weight and thus is extremely flimsy. There was a brace pop-riveted in place along the back edge, but the look of those rivets was a bit too wrong for Davin. To hide the reinforcement, he instead drilled out the rivets and welded it all together. To keep the weld from falling out the backside of the open hole, he used a small chunk of copper. The weld won’t stick to copper, so it makes for the perfect support in situations like this.

The car may look the same after a week of work, but we promise there are big things on the horizon. Hang in while some of the grubby work gets done, and be sure to subscribe to the Hagerty YouTube channel to never miss an update.

Thanks to our sponsor RockAuto.com,  an auto parts retailer founded in 1999 by automotive engineers with two goals: Liberate information hidden behind the auto parts store counter (by listing all available parts, not just what one store stocks or one counter-person knows), and make auto parts affordable so vehicles of all ages can be kept reliable and fun to drive. Visit www.RockAuto.com to order auto parts online 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, and have those parts conveniently delivered to your door. Need help finding parts or placing an order? Visit our Help pages for further assistance!

The post Banging, patching, and welding an old race car | Redline Update #94 appeared first on Hagerty Media.

There has been no shortage of heavy metal projects on Redline Rebuild’s 1937 Ford race car, and today is no different. All the fabrication tools and tricks come out as Davin fabricates the steering pieces needed to keep this project on track—literally.

The two most important systems of a car are often the two that get talked about last: brakes and steering. It doesn’t matter how much horsepower you’ve got if you can’t direct and reign in those ponies when the need arises. The brakes are all but sorted out on the ’37, but the steering has a long way to go.

First steps are to figure out the steering wheel location. Since Davin has the seat roughly set, he can decide on where the wheel will sit in the space of the drivers compartment. Then he just has to fabricate the pieces to connect the wheel to the steering box. Sounds easy, right? Well, it kind of is.

The first connection is a ratio box that doubles the input that the drivers puts into the wheel. This means Davin can use the factory-type steering box without having to turn the wheel three turns to get lock-to-lock. Next is to build the shaft that connects the ratio box to the steering box. For that, it’s best to have the engine in place, but the 440 is still torn down and awaiting the Redline Rebuild treatment, so a foam stand-in will have to do.

For things to work properly, Davin decides to move the steering box out just a bit. Of course, it’s never just that simple. Some cutting, grinding, and welding later and the box is held in place exactly where he wants it. Add the appropriate joints to the connecting shaft and the ’37 is one step closer to the track. Progress is progress, even if there is a lot more to go. Of course, in order to see all that work that is yet to be done, be sure to subscribe to the Hagerty YouTube channel to never miss an update.

Thanks to our sponsor RockAuto.com. RockAuto.com is an auto parts retailer founded in 1999 by automotive engineers with two goals: Liberate information hidden behind the auto parts store counter (by listing all available parts, not just what one store stocks or one counter-person knows), and make auto parts affordable so vehicles of all ages can be kept reliable and fun to drive. Visit https://www.RockAuto.com to order auto parts online 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, and have them conveniently delivered to your door. Need help finding parts or placing an order? Visit our Help pages for further assistance.

The post Mounting a steering box for an old race car | Redline Update #93 appeared first on Hagerty Media.

This week Davin takes himself back to high-school chemistry class as we attempt to tackle zinc electroplating. Requiring only a few materials from the hardware store, this seems like a pretty straightforward process, but projects are never as simple as they first appear. This week’s video is less of a “how-to” and more of a “show and tell us what we can do better.” So, hit up those comments on Youtube and let us know how we can improve our process.

Thanks to our sponsor RockAuto.com. RockAuto.com is an auto parts retailer founded in 1999 by automotive engineers with two goals: Liberate information hidden behind the auto parts store counter (by listing all available parts, not just what one store stocks or one counter-person knows), and make auto parts affordable so vehicles of all ages can be kept reliable and fun to drive. Visit https://www.RockAuto.com to order auto parts online 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, and have them conveniently delivered to your door. Need help finding parts or placing an order? Visit our Help pages for further assistance!

The post We try zinc plating on our Honda Trail 70 | Redline Update #92 appeared first on Hagerty Media.

Sometimes things pop up and make you pump the brakes on a project. For Davin, it’s literal brakes that are giving him pause. A lot of pieces on the 1937 Ford race car are unconventional compared to a street car, but that hasn’t tripped him up to this point. Now the shoe is on the other … backing plate?

The brakes of a car designed for only taking left are designed and implemented radically differently than anything you’d find on a mass-produced car. Typically, for a race car like this, brakes are set up in a such a way that applying them will cause the car to pull left and thus can be used to help get around the track faster. One could use hydraulic valves and limiters to achieve this, or in the case of the ’37 here, the previous mechanic removed friction material from the shoes to proportion the braking force.

Davin knows he will want to tune the brakes, but for now the primary focus is to make them functional. That is why the first task was disassembly and cleaning. Of course, be sure to snap a photo of the assembly before taking things apart. Even if you don’t need it during assembly, it could be handy in the future. Digital photography is basically free these days, so snap all the photos you can.

Assembly was when the problem appeared. With everything back together, there were some small fitment issues that just bugged at Davin. The 12 x 2-inch brake shoes are odd-sized and none of the options he could get his hands on fit to his liking. So, he sent the original shoes out to be re-lined. Fresh friction material made those old pieces as good as new and they fit perfectly. The assembled backing plates were then put on the shelf with the finished drums and hubs.

The brakes might be coming together a bit more slowly than ideal, but that is not going halt progress on this race car—or any of the other projects Davin and the team have running in the Redline Garage. If you never want to miss an oil-soaked minute, be sure to subscribe to the Hagerty YouTube channel and watch for new episodes every week.

Thanks to our sponsor RockAuto.com. RockAuto.com is an auto parts retailer founded in 1999 by automotive engineers with two goals: Liberate information hidden behind the auto parts store counter (by listing all available parts, not just what one store stocks or one counter-person knows), and make auto parts affordable so vehicles of all ages can be kept reliable and fun to drive. Visit https://www.RockAuto.com to order auto parts online 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, and have them conveniently delivered to your door. Need help finding parts or placing an order? Visit our Help pages for further assistance!

The post Race car brake shoes don’t fit? | Redline Update #91 appeared first on Hagerty Media.

The small scale of the Honda Trail 70 means updates and progress happen fast. For example, Davin took a trip to the machine shop to get the precision bits cut to size and ready for assembly. Then he couldn’t help but go ahead and put it all together too.

The cylinder was the first thing to get mounted into the machines at Thirlby Automotive. A quick pass with one of the smallest boring bars in the shop brought the bore not only to properly round, but also to the size appropriate for the new piston. Final size was set with the hone to make everything just perfect. From there the attention shifted to the cylinder head.

The valve seats and corresponding valves were not in the worst shape, so the team decided to cut the valves and give a quick grind to the seats. This created fresh sealing surfaces to make sure the small valves won’t leak. It’s a simple process that requires a careful hand when dealing with parts this minute. The team at Thirlby provided that steady hand, and the finished product was soon ready to head back to the Redline Garage for final assembly.

That assembly went fast, but it was important not to miss any of the precision checks in the flurry of assembly excitement. Take the piston ring end gap, for example. The shop manual laid out the specs, and Davin got lucky that the new rings were perfectly in the middle of the range that was called for. Some oil and the cylinder slid down over the piston, followed by the cylinder head and valvetrain.

A couple of final touches and the engine was complete. It’s now ready to be slipped back into the chassis. If you want to see that, you’ll have to tune into a future Redline Update. Make sure you never miss an update by subscribing to the Hagerty YouTube channel.

Thanks to our sponsor RockAuto.com. RockAuto.com is an auto parts retailer founded in 1999 by automotive engineers with two goals: Liberate information hidden behind the auto parts store counter (by listing all available parts, not just what one store stocks or one counter-person knows), and make auto parts affordable so vehicles of all ages can be kept reliable and fun to drive. Visit RockAuto.com to order auto parts online 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, and have them conveniently delivered to your door. Need help finding parts or placing an order? Visit Rock Auto’s Help pages for further assistance.

The post Engine assembly is done! Honda CT70 project continues | Redline Update #90 appeared first on Hagerty Media.

It should come as no shock that Davin has little resistance to a bit of wire-crossing. The Honda Trail 70 restoration proves that. The engine is on its way back together, which means that the charging system needs a bit of love before things can get finalized. Luckily, it’s only a few tools and a dab of solder to have this stator ready charge.

The stator of a motorcycle is akin to the alternator of an automobile. Because motorcycle engines tend to be compact, the stator gets tucked inside the case rather than bolted on the outside. Like its bigger, automotive relative, a motorcycle’s stator is comprised of just a few parts: copper windings, a large magnet, and the wiring to direct the created current. The Trail 70’s stator was actually in acceptable shape when the bike arrived on Davin’s workbench, but that is not good enough for the Redline Rebuild expert.

