COMPLETELY FROZEN! Vortec 454 7.4L BBC Big Block Chevrolet Teardown. This Was Some Work!

To peruse our parts inventory and parts cars please visit www.Importapart.com or email us at [e-mail] for part inquiries.
If this is the very first teardown you've found on this channel, there are over 115 more which can be found here: • Blown Up Engine Tear D...
My name is Eric and I own and run a full service auto salvage business in the Saint Louis Missouri area called Importapart. Part of our model includes buying blown up and core engines, dismantling them and salvaging the good parts to resell. We do not rebuild engines, merely supply parts to those that do!
Well folks, I almost bit off more than I could chew on this one. Big block chevy cores are pretty few and far between so I jumped at the chance to pick up this one which was "locked up". Well. That was the truest description I've ever heard from a yard that sold me a a core. These are normally incredibly simple engines to work on but the effort required to get the short block apart rivaled some of the most complex engines I've had on the channel.
This is just the second 454 I've had on the channel, and many of you provided some incredibly useful tips in the comments when I got jammed up on the last one. Those tips came in clutch getting this engine apart, and for that I thank you!
There's the proof that not only do I appreciate all of the comments, I learn from them. You all collectively have more years of experience than any one person could, and your comments are incredibly educational... well most of them anyway.
I hope you enjoyed this teardown. As always, I love all of the comments, feedback and even the criticism. Catch you on the next one!
-Eric

[@zoomiesRMS]

Man, I've been craving the BBC content for a while!!

[@jeffreyshepherd8488]

😂😂

[@stephanebolduc6501]

That’s what she said….

[@williamnolting9697]

That dark chocolate bow tie 😂

[@zachharper2664]

😂😂😂😂

[@zachharper2664]

@@williamnolting9697 bbc oh yes

[@railsnrods7156]

with the new engine stand having a crank on it you should turn the heads flat so they won't slide and fall off when blue removes them

[@sithyarael6807]

He finally got an engine stand for these heavy motors he tears down.

[@Jihadbearzwithgunz]

This right here is a good idea

[@wildcoyote34]

@@sithyarael6807 yes he got a real heavy duty engine stand now ,,i own a similar stand only mine is about double the size ,,i can hang an 8V92 on mine ,,this is what's commonly called a builders stand ,,most generic engine stands are pretty much just for holding an engine and aren't really stable enough to work on even a medium size engine let alone a gigantic big block that weighs over 800 pounds fully dressed

[@sithyarael6807]

@@wildcoyote34 so I guess you missed my comment about getting an engine stand that will hold the iron blocks.

[@jimamizzi1]

Yeah, I don’t understand why he doesn’t use the crank to remove the heads

[@john1703]

I do like your quick and dirty honing technique. It certainly saves setting up the block on a table.

[@j4sonl33]

Ask any old shop mechanic, the HANDS DOWN BEST PENETRATOR is a 50/50 mix of ATF and Acetone. Easily 10X better than any spray can stuff and a ton cheaper. Mix some up and keep it handy. You'll be stunned!!

[@diablocls55]

She said BBC is the best penetrator

[@randymagnum143]

Kroil.

[@Omgninjas2]

@@randymagnum143 Kroil is black magic and I refuse to believe otherwise.

[@bradhaines3142]

​@@randymagnum143 is trash. we get it all the time at work and seems to be near useless. WD40 has always worked better

[@HighSierra1500]

@@randymagnum143 I've heard Kroil is effective for loosening the spark plugs on the Ford 3V engines.

[@LebonezerScrooge]

The slowed “penetrator” nearly had me spitting out my drink. Between that and the loose juice I’m surprised KZbin hasn’t age restricted this BBC vid 😂. Excellent work as always

[@TheProjectHelpDesk]

Oddly enough, the Fab Rats channel restored a engine from a boat that sank in Lake Mead. After 30 years at the bottom of the lake, I think it looked less rusty than that one. They got the engine running again and reunited the boat with the owner. Nice series to watch.

[@TheProjectHelpDesk]

@Retired Bore technically, the corrosion process does pull the oxygen it needs from the water itself. But yes. Completely submerged in fresh water corrodes way slower than when exposed to air. A civil engineer from England actually measured and charted it long ago. It was reported in 1852 in Scientific American.

[@mrz80]

@@TheProjectHelpDesk Yep. When I toured the Naval Aviation museum in Pensacola some years back they had just fished a set of SBD wings out of Lake Michigan to use on a Dauntless they were restoring. Lot of Naval aviators did their carrier quals on the USS Sable and USS Wolverine, a pair of paddlewheel Lake boats that were converted to rudimentary flat tops and used for training during WW2. There's a fair number of crashed Navy planes at the bottom of Lake Michigan that restorers are hauling up from the depths. They usually come up in pretty good shape, considering.

