451 Stroker II: Bad Factory Machining, Why Horsepower Doesn't Matter, And The Art Of Having Goals

In this video: factory Chrysler engine block machining problems; Mopar big block intake manifold install, fitment and shimming tips; 440 Source adjustable rocker arm setup tips; Mopar big block fuel pump block off modification for EFI; drivetrain component selection; why build a Mopar 451 stroker engine; and much more.

I filmed this video over a year ago, and you haven't seen it because I do something that YouTubers really shouldn't do: I read all of the comments. I got some crap after my first stroker build video from a knowledgeable engine builder who eviscerated me for not checking or setting the piston pin fit (which my machinist had already done,) and just generally indicting my attitude towards building engines - which is best described as "that seems fine, so it's probably fine." I will let the results I've achieved over the years building Mopar engines speak for themselves. But the bottom line is, if you're only taking your engine building advice from some guy (me, in this case) on YouTube, you're not doing things the right way. I know that information will come as a shock. Sit down and take a moment if you need to. Maybe scream into a pillow or something. Feel better?

There are several useful tidbits in this build progress video on the engine, so I have decided to finally release it. The fact that I have no other videos to run today is completely unrelated.

[michaelnault]

At least no one's criticized the plastic cover used for storage as being the wrong polymer formula :⁠-⁠)

[JustMoparJoe]

I am honored to be a part of this video 😂. May could use some offset dowel pins to move that head up, but it seems every build I have now has some kind of issue with parts new or old. Should be a great engine for that car! Thanks for the shoutout.

[OldIron]

the comentor voice just makes everything better

[olikat]

The Valiant sedan I have had 88K & change on it when the prepping for the Southern Classic run started. We were just going to pop in a mid cam, 4 bbl, dual exhaust...but guess what? A couple cam bearings looked trashy. In order to do the cam bearings, you have to strip the short block down. Well, the machinist called & asked "How did this thing run? How many miles on it? Did someone rebuild this before?" See, the Chrysler machining was so awful that the deck sloped from the front to the rear. The angle of the back 2 cylinders were off by more than 2 degrees, thus it was eating itself. Had to order pistons, but to straighten the mess out, had to put Cometic gaskets at 0.060" just to get the compression ratio down to 9.45-1, and that is with '90-vintage 308 casting heads off a 360 (open chamber) sitting on top. The factory slop was epically horrible
Now before anybody wants to scream about the machinist- you are speaking from your rectum. This guy does machine work for the McCandless family & more, so...in the end, this engine is a fantastic runner that, with 0 shake-down miles, ran 2324.6 miles flawlessly cruising at 'spirited' speeds.

[yarrdayarrdayarrda]

Although we've done a pile of stroker RB builds in the past few years, for the customers who want a bit more HP I feel we've overlooked the "B" stroker builds (499) since the intake manifold is always a compromise in the RB builds due to insufficient hood clearance.

[pcbullets]

What a mess to deal with. But if anyone can figure it out, it's you. Good luck!

[googleusername]

Good old Mopar. Great ideas and engineering, followed by no budget and corner cutting. Still holding true at least as far as my 2014 3.6, and every hemi I have heard ticking.

[travisbeavers-tiki]

As someone who has worked on a assembly line we'd frequently say fuck it send it

[dantupper]

Soooo many questions.
Anyone that was working on that block machining line during that era would be in their 70's at least.
Be interesting to see what the line workers knew about problems like this & solving them.

[Roosters_Restos]

I too am honored to be a part of this video. Now i went though this very thing on a 71 383 build. We didnt catch it and the intake leaked. So pulled the intake and found the issue on leaking. Then the guy wanted a aluminum intake and after slathering the ports with black poop goop and the corners we torqued the intake down. Ran good problem solved right. Wrong. After a brief test beat it was a little warm and it cooled and talking with the owner with the hood open and he was very pleased we heard a snap. Guess what the intake broke. Passengers side. The bolts where a bitch to start and slight hole mods were made. The guy was super unhappy. Rinse and repeat right. Wrong. I was blamed for over torqueing it. Then we found the head was off on the block. So a meeting was had. I said new block he said please no. I said fine cast original intake and take your chances. Thats what we did and it was never seen again. Every engine sense i check everything and check it again. I think you should do a video on how to spot factor f ups and i can help. They even stamped the blocks with opps marks. QA was not iso 9000 lets put it that way. Like i said i have 2 fixes for this motor so lets chat. ❤

[kart]

Did you know that Chrysler didn't machine the deck square to the crank bore? I found that out back in college while machining a 70 340 block. I was just going to skim the decks to make sure they were flat. That went out the window when the first cut of the mill only touched the surface for the first two inches of deck surface.

[shanew.williams]

Nice vid. Mopar's do weed out the engine "assemblers" from the engine "builders" lol. I like the 400 based 451 build with alot, for all the advantages you mentioned. I usually line bore the block without turning the crank mains undersize, but i like both options. 440 Source rocks.

[minnesotatomcat]

I get a kick out of the horsepower junkie know it alls 🤣 yeah you can get 1000 horsepower out of a 4 cylinder Honda if you throw enough turbos on it but it’s not gonna make the right noises for very long.

[JohnSmith-bsqb]

For some coffee!
Love your videos, I’ve learned a lot.
And they offer me some comfort after yelling ant throwing tools at my 77 Dodge rv.

[Fleetwoodjohn]

I recall putting on a vintage edelbrock CH4B and it having a less than stellar fit. It was a full rebuild. Been on there for years but this video has me thinking.

[dirtlump]

This appears to be a very nice lowdeck Engine combo !

[LSSindustries]

Pro tip, the intake and the head have to reside in the same zip code for it to bolt together

[mattbrown]

Rocket industries is a Australian company thanks for the great video Jamie 🇦🇺

[mikecrawford]

Good observation on the bolt drilling placement

[confuse]

They make offset dowel pins to move the heads and gaskets around a bit. On motors like Fords and BB Chevies, (and I suppose LS) you can actually move the valves a bit to unshrowd the intake.... (or exhaust if you think that will help). Most machine shops remove the dowel before they surface/square the block.