A couple screws and a dab of solder to make the final connection, and the Trail 70 is ready to charge again. Assembly continues next week and if you don’t want to miss an update, be sure to subscribe to the Hagerty YouTube channel.

Thanks to our sponsor RockAuto.com. RockAuto.com is an auto parts retailer founded in 1999 by automotive engineers with two goals: Liberate information hidden behind the auto parts store counter (by listing all available parts, not just what one store stocks or one counter-person knows), and make auto parts affordable so vehicles of all ages can be kept reliable and fun to drive. Visit RockAuto.com to order auto parts online 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, and have them conveniently delivered to your door. Need help finding parts or placing an order? Visit our Help pages for further assistance!

The post Honda Trail 70 stator rebuilt! | Redline Update #89 appeared first on Hagerty Media.

The projects that Davin works on change pretty regularly—and often quite quickly. However, nothing changes quite as quickly as this week’s project, the Frankland quick-change rear end for the ’37 Ford race car. It’s all cleaned up and ready for assembly, but where does that washer go?

There are a couple tricks to keeping all the various parts and pieces of your project in a tidy order, but sometimes the world conspires against you and those information-packed pieces of paper go missing when the times comes for reassembly. Such was the case for Davin and the rear axle for the ’37 Ford. The Frankland Quick Change unit is fairly simple on the surface, but it still needs to go together correctly in order to work properly and last like it should. Luckily, Davin has a pretty good memory.

The first step is pressing bearings and races into place. Heat is Davin’s best friend when it comes to this step. The bearings go in the toaster oven to heat up, and thus expand ever so slightly, which allows them to just slide into place and cool to a perfect press fit. No hammers needed. Commenters have been telling him about using the opposite technique for the races, so Davin put the shop freezer to work. Unfortunately, the shrinkage was not enough to make the bearing race fall into place, so a little pressure from the press was in order.

From there it is all about setup and preload. The roller bearings in a differential like this Frankland need to be set correctly to ensure a good long life. The trick is to tighten the pinion nut a bit, then use a torque wrench to measure the rotational drag. It is a bit of a touch, but this spec can be found for most rebuildable rear axles. That was also the “proper” spot for the one washer’s location, which Davin had forgotten. The witness marks on the washer aligned with how it would be assembled there, so there it goes.

The final assembly of the axles and hubs is going to wait until after the heavy unit is final installed in the car. To see that and the remaining steps required to get the Ford back to the starting line, be sure to subscribe to the Hagerty YouTube channel for weekly Redline Updates.

Thank you to our sponsor, RockAuto.com. RockAuto.com is an auto parts retailer founded in 1999 by automotive engineers with two goals: Liberate information hidden behind the auto parts store counter (by listing all available parts, not just what one store stocks or one counter person knows), and make auto parts affordable so vehicles of all ages can be kept reliable and fun to drive. Visit RockAuto.com to order auto parts online, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, and have them conveniently delivered to your door. Need help finding parts or placing an order? Visit our Help pages for further assistance.

The post Assembling a vintage Frankland Quick Change rear differential | Redline Update #88 appeared first on Hagerty Media.

Snowball’s Ford dirt track racer is still in process, and this week Davin is tackling the wheel hubs. It’s not an overly complicated process, although a bit repetitive. New studs and bearings need to be pressed in and the brake drums need to be cut. With a little help from Randy at the Hagerty Learning Garage, things should go smoothly and these Cerakoted hubs should be ready to get installed back on our race car.

There are certain staples in the Redline Rebuild garage, and dad jokes rank right up at the top of that short list. So, in that tradition, Davin and crew eschew “Hump Day” and labeled last Wednesday “Hub Day.” The whole week seems to revolve around Wednesday sometimes, and we harnessed that energy to make great progress on our 1937 Ford race car. It’s now one step closer to rolling again.

The hubs on this racer are aftermarket pieces from Franklin. This means that the hubs have aluminum brake drums that bolt up to them, while the cast aluminum hubs are merely bearing holders that keep the whole operation concentric. Of course, aluminum brake drums would not last long in a race environment, so there are steel liners pressed in. Before we can shift our focus to those liners, we have to first address the wheel stud that holds the two pieces together.

When the car came to Davin, the front axle had different sized studs then the rear. While functionally acceptable, it makes service a bit of a pain in the butt. For a little additional strength Davin elects to upgrade to 5/8″ studs which means enlarging the holes in the hubs and drums ever so slightly. For the task, he uses the Bridgeport since it has a nice large table and allows for slightly lower drilling rpm. Once the holes are sized properly it is over to the press to shove the studs into their final place.

With the hubs and drums together, it is time to have the CeraKote finish turned off the braking surface. Doing this also ensures the braking surface is centered to the spindle centerline for maximum brake shoe contact. Turning brake drums is less common these days because production of rotors has become relatively affordable and thus, for many applications, it is easier to replace than to resurface brake parts. Luckily the Hagerty Learning Garage has a brake lathe in its small machine shop, and Randy is happy to chuck up the drums for Davin and get them ready for mounting.

All that is going to have to wait though. There is still more suspension work to be finalized before the assembly of either axle. If you want to see this racer come together and hit the track, be sure to subscribe to the Hagerty YouTube channel and tune in each Monday for more updates.

Thanks to our sponsor RockAuto.com.

RockAuto.com is an auto parts retailer founded in 1999 by automotive engineers with two goals: Liberate information hidden behind the auto parts store counter (by listing all available parts, not just what one store stocks or one counter-person knows), and make auto parts affordable so vehicles of all ages can be kept reliable and fun to drive. Visit RockAuto.com to order auto parts online 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, and have them conveniently delivered to your door. Need help finding parts or placing an order? Visit our Help pages for further assistance!

The post It’s Hub Day! Assembling hubs for a vintage race car | Redline Update #87 appeared first on Hagerty Media.

Davin is particularly excited for this latest episode of Redline Update, as the Redline Rebuild garage takes delivery of a new piece of equipment. The fresh acquisition will speed up restoration involving of all kinds of mechanical parts that would previously have to be sent out.

So what is it that has Davin grinning? A new blast cabinet from Vapor Honing Technologies, of course, which gets unloaded from the truck and unwrapped to everyone’s delight.  Wait a second, are those windshield wipers? Yep, Vapor Honing uses liquid water to carry an abrasive media, eliminating blasting dust and cushioning the part from aggressive media.

The result, as Davin shows, is a media blasting method that still reaches into tight corners and around complex shapes, but preserves details and underlying surface finishes. The before and after shots of the Honda Trail 70 hubs and engine castings are pretty shocking because even though the parts were not awful to begin with, just a little crusty and oxidized, they come out looking new.

Be prepared to see this latest addition to the shop get lots of use in future projects.

The post Redline Update: The shop gets a new tool! appeared first on Hagerty Media.

Though the chassis of the ’37 Ford race car is making progress, the Chrysler 440 V-8 that belongs between its frame rails has been languishing in a corner … until now. Davin tore the powerplant down a while ago and now the 440 is finally getting its day in the sun—or, at least, its day in the machine shop.

Before the massive hunk of iron can get dropped off for final cleaning and machining prep, Davin attends to the little things that separate the best engines from the rest. Any engine builder can chase marginal gains in horsepower; that’s not Davin’s goal. Rather, he’s cleaning up the casting flash to improve oil drain-back and to prevent any large chunks from breaking off and getting pumped through the bearings with the oil. The process takes a bit of time, but peace of mind rarely comes free.

The engine is then declared ready to go and hooked into the back of the ’46 Ford pickup for the short drive over to Thirlby’s machine shop. Typically this would be its final stop, but for this Chrysler, Thirlby is only the initial destination. The cleaning will take place here; final assembly and dyno testing will occur at Apex Tuning. However, first the block needs to be preserved a bit to ensure that all the work done to clean it up is not wasted.

The first step is to oil down the block. Thanks to modern aerosols, this is an easy step and keeps the block from becoming a rusty mess after a few days of sitting in a plastic bag in the corner of the shop. If you’re also at this step with your own engine project, don’t be shy: This oil should be seen as an investment. Right before the block is machined, Davin will wash it all down and then the chips can fly to make way for new, oversized pistons. That’s for a later episode, though, so be sure to subscribe to the Hagerty YouTube channel to catch the episode as soon as it goes live.

The post Our Chrysler 440 block gets cleaned and stored for machining | Redline Update #85 appeared first on Hagerty Media.

Any automotive project is a giant puzzle in some way, shape, or form. The 1937 Ford race car Davin is getting back into usable shape is an expert-level puzzle, but luckily there are some hints as to how the pieces were intended to go back together—but is that the correct way?