[@jonathansmith7306]

​@Retired Bore there is dissolved oxygen in water. That's what the fish use to breathe

[@wickedcabinboy]

Man, that motor tried to beat you down. As you said, you won. But it fought you every inch of the way. There might have been 5 or 6 rotating or sliding surfaces that were not rusted. Little wonder you couldn't turn it over. I've watched you dismantle some pretty gnarly disasters and that was fun. This one was a grind.

[@kwinterburn]

Another thing we used to do was a length of aluminium thick wall tube to go on the bolts so you can beat the piston out without risking the crank, worked very well the tube got very sad looking but was cheap

[@devanxslayerz4086]

Great show , Man ! Can we ever see a quick cheap rebuild that was ever completed? ...maybe with just simple inventory parts that were replaced perhaps or maybe a quick story of someone who bought and rebuilt your teardown? Look forward to these videos , cool stuff

[@ronsereda4242]

After watching this I couldn't help but think about another video of a motor that was also flooded only in this case it was a big block Ford on a speed boat that went down in Lake Powell 30 years ago. Was in a hundred feet of water for 30 years then when the lake level dropped it was exposed above water for 2 years. Should be scrap. On the second day of working on it they fired it up and it ran pretty good. Couple weeks later it was back powering the same boat. I highly recommend watching it at a time when you can just sit back chill out while watching. The pleasant interaction among the guys working on it make it a really nice laid back way to spend half hour or so. It shot up to over a million views in a very short time. I don't know if it's possible to add link directly to it, I didn't even try but the channel is: Merlins Old School Garage. Name of the video is: Unbelieveable! The yellow submarine engine starts up after being under water for 30 years. Posted December 21, 2022 Anyone who has an interest in engine teardowns should find this interesting. It's pretty good.

[@jjcaruso44]

Good job. I'm a old time car enthusiast and have done exactly what you did to get difficult engines apart. No one should give you bad comments.

[@CaptainSpadaro]

Also, if it makes you feel any better, a few months ago I had to align a 2011 BMW X5 that hadn't been aligned in a long time (if ever). I had to get the outer tie rods as yellow as the sun, multiple times, before the inners would turn. I will never understand why BMW thinks the outer tie rod they use is a good one.

[@emeles7853]

Your vids are like unwrapping presents on christmas as a child. And I cant' belive I got exited about some guy on youtube getting a new engine stand. :D

[@thomasperina2990]

I'm happy that you finally invested in a heavier duty engine stand. I was WAITING for the harbor freight stand to collapse. Josh I don't want you to get hurt by using inferior equipment.

[@lawnmowerdude]

Isn’t that new one also harbor freight?

[@thomasperina2990]

​@@lawnmowerdude Sorry sir I don't know who made it but at least it didn't volapse yet. I don't want to see anyone get hurt !!! Thank you for your comment sir, TMP from N.J.

[@thomasperina2990]

​@@lawnmowerdude Yes sir you were correct is was another harbor freight stand !!!

[@thomasperina2990]

​@Bill Romak ok excellent response sir , please enjoy the rest of your weekend 👍.

[@jimmillet1442]

It is so much easier once you see water has done that much rusting of the cylinders to take a drill and wire wheel the rough stuff out and then fill the cylinder with toilet bowl cleaner and I mean the high acid stuff that eats rust on contact.Then take compressed air and run around the piston to wall area so you can get a thin oil in there to make driving the pistons out easier.Ive torn apart many engines that have had water in them for years that way and it always works good.Of course you only go to that kind of trouble on something you hope to save.

[@rickorwig986]

Draining the oil was so reminiscent of my numerous colonoscopy preps! 🤣

[@joooools01]

I'm not a professional mechanic but thoroughly enjoyed this. So interesting to watch the techniques for releasing stuck components. Great work.

[@cctsteam]

Congrats on the new engine stand acquisition!

[@I_Do_Cars]

Thank you!

[@johnpick8336]

Man once again you prove man can prevail over Machinary ! Congratulations

[@reubensandwich9249]

Eric, I tried out pig mat on a spill this week and like it more than paper towels and kitty litter.

[@I_Do_Cars]

That’s great! We never looked back after we made the switch

[@shadowopsairman1583]

We call them diapers in the Military

[@ReignitedAuto]

If you get the chance, try the crushed coconut stuff. It's similar to the kitty litter, but works WAY better and cleans up easier as well! I was skeptical at first, but seeing is believing.