The Ford is hardly a Ford anymore, more of a hodgepodge of parts from multiple years and multiple manufacturers. The front suspension is probably the best example of that. Davin talks through all the parts on the table and what it amounts to is a lot of backyard engineering done by the original builder. The straight axle is never going to drive like a modern independent front suspension, but with a few thoughtful changes and making sure there is minimal binding, it will work better than most might think.

One of the first things to change is the jackscrews for the front leaf springs. That’s right, two leaf springs for a single solid axle. The short springs are transverse and have jackscrews that are used to adjust the attitude of the chassis. The problem Davin sees with the current setup is that these jackscrews are so far outboard that the effective spring rate is nearly infinite. With the engine and transmission in place, he could jump on the front end and there was next to no deflection from the suspension. That’s a setup for understeering into the wall.

So Davin adds four additional jackscrew locations so he will have some additional tuning capability and hopefully will be able to make those small leaf springs work for the chassis rather than against it. Of course, those are not the only pieces working against the system.

The steering arm seems to be bent or otherwise angled in a way that binds things up before any weight is placed on the suspension. The shocks are also hitting their respective brackets so some clearance and redesign will likely be needed. A whole host of bushings will need to be turned on the lathe to tighten things up appropriately. As a whole though, this mock-up is a success and lays a perfect baseline for the improvements and changes Davin has brewing. You have to tune in to a future episode of Redline update to see just what all those changes are, so be sure to subscribe to the Hagerty YouTube channel to never miss an upload.

The post Deciphering a 1937 Ford race car’s front suspension | Redline Update #84 appeared first on Hagerty Media.

The traditional Redline Rebuild is was just an engine, but in the case of the Honda Trail 70, Davin is working on the motor as just one part of a bigger machine. The engine on these small bikes goes together fast enough at normal speed that the time-lapse concept is almost overkill. Think we’re joking? This week’s Redline Update proves it.

Before assembly can happen, the cleaning must happen. It’s often an off-camera job simply because it is the most boring part of any project. It might be an uninteresting process, but the results are often worth the effort. For the Trail 70, Davin tried vapor honing, a technique he had not yet used on a Redline Rebuild project. The engine case was shipped down to Ohio, where a friend spent a half hour blasting away years of grime and corrosion. The finished product is gleaming and ready for the roller bearings to be pressed in.

Once a few bearings are in place, the assembly goes quickly. Since the Honda is mainly press-fit roller bearings, there is minimal measuring like the automotive engines Davin is used to. The simple transmission tucks in nicely before the crankshaft settles in next to it. The clutch plates soak in oil for a lunch break before going together to wrap up this assembly session.

Next up is the piston and top-end assembly, and if you don’t want to miss a minute of the process be sure to subscribe to the Hagerty YouTube channel to get notifications when each video goes live.

The post Honda Trail 70 crankcase assembly | Redline Update #83 appeared first on Hagerty Media.

Of all the skills in Davin’s personal toolkit, paintwork is one that he has not yet perfected. Between the space needed and the careful attention to each small detail in the preparation and application of paint, it’s not something he does often. Luckily, there are experts to step in and help get the perfect finish for the Honda Trail 70 project—because this paint job is even more different than most. Davin loaded up the parts and headed south to Trail Buddy in hopes of getting the perfect finish.

Mark is “the man” when it comes to Honda mini-trail motorcycles. His business specializes—with a laser focus—on reproducing the parts that have disappeared and brings back to life the parts that cannot be replaced. Having painted numerous Trail 70s, he understands the tri-stage paint process better than anyone. He and Davin start by doing some final prep work to the primer that was applied by Traverse Body and Paint. Mark jokes that you only need to sand where you want paint to stick, something that reinforces the nature of the paint process: do it right the first time.

During sanding, Mark notices something that Davin didn’t. The steering stop had been modified or broken at some point in the last 45 years that this bike had been puttering about. No problem; Trail Buddy actually has a new stop on the shelf, and a couple quick tacks with a MIG welder has the frame back in business. Then it’s ready for the first coat.

The final color is orange, but the first pigment from the nozzle is silver. To get the heavy flake buried in the same color as the factory finish, the silver and flake go on first, followed by a dye that builds up to the final color, then it all gets sealed with a couple coats of clear finish. The process is mesmerizing because at each step it doesn’t appear to be moving in the correct direction, then suddenly the color just pops and it is perfect.

With the paint drying, Davin leverages Mark’s time and expertise to tear into the front suspension for fresh seals, boots, and an overall inspection. As exciting as this progress is, Davin is going to have to wait to start re-assembly, because when it’s time to leave, the frame isn’t ready to be wrapped up and put into the car. We can assure you Davin still has plenty of other things to work on while he waits. Be sure to subscribe to the Hagerty YouTube channel and never miss an update from the Redline Rebuild garage.

The post Honda Trail 70 project gets fresh paint! | Redline Update #82 appeared first on Hagerty Media.

Like many of us, Davin often finds that progress on his many project cars gets delayed. This week, he’s hung up with the ’37 Ford dirt-track racer—and, for once, that’s a good thing, because it’s time to build the Ford’s rear suspension.

Davin customized the leaf springs a few episodes back and now they are mocked up in the car. There is a second part to the suspension puzzle, though: The shocks, which keep the springs from bouncing wildly and thus help with chassis stability and traction. Two very important things in a race car.

Davin could simply bolt on the shocks between the axle and chassis and let “good enough” suffice, but we all know he isn’t that kind of guy. Instead, he takes the time to locate the shocks at the proper angle and distance, trusting that the additional time will pay off in the final build. For dirt-track cars like this one, the suspension is intentionally uneven in an effort to keep all the wheels in contact with the ground. The driver’s rear tire needs to droop while the passenger rear needs more compression, and the shock location and setup need to reflect that attitude. Davin makes the process look easy by fabricating a couple quick mounts that allow him to get all the components located easily.

After realizing he lacks the raw material to fabricate the final bits of the Ford’s shock mounts, Davin takes the delay as an opportunity to grab some parts for the Honda Mini Trail and head to the body shop. The frame is completely sandblasted, but that doesn’t that mean the Honda’s ready for paint.

The crew at Traverse Body and Paint make quick work of removing the one small dent in the pressed sheetmetal, and then add a quick glaze-coat of filler to smooth out any sanding marks or small imperfections. So many people hear “filler” and pucker up, imagining giant chunks of Bondo falling out of quarter panels, but that’s not what is going on here. In fact, the glaze-coat that Dave puts on this Honda is sprayed on and, once dry, mostly sanded off. Its sole purpose is to smooth out sanding marks and other minuscule imperfections. The final coats of color will be done by the experts at Trail Buddy in the coming weeks.

Stay updated on these two projects and many more to come by subscribing to the Hagerty YouTube channel. We promise there are some projects on the horizon you won’t want to miss.

The post Dirt-track race car suspension and Honda CT70 bodywork | Redline Update #81 appeared first on Hagerty Media.

There’s a lot going on in the Redline Rebuild garage—so much, in fact, that Davin needs to change locations for a bit and borrow some fabrication tools at the Hagerty Learning Center.

The 1937 Ford Coupe race car needs a metal box for its fuel cell, so Davin explains that he needs to use a shear, brake, and roll machine to build one. “Usually you buy a kit that has the bladder and the box, but since we already have a bladder … I’m going to bend up a box.”

Davin explains that it “should be pretty easy,” and he certainly makes it look that way. He builds the box in several pieces, then spot-welds it together, leaving a 1.25-inch lip on top to which he can attach the lid.

The top is a little tricky, since it requires a 6-inch hole in the center where the fuel cap sits (plus holes for the inlet and vent hoses). After taking measurements, Davin secures a board in the center of the sheetmetal, drills a hole in the board 6 inches from that center point, inserts a plasma torch into the hole, and rotates the board in a circle until the hole is cut. After smoothing the edges and punching holes along the lip, the lid is ready to be attached with bolts.

The box is a success, but after moving back to the Redline Rebuild garage, Davin doesn’t like how the cell sits inside the car. It isn’t level, and the back of the tank “is more rearward than I’d like, so I’m going to cut the braces and slide it forward 3 inches, then level it.” When that is done, Davin fabricates a brace, so the fuel cell won’t bounce around when the car is racing on the track.

Up next: leaf springs and shocks. They don’t come together as easily as Davin had hoped, so he makes plans for more cutting and fabricating. Since he’s reached the end of his day, however, that’ll have to wait until next time.

To stay up-to-date on all the projects the team is working on, be sure to subscribe to the Hagerty YouTube channel and never miss a new video.

The post 1937 Ford Coupe dirt track racer fuel cell build and install | Redline Update #80 appeared first on Hagerty Media.

Since Davin’s balancing multiple projects, there’s always something exciting happening in the Redline Rebuild garage. Occasionally, however, a week passes without any first starts or newly-arrived parts—and Davin still finds ways to make progress. In this episode, the Honda Mini Trail and the ’37 “Snowball” race car both move closer to playing in the dirt.

The paint on the stamped-steel frame of the Honda is in pretty good shape; Davin, ever the perfectionist, isn’t satisfied. A repaint is in order but, even after Davin unbolts everything, the frame isn’t completely bare: The VIN plate remains riveted in place on the headstock. A slap-dash repaint is equally unsatisfying, so Davin opts to remove the plate and reapply it after the paint is done. Using a small burr on a rotary tool, he carefully carves down the heads of the rivets down they can be punched in and the plate pried off for safekeeping while the frame goes into the sandblaster.

With the Honda thoroughly disassembled, Davin turns his attention to the ’37 Ford race car. The engine and transmission have mounts, but the car isn’t going anywhere without its rear axle and suspension. The setup with which it arrived at the garage might have worked, but Davin isn’t a “good enough” type of guy. He wants this car to work like a race car should, so he leverages his extensive track-side experience to make the suspension function better than ever.

For starters, he locates the axle and mocks up the fit before taking the leaf-spring packs out and disassembling them. By removing, shifting, and flipping the leaves, Davin tunes the suspension to give the car the traction and handling a driver would expect from a car like this. For the uninitiated it doesn’t seem like Davin changes much, if anything; but those who know can witness to the significant effect of these seemingly minor changes. When finished, this Ford will look good—but it will be much more than a show pony.

The last item for the week is a call for help. The Chrysler 440 that came with this racer appears to be a mismatched pile of parts—the cylinder heads, for instance. One side is a late-’70s smog head and the other a 1968–70 vintage. Davin could do a little work with a die grinder to make the two match, but a coolant passage is stumping him. Mopar experts of the internet, now’s your time: Leave a comment detailing what you think is the best course of action for this engine.

Be sure to subscribe to the Hagerty YouTube channel and see the resolution of this Mopar conundrum!

The post Saving the VIN tag on a Honda Trail 70, plus some Ford race car stuff | Redline Update #79 appeared first on Hagerty Media.

That Cadillac 365 V-8 was a big priority for Davin, but now it’s assembled and broken in. Of course, there is no time for sitting around and twiddling thumbs in the Redline Rebuild garage. Too many projects are waiting, and one that has been languishing for a good while is the 1937 Ford Coupe. Today, Davin is fabricating the transmission mount for this Ford build and sharing some tips for those interested in tackling a similar project.

The task is simple, at first glance: Install a bar that bridges the frame rails and supports the tailshaft housing of the transmission. Easy enough, right? Well, sort of.

“This is a race car, so simplicity is king. I want to design something that makes service easy and that also has a side benefit of being the easiest to build,” says Davin. “If you threw service out the window, it would be even easier.”

The raw materials to create the final part are mundane—some simple square tubing and angle iron. Davin starts the process by laying out the design with the transmission bolted to the engine and hanging from a strap to determine the proper location. From there, he needs just a couple cuts and a little time with a welder for the mount to come into shape. If you don’t have the confidence or experience Davin does, the best way to tackle a design like this is to sketch the part on paper or mock it up with cardboard so that you can make any necessary adjustments before you grab the welding hood.

This crossmember is now burned into place, which means the Chrysler 440 V-8 is actually ready to pull. That Mopar mill is on the Redline Rebuild docket, but the Honda Mini Trail is nearer the top of the priority list. To keep up to date on all the projects the team is making progress on, be sure to subscribe to the Hagerty YouTube channel to never miss a new video.

The post Fabricating a crossmember for our 1937 Ford Coupe | Redline Update #78 appeared first on Hagerty Media.

The engines that come into the Redline Rebuild garage have run the gamut. Volkswagen flat-fours in boxes and bins, running Chevrolet big-blocks, and stuck-solid Buicks have each presented their own challenges, but the latest project was a luxury. at least, it came from a luxury car.

This Cadillac 365 V-8 was not the worst project Davin and the Redline Rebuild crew has taken on. It might actually be one of the nicer ones. It was a smooth running, albeit quite tired, engine from a driving car. That didn’t guarantee a smooth rebuild process though. From the first turn of a wrench there were questions and concerns about parts, but the crew got lucky.

“I was nervous about the availability of pistons and rings after hearing from a supplier that it had recently sold off virtually all its stockpile for these engines,” Davin says about the parts concerns. “Luckily, we were able to source what we needed quite easily, and all the parts played together nicely.”

It’s easy to say the parts went together well, but the reality is there was more than a little extra work on Davin’s side than just bolting everything together. That’s the nature of engine building—not assembling. You could just bolt it all together, but the engine would not perform like it could or should. Properly fitting each and every piece means this Cadillac engine will be smooth and reliable when it returns to the four-door cruiser that it was pulled from.

The 4-inch bore block was in great shape once everything was removed, so basic degreasing and clean-up machine work were all that was needed from the experts at Thirlby Machine Shop. The rotating assembly was in similar shape, but Davin elected for new pistons, which required heating up the connecting rods and pushing the piston wrist pins through for the perfect press-fit. The cylinder heads got fresh valve guides and seats pressed in before returning to the garage for the final assembly.

The coat of Royal Blue paint really dressed up the package and made the assembly that much more rewarding to watch. It’s a stock rebuild without any crazy changes, but ask any engine builder about the first moments of startup and they’ll tell you they’re always nervous.

Davin admits “it’s not the scariest thing, but I always have at least a small amount of concern on first start of a flat-tappet cam engine like this one” referring to the style of lifters and how they engage with the camshaft. For flat-tappet engines, it is best for them to start up with minimal cranking and very quickly get to around 2000 rpm to start breaking in the lifters and make sure the lifters do not “wipe” or flatten a lobe on the camshaft. With modern assembly lubes and break-in oils, this is not as high risk as decades ago, but it still happens from time to time. Luckily, it didn’t happen to Davin this time—but that doesn’t mean there wasn’t an issue with that first start.

Davin admits to checking and double checking the distributor timing, but on that first turn of the starter, a fireball from the carb confirmed that despite the careful check it was still 180 degrees off. Easy correction, and the next turn of the keys brought the humble Caddy to life and started the break-in process. It’s a sweet sounding engine and will sound even better once reinstalled its four-door home.

Another successful rebuild in the books, but there is no rest for the weary, and plenty of other projects are underway in the Redline Rebuild garage. Be sure to subscribe to the Hagerty YouTube channel so you never miss an oil-soaked minute.

The post ’57 Cadillac V-8 engine rebuild time-lapse | Redline Rebuild appeared first on Hagerty Media.

The 365 Cadillac is quickly becoming less of a mess of parts on a table and more of a tidy beautiful blue engine. The process is not a game of simply fitting parts and tightening bolts, however. Davin encountered a few hiccups while assembling the long block of this V-8, but luckily the cameras were around to show you how he got around them.

“Every engine is a little different, and how some of these vintage engines were built new is not nearly as precise as we build them now,” Davin says as he sorts through the valvetrain components on the large table. “Taking the time now to make sure reproduction parts and original pieces play nice together is important, and that might require doing a little extra work.”

For instance, assembling the cylinder heads is always a careful and time-consuming process. This go around was even more so because the special micrometer Davin uses to help set the correct assembled spring height and pressure didn’t fit with the design of the valve seals and cylinder head casting. That’s no problem though. A standard digital caliper did the job with a little bit of ingenuity.

In the same way that a caliper is modern technology being put to work on a vintage project, Davin highlights a great tech tip while rebuilding the mechanical fuel pump. We are all likely guilty of taking something apart and telling ourselves, “I’ll remember how that goes back together. No big deal.” And then we’ve all likely been caught by the err of our ways when we went to reassemble those small bits and pieces, too. Instead of relying on our fleeting memory, reach for your phone (or a small digital camera) and snap a couple quick pictures. It has never been cheaper or easier to document how items are assembled. Keep the photos as long as you need them and delete them when the project is done. It’s that simple.

The Cadillac has come a long way, and now it only has a few final steps in the Redline Rebuild garage. It’s time for the test stand to roll in before this beautiful engine rolls out. Be sure to subscribe to the Hagerty YouTube channel to receive a notification when the next video goes live—we know you want to be the first to hear it run.

The post Final assembly on our 1957 Cadillac 365 | Redline Update #77 appeared first on Hagerty Media.

There are two words most people use when describing the process of putting an engine together: assembling or building. Davin is here to make sure you don’t confuse the two. The Cadillac is getting its pistons and connecting rods, and that requires the person holding the tools to be an engine builder—not an assembler.