[@reubensandwich9249]

@@ReignitedAuto If I find it, I'll try it on coolant or pre-emptive fuel.

[@MrBurnzy440]

i dont know why i find this so interesting , but im hooked . your doing a great job . keep it up .

[@greggc8088]

Here's a suggestion-if you are looking to save parts from damage for selling, remove the crankshaft first and then driving the pistons out. It might save the crankshaft main journal some damage. Maybe. Thanks for the video.

[@dwtees]

I've never been a fan of the big block chevy. Looks like this one was severely over heated, poorly maintained, running water, no coolant and frozen like in the refrigerator low temperature frozen. Enjoyable watching you work and hearing your unbiased comments.

[@Adam-nv9zo]

Man, you've got a cool local drug store. Edit: Your commentary is just as entertaining as the teardowns. I always get a great laugh or 20 out of these videos.

[@mrz80]

I always love "Huh, that's in great shape" (*flings it across the shop*)

[@Adam-nv9zo]

@mrz80 Yeah, that always gets me too 😆

[@kwakas4ever]

I gotta get me a Blue - it's a freakin wonder tool!!! Excellent teardown.

[@davidsurber8234]

Loved this video. Had a family member with a Black Thunder 40 footer with twin 454's. A monster. Have you ever done one of those venerable old GM 3800's that will run 300,000 miles. I've had several of these. Would like to see what they look like inside.

[@wildcoyote34]

3800 is a damn good engine ,, i have one in a boat ,,replaced a 4300 V6 with a supercharged 3800 out of a pontiac gran prix ,,it's just as fast and 200 pounds lighter and uses less fuel,,i got rid of all the extra BS and installed a radiator instead of the lake water cooling ,,gave a double benefit ,, i don't have to winterize my boat and it reduces my chances of carrying invasive species in my bilge water

[@mikehunntt5338]

That's about the condition my 454s in my searay were in when I got it I'd kill for a speed boat but I love my full kitchen shower and toilet lol

[@garrypritchard1658]

The 3800 is the best engine you yanks ever made got a couple of holdens with them gmh aussie

[@wildcoyote34]

@@mikehunntt5338 i know that one there , i have a 40 foot cabin cruiser i think it's a cris craft , i completely redid the entire thing including the engines which were actually chrysler 440s they got replaced with EFI 454s i like having a full bath and kitchen

[@damanifesto]

OMG. I have a 1997 K3500 (in really good shape, 4x4, 5-speed, 108,000 miles - beautiful truck). Thanks for this particular teardown!

[@samholdsworth420]

99 GMC suburban 2500 w 250k 😂 2wd 4l80

[@tangowhisky14]

Just wanted to say a huge thank you for all the hard work which you put into your videos for our enjoyment. I knew straight away you wouldn’t leave the cam shaft in place you just have to take it out and it’s for our enjoyment. Keep up the good work. 🇬🇧

[@petersomma4407]

It would be nice if you did a follow up to this video and let us know what parts you were able to save to re-sell and what they looked like after you cleaned them up

[@johnnuth2989]

Good logical video enjoyed learning from you can you show us a top end rebuild on a 454 big block iv just bought a 26ft power boat with a 454 big block engine in her with a dubble pumper holly carb engine was seized but iv managed to free her up now so lots more videos on this engine please regards John in sydney Australia 😊

[@yo_marc]

5:22 - Sad orange stand, watching from a distance.

[@genedunn9283]

🎶 I like Big Blocks and I can not lie…🎶 (apologies to Sir Mix A Lot). Nice video, but a sad end to a once-valiant 454 😢.

[@RadioMarkCroom]

At the end he sums it up well: "I still feel like I won" -- nice job on a very badly rusted core. Awesome job!

[@Boodieman72]

Eric, I think you might need an Astro Pneumatic 4980 Air Hammer, might make it easier than using a handheld hammer.

[@thomasfletcher760]

Something like Eric O's big nasty ?

[@Boodieman72]

@@thomasfletcher760 It's the same tool, just the official designation.

[@thomasfletcher760]

@@Boodieman72 didn't remember the actual tool designation , thanks

[@Boodieman72]

@@thomasfletcher760 You can see a review here: kzbin.info/www/bejne/lXa4mpuEgKh9jqs. it includes Eric from SMA

[@nickloh912]

I knew you were going to open with a BBC joke. And yet I still laughed. Thanks for the video as always.