“At times it can seems like building an engine is just putting parts together, and it sort of is,” Davin says about the progress on the 365 V-8, “but it is also a process that requires great care and precision at times. Knowing when those times are is very important.”

For instance, the pistons rings for this engine are not file-to-fit, but Davin still takes the time to check that the end gap is correct once fitted in the cylinder bores. A few of the rings came in a bit too tight, which would have ended badly if Davin had simply assembled the parts. A quick run on the ring filer sorted it out though.

The oil pan closes up the bottom end of the Caddy, and the final touch of the short block is the installation of the timing set. Similar to the pistons, this is a step that requires close attention. There are timing marks relative to crank and camshaft location that need to be properly aligned. This ensures that the two are in proper sync as the camshaft rotates at half speed relative to the crank.

From there on out, it’s tightening up a couple bolts before Davin calls it a day. It won’t be long now before the Cadillac is on the run stand for break in. If you want to see what’s left to be built, be sure to subscribe to the Hagerty YouTube channel to never miss an oily minute.

The post 1957 Cadillac 365 short block assembly | Redline Update #76 appeared first on Hagerty Media.

Davin is a man who sweats small details, and let’s just say that painting the Cadillac 365 engine block and starting the assembly of the shortblock called for some perspiration. Nothing is too small for Davin’s attention, and that means ensuring no bare metal is showing that shouldn’t be.

“I could assemble the whole engine and then paint it,” said Davin in a conversation while looking over the bare engine block, “but I’ve never really like the finished product of doing it that way. Painting it all separate just has a much cleaner look and I think it’s worth the effort.”

That effort involves taking the time to cleanly tape off the gasket surfaces and protect the innards of the engine from overspray that could cause premature wear and tear. This precaution ensures the gaskets themselves work properly and the paint does not interfere with a good seal. Once taped off, the block can be wiped down with a wax and grease remover and rolled into the paint booth for a gentle coating of color.

Once back at the shop, Davin unmasks the block and brushes on a coat of Glyptal paint to seal up the porosity of the engine block, and doing so also helps with oil drainback. No assembly manual will tell you to do it, but little things like this add up to a more reliable, longer-lasting package.

With both the inside and the outside painted, Davin can begin assembly in earnest. The main bearings are put in place and the crankshaft is delicately lowered into its forever home. The caps are torqued, and at long last the engine is ready for rods and pistons.

That momentous step will have to wait til next time though, as our assembly series on the Cadillac 365 continues. Be sure to subscribe to the Hagerty YouTube channel to never miss an update—include the final, full timelapse and startup of this engine at the end of the Redline Rebuild tunnel.

The post Painting our Cadillac 365 | Redline Update #75 appeared first on Hagerty Media.

It’s not a speedy engine, but the Cadillac 365 is sure coming together fast. Davin has been cracking away over the last few weeks to clean the parts that are going to be re-used and source the parts that needed to be replaced. Now the time has come to start some reassemble processes, even though the block is still at the machine shop.

The main thing on the to-do list is to confirm the sizing on the big end of the connecting rods. The process is pretty simple, but there are a few tips that separate proper assembly from “just slapping it together.” The first is the clean and careful insertion of the bearing shells to the rod and rod cap. The final measurement is done down to ten-thousandth of an inch, and since foreign material between the bearing shell and the connecting rod will affect things, most engine assemblers will have a clean room where dirt and grime are banished to keep these precision parts exactly that—precise.

With the bearings placed, the cap is torqued in place as if it was being installed on the crankshaft. A key in this step is to make sure the threads of the rods bolts are properly lubricated so the torque spec is an accurate reflection of the clamping force between the two parts. Once clamped together, the diameter of the bearings is taken, numbers that can then be relayed to the team at Thirlby machine shop, which can cut the crankshaft to the perfect size.

The team at Thirlby has been busy while Davin was checking that clearance. The Caddy V-8 block got the cylinder mating surface decked and a 30-thousandths bore on the cylinder to match the new pistons. The next steps are to take everything back to the Redline Rebuild garage and start the real assembly.

Make sure you’re subscribed to Hagerty’s YouTube channel so you don’t miss a single one.

The post Boring engine block and assembling pistons for our Cadillac 365 V-8 | Redline Update #74 appeared first on Hagerty Media.

In the latest Redline Update, Davin gets us up to speed on the Cadillac 365 V-8 and Honda Trail 70 projects.

First off, he inventories the Cadillac parts that remain after he disassembled the mill. The lifters show varying levels of wear, with the worst offenders displaying significant dishing. Those won’t be reused. New parts will join the original camshaft, which is being reground. Davin was surprised to find a new water pump; the big casting is pretty complicated, so it’s good to know that the cooling system will benefit from fresh components.

Plenty of the original Cadillac parts will be put back in service, however, and Davin reviews some of the steps used to restore them. For example, the V-8’s pushrods went through the parts washer and then through a tumbler filled with solvent and stainless rods to remove the baked-on oil. Now, they look brand-new. The rocker shaft assembly shows what the valvetrain parts looked like before that treatment. The shaft and its components are going into the ultrasonic cleaner before it heads to the tumbler. Due to the wear on the rocker tips, the rockers will need further work, since the ridges left by the valve stems need to be ground smooth.

Besides the tumbler and other parts washers, Davin and the Redline Rebuild crew rely on a media blaster. A quick trip to that part of the shop shows the valve covers getting stripped and readied for the same paint that will eventually coat them and the rest of the engine.

On to the Honda Trail 70, Davin lists all the new parts that he’s already collected, including clutch plates and a rebuild kit for the stator, plus brake shoes, sprockets, a battery, and an OE chrome engine guard. More and more original parts are going into the bin that’s destined for Jason’s Chrome, which will re-plate all those components in addition to polishing all the aluminum bits, including the intake manifold. Other aluminum parts, like the side case, will be sandblasted and Cerakoted. We also get a peek at the stamped steel frame, which is stripped of its stickers and nearly ready for sandblasting. The rusty split rims are also ready to get sandblasted. If they’re not too pitted, they’ll be powder-coated, but Davin’s lined up replacements just in case.

Next, the video team heads to Thirlby Machine Shop, where the heads get disassembled before being thoroughly cleaned along with the block. As previously discovered, one of the exhaust manifolds is cracked from the center port almost all the way to the collector; Davin plans to drill out the crack and weld up the cast iron. Luckily, the block passes its magnetic crack check with flying colors. Mike at Thirlby will handle boring, honing, and decking the block, making sure to leave the stamping on the deck surface intact. Compared to some of the other projects Davin has brought him, this Cadillac should be a cakewalk.

Finally, Davin reconditions the stock rods by pressing in new bolts, cleaning up the rod caps, and resizing the big end. As parts continue to show up, including the pistons and back-ordered fuel-pump rebuild kit, we’ll continue to bring you progress reports. Make sure you’re subscribed to Hagerty’s YouTube channel so you don’t miss a single one.

The post Our Cadillac V-8 engine project gets baked, blasted, and crack-checked | Redline Update #73 appeared first on Hagerty Media.

Grease and grime are staples of the Redline Rebuild garage, but this week is all about cleaning up. No, not the shop, but the Cadillac 365 V-8 that Davin tore down last week. This sturdy iron block is shaping up to be Davin’s main project and it’s time to fire up the parts washer.

“This engine is going back to bone-stock, unlike a lot of the other builds we have done,” says Davin. “Not that we couldn’t add a few subtle hot rod parts … it’s just that, in this case, that approach doesn’t make much sense, because the engine’s going back into a bone-stock four-door cruiser. Stock is best here.”

The mess of parts on the workbench has to be cleaned before the process can move ahead much further, and, for this step, Davin is happy to have his monster parts washer. All the bits and pieces that need to go to the machine shop get a quick bath to remove the worst of the grime before they’re loaded into the bed of the 1950 Chevrolet for a trip across town, where they are unloaded and placed in the waiting line at Thirlby machine shop.

The next step is machine work—sort of. Since both Thirlby’s facing a backlog of work, Davin shifts his focus to even more cleaning. He gathers all small parts that he’ll send out for paint, powdercoat, or CeraKote and begins washing and sandblasting like a madman.

Be sure to tune in next week to see whether Davin finds good news under all that oil and dirt. All the progress will be documented in upcoming Redline Updates, so be sure to subscribe to Hagerty’s YouTube channel to next miss a greasy minute.

The post Rub-a-dub-dub, Cadillac engine parts in a tub | Redline Update #72 appeared first on Hagerty Media.

The Redline Rebuild master generally looks forward to the work week. The day Davin anticipates most keenly, however, is teardown day. This week, the Cadillac 365 gets torn down so that Davin can see just what he’s getting into with this oddball V-8.

“Tearing into a new project is always exciting for me,” says Davin about the greasy Cadillac. “It’s during this time that I learn the small differences between the various engines we rebuild. Those details are what keep me coming back to the engine stand.”

Davin spots the first oddity in this engine’s design before he even begins taking it apart. The water pump has a radical design compared to a standard small-block GM product: Each cylinder head, along with the transmission, gets its own dedicated feed. Davin hasn’t seen those long hoses that run under the intake manifold to cool the transmission before—but this probably won’t be his last encounter with them.

An engine’s unique touches are fun to think about … until it’s time to order parts for the rebuild. Davin is most worried about sourcing the pistons and piston rings—the last thing he wants is another Buick straight-eight scenario on his hands. Custom pistons are relatively easy to source; the rings, however, are not so straightforward. Now that the Caddy V-8 is torn down and he’s had a look at everything, Davin will start flipping catalog pages and dialing up suppliers to evaluate his options.

If you want to see how Davin solves the piston-ring problem, be sure to subscribe to the Hagerty YouTube channel.

The post 1957 Cadillac 365 gets disassembled | Redline Update #71 appeared first on Hagerty Media.

Probably the smallest project on Davin’s 2021 roster is this orange Honda Trail 70. It’s a running and riding bike, but it’s far from perfect and could use some love. Teardown time for the air-cooled single-cylinder moves quickly, so let’s get to it.

The Trail 70, or CT 70 as it is also known, came stateside in 1969. It was the perfect bike to get those curious about motorcycles absolutely hooked on riding. The diminutive size made it approachable and comfortable for just about anybody, and the peppy four-stroke, single-cylinder engine was both quick and easy to handle, especially with the three-speed transmission behind it. The Trail 70 is a machine that bike people often say “gives room to grow,” meaning that it’s forgiving enough to learn on, but remains entertaining and rewarding as the rider gains experience.

The orange model Davin is going after looks to be in pretty good shape at first glance, but with each step of disassembly this little machine delivers some piece of hidden bad news. Luckily, none of the items found are catastrophic and each can be easily rectified. Before those fixes can take place, however, everything is going to need a good bath and scrub-down.

That’s for next episode, though. For now, go forth and heed Davin’s call to go work on your projects. And if you don’t want to miss the next Redline Update, subscribe to Hagerty on YouTube.

The post We’re completely disassembling a Honda Trail 70 motorcycle | Redline Update #70 appeared first on Hagerty Media.

Last week, Davin gave a quick recap of the projects that he’ll be tackling this year. This week it’s time to get down to work. Up first: returning the Buick to the Hagerty Learning Garage, which means Davin gets to play with a new toy that recently arrived—a forklift.

“It might seem like overkill, but a forklift is one of those tools you don’t think you’ll use until you have one, and suddenly you find all kinds of uses for it,” Davin says. “For example, it’s a whole lot easier to lift this whole engine run stand into the pickup than to take the time to disassemble it all carry it piecemeal.”

Once loaded, the Buick straight-eight took a short blanket-covered trip to be reunited with the 1951 Buick that it will be bolted back into. The car, covered in fresh paint and nearing the finish line of its customizations, has been waiting for the engine to arrive. It should come together quickly now, but Davin is not at the shop to lend a hand with that; instead he’s there to pick up the 365 V-8 from the ’57 Cadillac that has already been stripped down to its frame, right next to the Buick.

The 365 is next up in the Redline Rebuild series, but if you want to see it torn down you’ll have to wait until next week. Davin says there are some interesting tidbits about this engine, and he’s going to dive into all that on a future episode of Redline Update.

The post Buick Straight 8 traded for Cadillac 365? | Redline Update #69 appeared first on Hagerty Media.

New year, new projects right? Well, sort of, at least for Davin and the Redline Rebuild crew. Last year was a bit of a debacle, given how the Buick straight-eight progressed (and regressed at times) but all that is behind us. Now the focus is on tackling some things left undone from 2020, while also crossing off some checklist items for 2021.

The first item under consideration is the ’37 Ford race car. The Chrysler 440 block is hung in the chassis now, but a bare block is not going to push this car through laps at a dirt track. Davin is going to get cracking on that engine and kick off the rest of the fabrication to get that car track-ready. He says it will be doing laps this year, which is a big goal, but if anyone is going to knock that project out of the park in that timeline it’s him.

Next on the roster is a new addition to the garage. So many motorcycle riders started their two-wheeled addiction onboard a Honda Trail 70 just like the orange 1973 model that recently came into our care. It’s in good shape cosmetically, but pretty sad shape mechanically. A full teardown and rebuild is in its future—and likely some trail miles, too.

The traditional Redline Rebuild viewers will be pleased to hear at least one future project is an engine, and an interesting one at that. Hagerty has a 1957 Cadillac four-door that has been a part of the company collection for decades, and it is is well deserving of a refresh. Davin will be taking on the engine while another team will be handling the body and other mechanical parts.

Lastly, our 1946 Ford pickup will be getting a T5 transmission to replace the original three-speed. Davin already started on this project, but like any big swap, it hasn’t been without its challenges. None of these hurdles can’t be jumped, of course, but the process takes a little time. Getting it right the first time is priority number one.

All of this will, of course, be thoroughly documented with weekly updates and also larger feature videos. If you want to see the work done and also how we do it, be sure to subscribe to the Hagerty Youtube channel.

The post New year, new rebuilds! 2021 project update | Redline Update 68 appeared first on Hagerty Media.

The Redline Rebuild process is never easy. Taking what is typically a heap of an engine and returning it to its former glory—or better—requires patience, time, and resources. When he first saw the Buick straight-eight, Davin thought it couldn’t possibly be worse than the boat anchor of a Buick Nailhead V-8 he tackled in 2019. If only he had known.

“This straight-eight was a runner, but it was real tired,” Davin says. “The goal of producing hot-rod looks and performance gave me some leeway in planning the build, but the hurdles I came up against were going to be problems even if we went back to a stock setup.”

The long-block came out of Hagerty’s 1951 Buick convertible, which had been languishing in the corner of the garage for years. There was great debate regarding the fate of the car and, consequently, that of its engine. We decided to create a period hot-rod and thus pulled the straight-eight and sent it over to Davin and team for a refresh and restyle.

“Since it was already a running engine, the teardown was pretty quick. There were no real signs of damage, but the block was plain worn out,” Davin says.

All eight cylinders received a heavy cut followed by pressed-in sleeves to bring the block back to serviceable condition. This process is fairly standard and made sense in the Buick’s case because the worn-out cylinders had already been bored .040 inch over stock, and larger pistons were not readily available. With the block tuned up, the cylinder head received the full machine-shop treatment as well and was cut for larger valves.

Those larger valves evolved into the first hurdle during the reassembly process, since the Buick 401 V-8 valves Davin chose are produced in two varieties. One design includes a straight valve stem; the other has a small step cut into its stem. Davin originally sourced the second variety—and discovered that the small step was perfectly positioned to destroy any valve stem seals. He had to order a second, straight-stemmed set—which was a pain, but nothing compared to the trouble he encountered with pistons.

The pistons took three rounds to get right. The first custom set came out with a goofy design that didn’t spark Davin’s confidence. The second set looked great, but the casting was incorrect and the piston rings didn’t fit. Finally, the third set worked, and he could button up the rotating assembly.

Once the long-block was built, the period-correct Edmunds intake manifold and modern tubular split header were carefully bolted into place, a process that required the use of all three of Davin’s arms—and he might have used a leg when the camera wasn’t rolling.

“That intake and exhaust manifold situation was something else,” Davin says. “For sure, something I am not in any rush to do again.”

At last, in this video, the engine moves over to the run stand for a test-fire and break-in before it heads back to its home in the Buick chassis. Success! The split manifold sound is spot-on hot-rod. Between the sound and the look, this straight-eight might be one of the coolest Redline Rebuild engines so far. After all, who knows what Davin has up his sleeve for 2021?

The post Greasy to gorgeous: Buick Straight 8 Fireball engine rebuild time-lapse | Redline Rebuild appeared first on Hagerty Media.

Anytime the engine run stand leaves its home in the corner of the garage, Davin gets excited. This week there might be even more excitement than usual, because it means our Buick straight-eight is that much closer to finding its forever home in a car. First, Davin has to figure out how to pick the darn thing up.

The name of the pick-up game is to find a sturdy tie point. With the intake and exhaust manifolds occupying the entirety of the left side of the engine, it’s more chess than checkers. Davin settles on using the transmission mounting bosses on the rear and a strap around the generator up front. The only fear with this approach is that the engine might want to roll, with the strap positioned off-center; luckily that doesn’t prove to be a problem.

With the straight-eight off the rotating stand and settled into the run stand, the next step is getting all the ancillary systems in place to get the fuel, air, spark, and cooling that are necessary to start and break in the cam.