[@toddewire13]

Nice video Eric! Love it

[@jayfarmlaw]

Your favorite penetrating oil or ATF/acetone and an air hammer with a punch will get the EGR tube off easier than you ever imagined. I had two 1 3/8 wrenches almost 2 feet long each and it wouldn’t budge. 3 seconds of taps with a medium quality air hammer and it was spinning off by hand. I couldn’t believe it worked that easy. I’ve heard of guys using a copper flex pipe for water heaters and compression nuts to make their own, but haven’t had to do that yet.

[@mohawkdriver4155]

Love your reactions to the good and bad.

[@TermiteBenny]

That engine didn’t have any oil in the pan for a long time and with it full of water that rust seized it up tighter then anything I’ve seen. It was fun to watch it slowly be torn down.

[@99domini99]

This is probably a difficult engine for you to get by, but I’d love to see a Mercedes M111 engine! They’re used in all sorts of applications, from Vito vans to coupes and convertibles with a supercharger. These engines are pretty reliable but they do like to pop head gaskets, which is what usually writes them off. They also often perish from poor tuning attempts.

[@ck4181]

I have a gen 6 454 and my lifters were stuck in the bores due to thick oil sludge, not rust. I took a can of seafoam and dumped some in the lifter valley and let it sit for a day or two. It loosened up the sludge enough to wiggle the lifters out. I never had an engine that rusty though. A bottle of evapo rust in the lifter valley and bores may have helped or CLR. I had a 400 small block one time that was froze like this engine and I took a 2 inch round wooden dowel and a hammer and went around and hit each piston in the center until it started to move. You should also get a crank turning socket for big block and small block Chevy's. Would make turning the crank a lot easier.

[@Mike-pr8hx]

Lol, I love the Saturday night comedy. And an old 454 makes my weekend. What can I say as a previous owner of a 1975 El Camino SS 454 with 9,500 miles that I sold in 2012. Family owned since new so the history was completely known.

[@emilschw8924]

I like the design of the new engine stand. No more accidental Exxon Valdez spillages! 👍

[@effenfish661]

some of the best channels have valuable information in the comments. good job, eric!

[@heinzkot360]

i guess this engine is still better than everything "Pole Barn Garage" put back together with old hardware :D

[@509brown]

Eric the Tenacious! Yes sir, you won. Excellent video.

[@chrisridebike8]

Not the BBC content I usually see on the internet. Still enjoyed it

[@aaronlarsen4674]

Had to like this for the phrasing of "loose juice with the BBC"

[@LujinCustom]

I couldn’t tell if this crank was keyed or not. But a tip for keyed cranks: get a big crescent wrench or even a big pipe wrench to rotate it either direction. That new HF engine stand is nice! I wonder if they’ll come out in colors next? 🤔

[@ronnieboucherthecrystalcraftsm]

still a good block with 4 bolt and them heads good street ports - dual plane high comp = nice 1.

[@erikrunas226]

Congrats on the stand!!

[@speed150mph]

Honestly, it looks like that engine was just sitting for a long time in the elements. It’s not just the water, but how dry even the rust free parts are. Oil hasn’t circulated for years. Honestly though, I’d almost be interested in it. The block anyway. End of the day, it appears to be an unmolested 454 4 bolt main block, probably standard bore. Hot tank it, bore it out .060” and put a stroker kit in and you have the makings for a solid 496 stroker engine. From what I remember , the vortec heads flow pretty decent if you want to clean them up, or shave a bunch of weight and go with aftermarket aluminum heads. Combine with a good cam and maybe a supercharger or light nitrous and you got yourself a fantastic strip pounder on a budget.

[@mikewilson436]

I should have guessed my ex girlfriend was a mechanic. She did say on many occasions there's nothing better than working on a BBC Never understood that being a Mopar man myself

[@timbrown9731]

I love it when your parked and rev the snot out the speedo jumps up slightly like the ECM get ticked. ....

[@929brianm]

You my man are unstoppable!

[@ARKANSASHUBCAP]

You're pretty fun to watch I enjoyed that especially the funny little noises keep up the good work

[@adamtparker6515]

I do find the additional hole cutouts in the block interesting, also shows even if the gunk between the cylinders was removed I am not sure if running this beast when parked a few minutes if that coolant would even budge if the thermostat was closed shut or stuck.

[@ghenkhoash2440]

24:56 was gold!

[@dustcommander100]

You are the Rust Overcomer! Made it look pretty easy....

[@teknikgroup7597]

Please can you keep doing "The Office " gags. your an expert at playing "Michael"....leaves us all very satisfied.