Of course, just pushing the button and the watching the engine just take off would be way too easy. Davin initially gets hamstrung with a starter that’s not spaced properly, and thus binds on engagement with the flywheel. On top of that, he discovers that the distributor is set 180 degrees off. Both issues are easily remedied, along with a water leak.

Ready to see the straight-eight light off? We know, it’s more than a little cruel, but that final moment comes next week. (This engine has been more than a little cruel to Davin, so he is merely passing along the authentic Redline Rebuild experience.)

Be sure to subscribe to the Hagerty YouTube channel and be ready for next Monday’s video. We promise it’s worth the wait to hear this hot rod roar.

The post Our Buick Straight 8 goes on the test stand! | Redline Update #67 appeared first on Hagerty Media.

Every project has its critical milestones, and the Redline Rebuild Buick straight-eight just crossed off another one. Both engine and Davin are primed for starting.

This week’s update covers a lot of assembly. Most of it is fairly simple, but nevertheless quite important. The motor mounts, spark plug wires, and oil filter are all cool, but the star of the assembly show is on the driver’s side of the engine, where the custom headers and intake manifold are mounted up.

“Getting this all in place is not going to be fun,” says Davin as he prepares to thread more than a dozen studs into the engine block. “These studs all need to be in place, and then I’ll need an extra thumb or two to hold the intake and exhaust pieces in place while getting the hardware started and tightened up.”

Luckily, all the parts slip together on the first try. (I would bet Davin bought a lottery ticket on the way home with that kind of luck.) Bolting the manifold up does not mean this engine is ready for fuel to flow, though. The car this engine is destined for requires an electric choke, which means the factory Holley three-bolt carbs are not going to work. The intake manifold could not be re-fit, so Davin gets creative and started playing with plastic.

Using the gaskets for the intake manifold and Rochester carbs, Davin creates an adapter system that allows the four-bolt carbs to be fitted to the three-bolt intake manifold. It also looks pretty good with the reproduction Edmunds air cleaners perched atop the carbs.

With fuel, air, and spark now primed and ready on this engine, there are a few ancillary items to take care of once it goes on the engine stand. That, of course, is a task for next week. If you don’t want to miss hearing this hot rod straight-eight roar to life, be sure to subscribe to the Hagerty YouTube channel and watch for the latest Redline Update videos every Monday.

The post Final assembly on our Buick Straight 8! | Redline Update #66 appeared first on Hagerty Media.

Hydraulic lifters are a gift from above when it comes to keeping an engine running reliably for years on end. However, that only stays true if said lifters are properly set up during assembly. That is precisely what what Davin intends to do today, so let’s see how it’s done in this week’s Redline Update.

There are two types of lifters that concern us here—solid and hydraulic. (There are also roller and flat-tappet lifters, but for this discussion we are concentrating on the first two.) The difference lies in the body of the lifter. A hydraulic design fills with a cushion of oil that allows for the expansion and contraction of parts that happens with heat and wear. Solid lifters are, well, solid, which means that these lifters require maintenance at regular intervals to check for proper tolerance and prevent a catastrophic meltdown.

The Buick’s 16 lifters are all hydraulic, which means assembling the valvetrain can go fairly quickly. The key is to have the camshaft rotated to the appropriate place, so that the lifters are on the base circle of the cam when adjusting the final settings. This process can be unique to each engine, and as such, Davin had to check the procedure on the Buick a few times to make sure it all went to plan.

“On this Buick the trick is to adjust the intake just as the exhaust valve starts to open, and adjust the exhaust just as the intake starts to close,” says Davin, while locking the adjusters atop the bare rocker arms. “That’s because of how the lobes on the cam are positioned and overlap.”

With the cam and roller relationship straightened out, the next step is to tighten down the adjuster until there is zero lash on the pushrod. Typically this is done by rotating the pushrod between two fingers while tightening the adjuster, when there is just a bit of drag in the rotation. That’s zero lash. Then, add one-half turn to the adjuster, lock it down, and move on to the next one. That extra half turn is to preload the hydraulic portion of the lifter so that it works properly across the temperature and oil pressure range that the engine will see during use.

Yes, this is one of the easier steps of engine assembly, but there is still room for error. Take it slow and check your work as you go. If you’re at this stage on your project car, it likely means that means the first start-up is in sight, but we won’t hear the sound of our ol’ Buick roaring to life just yet. You’ll have to subscribe to the Hagerty YouTube channel and keep an eye out for when that episode hits our channel.

The post Setting valve lash on a Buick Straight 8 | Redline Update appeared first on Hagerty Media.

There are many milestones in the engine assembly process, but when the pile of parts becomes something that actually looks like an engine, you’ve passed one of the most formidable checkpoints. Davin and the Buick straight-eight cross that threshold in this week’s Redline Update—not, of course, without a hiccup or two.

Even with all the documentation and guidance you can gather, sometimes the assembly process comes down to simple trial and error. Bolting down the Buick’s cylinder head is straightforward, but sliding together the shaft rocker assembly proves more challenging. The rocker arms are marked with “I”s and “O”s to designate which is intake and exhaust—at least, that’s what Davin thought. Turns out those marks actually tell the direction of the slight bend in each rocker arm that accounts for the offset between the pushrod and the valve.

“Sometimes you just have to assemble it and see if you are right,” says Davin about the valvetrain. “So long as you look at it with a critical eye and make sure you’ve got it right, it’s not a bad thing to make progress, even if it requires one step back to make two steps forward.”

The project did indeed take a step forward. While it’s not quite a long-block, the straight-eight is shaping up and will start to progress quickly. Items like the custom timing pointer Davin assembled will make that first startup much easier. If you don’t want to miss the next big step for this engine, be sure to subscribe to the Hagerty YouTube channel and tune in for each new update.

The post Buick Straight 8 long block assembly | Redline Update appeared first on Hagerty Media.

It’s no secret that the Buick straight-eight has been a bit of a thorn in Davin’s side. Each step in the rebuild process has involved some annoyance or mechanical complication. That pain might be easing, though, because this week, work progresses smoothly and the short block goes together.

“Short block” is a term used to described a milestone in engine assembly. With the rotating assembly (crankshaft, camshaft, and pistons) all fitted—and with the timing cover, oil pan, and balancer installed—Davin has created a short block. Of course, these pieces don’t just fall into place. It takes a bit of fitting and squeezing—at calibrated amounts—to get all the components to play nice with each other and perform their tasks at first startup.

“These pistons have been a real holdup on this project, so I am happy to finally have a version that works like I want it to,” says Davin. “It’s the third design I’ve tried, and the first that accomplishes the compression ratio I am after while also fitting with the valve geometry so they won’t kiss the intake or exhaust.”

Problems like this arise even when doing mild custom work, like Davin’s done on the Buick. Davin won’t let assembly frustrations slow him down, though, and his persistence is beginning to pay off. Could it be only be a few weeks before this engine fires to life? If you want to be the first to find out, you’ll have to subscribe to the Hagerty YouTube channel and wait for the video. We promise it’ll be worth it.

The post Buick Straight-8 short block assembly! | Redline Update appeared first on Hagerty Media.

Playing with race cars can be a freeing experience, especially for someone who, like Davin, has the mind of an engineer. As he tackles mounting the engine and transmission in the 1937 Ford race car, he essentially faces a blank slate. Davin decides to embrace this mechanical tabula rasa and design motor mounts to place the engine where he—and not some rulebook or designer—wants it to sit.

The reason for this unusual degree of freedom is twofold. The first is that Chrysler 440 V-8 was never fully mounted into the Ford, so there isn’t much already in the chassis. Secondly, the coupe won’t be competing in any races and therefore is not bound to the confines of any particular rulebook. Davin can put the engine pretty much anywhere he wants, and, of course, he’s in search of the configuration that will yield the best performance possible.

With the chassis stripped, cleaned, and sandblasted, it’s the perfect time to be doing the heavy fabrication as well. Davin’s ready to massage the floorpan to give enough clearance and to fabricate the mounts.

With the engine and transmission bolted into the car, Davin’s made some real progress on the Ford. There is still much to do though, because that bare engine block won’t push the coupe down the road without some serious reassembly. That’s a problem for another episode, though.

The post Fabricating motor mounts in our 1937 Ford Coupe race car | Redline Update appeared first on Hagerty Media.

Period-correct custom parts were part of Davin’s plan for the Buick straight-eight, and he has enough experience to know that, given that decision, some components won’t bolt together perfectly right out of the shipping box. The first example was the valves. Then, the pistons presented the same problem. Now Davin’s wrangling with the fitment of the period-correct Edmunds intake manifold and tubular header. It’s nothing a little time with the press can’t fix, though.

This is in interesting conundrum, because Davin did not build the header. Instead, he sent the intake manifold to the gentleman who did. Theoretically, having the manifold while fabricating the header should mean that the two parts fit flawlessly, but the reality is that the mock-up engine the fabricator used might have been a little different than the head Davin is assembling for our engine. The small changes mean just a brush of interference between the two, enough to prevent an ideal fit. Luckily, Davin has just the solution—a dent.

Yes, a dent—but a calculated dent. A carefully placed dimple in the round header tube. Hack mechanics have been doing this for years by using a ball-peen hammer to kink the pipe until it fits. Davin takes a much more careful approach by using the hydraulic press to massage the material instead of beating it into submission. Careful application of force produces a perfect fit, which helps get the time-lapse back on track and keeps assembly looking effortless.

Then, it’s time to pivot to the ’37 Ford race car. Davin presses out the wheel studs to split the wheel hubs from the brake drums. The goal is to press in new, longer wheel studs—but only after the aluminum parts are ceramic-coated by West Michigan Cerakote. That coating provides protection and durability during regular use.

A highly productive day for Davin and the team—but there’s still work left to do. The delay in a couple items meant the test fit of the Chrysler 440 into the Ford race car had to get delayed, so if you want to see that you will have to subscribe to the Hagerty YouTube channel and stay tuned for next week’s video.

The post Fitting a Buick Straight 8 aftermarket exhaust and intake manifold | Redline Update appeared first on Hagerty Media.

Davin is an expert at a lot of things, but detailing is not one of them. That might explain the lack of shine to a lot of the project cars in the Redline Rebuild Garage. The 1950 Chevrolet pickup is a prime example. It has received a lot of mechanical love over the past year, but very little in the way of cosmetics. We read your comments, and Davin decided to give the whole polishing thing a try. Not being an expert, however, the first step was calling for help. That’s where Larry Kosilla of Ammo NYC comes in.

Larry has made a living detailing cars that have lived hard lives, often years of neglect and bad storage. His expertise has turned many cars from crusty, dusty messes into show-ready pieces of art. He is certainly the man to help Davin put a shine on the Redline Rebuild Chevy pickup.

Larry and Davin talk through the process and reasoning behind the approach Larry takes to cars like this one. At the core: paint technology has evolved significantly over time, and that means you really need to know what you are dealing with in order to bring it back to life instead of destroying it. The Chevrolet appears to be wearing original paint from 1950, meaning the color coat is also the top coat of paint. There is no clear coat or protective layer, so getting too aggressive with polishing compound will burn right through to primer and metal. Already there are patches of metal popping through on this pickup, but Davin wants more shine, not more metal.

With a heavy dose of polishing compound and elbow grease, the green paint of the pickup comes back to life. Of course, there are sections where no amount of polishing is going to bring it back to showroom shine, but considering the life that this truck led prior to being towed to the Redline Rebuild Garage, it cleans up mighty nice. There are still projects on the to-do list for this truck, and if you want to see what’s next, be sure to subscribe to the Hagerty YouTube channel to get notifications with each update that goes live.

The post First wash in 40 years: Detailing our Barn Find Chevy with Larry from Ammo NYC | Redline Update appeared first on Hagerty Media.

The 1937 Ford race car has been on the back burner for a minute, but now it is blasting to the top of Davin’s to-do list. That’s because the body and chassis are headed to the sandblaster to be cleaned up. The process could potentially reveal some structural problems, but Davin is hoping the car’s bones are solid. He’s also crossing his fingers that rebuilding the restarting assembly on the Buick straight-eight will be trouble-free—and, sometimes, Davin gets what he wants.

The axle-less coupe is levered onto Davin’s flat-deck trailer and dropped off for sand blasting. The car looks pretty solid through the thin, mismatched paint. There are a few rust holes, but is that really any surprise when you’re dealing with an 80-year-old race car? It shouldn’t be.

Expecting that the Ford could be picked up later in the day, the team heads back to the shop’s engine assembly room and makes some progress on the Buick straight-eight. New pistons have arrived and are ready for their rings. This requires properly filing the rings and assembling the pistons onto the connecting rods. However, right when Davin is about to put the pistons into the block and torque down the rotating assembly, he gets a phone call that the Ford is ready to be picked up—and he had better hurry, because rain is on the way.

So off to the blaster goes the team, loading the trailer quickly and bringing the Ford back to the climate-controlled safety of the Redline Rebuild garage. There the vintage racer is safe from flash-rusting, and Davin can inspect it to see just how much welding wire he’ll be burning in the coming months. Judging from the first look, he’ll need more than a little … If you want to see the whole process, you’ll have to subscribe to the Hagerty YouTube channel and wait for next week’s Redline Update.

The post Buick straight-eight pistons and sandblasting our 1937 Ford Coupe | Redline Update appeared first on Hagerty Media.

There is no shortage of projects vying for Davin’s time, but in this week’s Redline Update it’s the Chrysler four-speed that’s on the operating table. A manual transmission is a great project if you’ve never rebuilt anything before, and that means for Davin it is a project that can be done in a day or two, and most of that is waiting on parts.

The teardown last week went smooth and showed that the transmission is actually in good shape, so that helped make the rebuild process easier. Despite being able to reuse many of the parts inside, Davin is of the thought that doing it right the first time is going to cost a bit more but will save you big time, because you aren’t going to end up in a situation where something fails and you have to do the whole job again—all to save $15 on a bearing.

With the cases blasted and rebuild kit on the table with the parts, Davin elects to give the exterior parts a quick coat of etching primer before assembly. It’s not the final coat of paint, but it will protect the surfaces from building up corrosion while the final color is selected. Transmission assembly often includes some hurdles that engine or chassis assembly doesn’t; the cage-less roller bearings are a prime example. Luckily, all it took this time was some grease and a lot of patience.

This transmission is all set, marking the first piece of this 1940 Ford race car that’s ready for service. The chassis is sitting on the floor awaiting the suspension to go back together, and the engine is in line behind the straight-eight Buick. What will Davin be working on next week? You’ll have to subscribe to the Hagerty YouTube channel to find out. Until then, Davin thinks you should be out there working on your own projects.

The post Assembling a Mopar A-833 Transmission | Redline Update appeared first on Hagerty Media.

In the latest Redline Update, Davin tackles the ratty manual transmission in the 1937 Ford that used to belong to Snowball Bishop. The Mopar-440-powered racer uses a Chrysler A-833 four-speed manual. From the outside, the gearbox looks pretty rough. Although it seems to shift OK, the case is rusty and the shift lever was the recipient of a number of expedient welding jobs. Hey, racing can be a dirty business.

Disassembly involves some light hammer work and a bit of coaxing by way of an oxy-acetylene torch. With the side cover off, Davin discovers that the clean lube he’d found when draining the transmission was no red herring; the gears look good. Regardless, there’s work to be done and all of the four-speed’s guts have to come out for a proper rebuild. Into the hot tank with all of you!

These Redline Update episodes use a totally different format than the longer-form Redline Rebuild stop-motion videos, but this one still manages to include a bit of time-lapse. So make sure to watch for some transmission tech along with some movie magic from our film crew.

The post Chrysler transmission teardown. Snowball’s 1937 racer returns! | Redline Update appeared first on Hagerty Media.

The nature of project cars is one of overcoming setbacks just to ram straight into other obstacles. This week’s Redline Update offers up one way to deal with such inconveniences, and the method is rather on-brand for our friend Davin.

The first issue at hand is the Buick straight-eight’s cylinder head. When first assembling the head, Davin learned in the last episode that there are two designs for the Buick 400 V-8 valves he was planning to source for the straight-eight. The first set that arrived did not work for his attempted retrofit due, to a step machined just below the notch for the keeper which in a prime location to tear up a valve seal. A second set of valves arrived, this time confirmed to not have the offending step, and assembly could then begin.

Unfortunately, just as fast that process got going it ground to a halt yet again. The new piston design Davin tried out out at the end of the last episode is off to JE Pistons, which will ship back aluminum pistons ready for installation. For now, the Buick project is a bit stalled out.

Davin isn’t one to sit on his hands and wait, though. How about using the lull in this build to dive into yet another project? In this case, Davin turns his attention to Hagerty’s Swap to Street 1946 Ford pickup. This pickup has logged a lot of miles in the five years since it was built, and the plan is to tack on a lot more in the coming years. To log those miles more smoothly, Davin is going to swap in a T5 five-speed transmission to replace the three-speed currently linked up to the flathead V-8.

Of course, there’s also Snowball’s Ford race car with the Chrysler 440 and a few other projects hanging around the shop—never a dull time in the Redline Rebuild garage. To keep track of it all, be sure to subscribe to the Hagerty YouTube channel where new videos come out weekly.

The post Valve installation on our Buick Straight 8 | Redline Update appeared first on Hagerty Media.