[@brianpatten]

Wowsers, those pistons fought you big time! Think I'm gonna have to get you a tungsten carbide drift for engines like these LOL

[@leeroberts1192]

4:12 you need a larger "gentle persuasion device" 🤣

[@adonvonpanzern]

A dodge/chrysler 4.7 magnum would be something cool to see! Not many good teardowns of it on youtube unfortunately.

[@ejkk9513]

This engine is so incredible! It has less than 300 horsepower for a 7.4L v8. If you told the Japanese or the Europeans to build a 7.4L v8. They would give you 500-1000 horsepower depending on the application. There is a replacement for displacement... it's called proper engineering.

[@kalmlykeabomb]

It's about time you got a real engine stand!

[@deansapp4635]

I didn t think there was a market for that old boat anchor

[@MarzNet256]

That looks like Lichens growing in there. Under ultraviolet light many of them fluoresce (the room needs to be dark to see it).

[@rss608]

Bought a 98 P30 chassis with this engine. 10,100 miles 13 months I found coolant in the engine oil. Dealer said tough luck, out of warranty. the "New" 5 year coolant had desolved the intake manifold gasket. A known problem.... I replaced intake manifold gaskets and used cooper coat sealant.... drove for 140k with no further problems with coolant in the oil. exhaust manifold and gaskets failed, replaced exhaust manifold bolts with brass nuts... driver side manifold was so close to the brake master cylinder that it would boil the brake fluid, made a heat shield to solve the problem... replaced all the sensors at 100k miles and it ran "like new".

[@jimdemarco1217]

Thanks for another fun video.

[@jamesduffus4455]

I live in the northern states and I've seen this exact out come multiple times on multiple gm 4.3 5.0 5.7 7.4 what happens is the plastic intake gasket fails in warm conditions and first dumps the coolant in the oil. truck starts overheating cant figure out why owner puts water in cooling system "to get home" freezes overnight always push's out the same plug behind the engine mount well now they created another leak at some point they check the oil and see the milk shake and think the motor is blown. PSA if you own a GM truck produced from 96-99 or van 96-02 with a vortec iron headed motor if your loosing coolant and cant find it check the oil first if there is coolant stop driving the tow is cheaper than the damage you cause limping it home. Every 1st gen vortec need the intake gaskets updated to HD cheap insurance.

[@anthonybertone2336]

Upgrades are always good and better for your feet and your floor, just don’t upgrade blue I like blue

[@johnsnow1355]

That dragon breath always handy 😂😂

[@Mid2stars]

My dad walked in while watching the BBC get torn apart. He was proud 🥲

[@markcollins457]

I'm glad to see the new engine stand and the crank handle for turning will keep you from making those old man grunt sounds.😅

[@DaveProffitt-z3x]

big block Chevs the Mark IV engines, Gen 5 and Sixs are great engines. The 454 in this video has a 4 bolt main block with a forged steel crank. It's too bad that it got left out in the rain, dropped overboard from Noah's ark. Regardless. had this not happened you would have had a good crankshaft which brings pretty good money. The blocks are also valuable as well. These engines can make over 600 hp and torque normally aspirated with factory hp parts or aftermarket stuff. With some good cylinder heads with smaller combustion chambers you can push the compression ratio u p to just about anywhere you want it with the proper piston domes. I suggest you buy yourself a ridge reamer for stuck piston removal makes the job much easier. Also pentrant works better if you let it set, and apply some heat to the object you are trying to remove. I have been building high perfomance engines and race engines for over 50 years I know what I'm talking about. I do like your channel a lot and watch it every day.

[@kayciecarryl3366]

My first video of the day! YAY!

[@Flies2FLL]

At 8:57 the engine goes potty~ Great video!

[@davidhealdjr.513]

Less malice in the combustion palace, and more oxidation in the rotation station.

[@williamfarrar1626]

For something that rusted, I would’ve gotten couple gallons of kerosene or diesel and filled the pan and block up to soak everything. If you want a better spray to get rusted bolts and nuts lose, get some free all. Works great

[@Samalyzer45]

If the bore can be done to not much more than 0.060 over, and it cleans up nice you should get $800-$900 for it. Considering machine costs, seems tight on the profit, considering cleanup labor.

[@darknes7800]

Cast iron heads, so much heat soak !!!!!!!!!!!!! wow ! Looks like someone really was using it as a boat anchor .

[@mrsuarez430]

Great vid dude good content 👍 question I know it's I do cars but if you ever run into a mercruiser 305 or 350 or a big block that'd bet an awesome teardown would show what mercruiser did to the chevy small and big blocks to marinise and such I know these days mercruiser uses there own blocks

[@katzicael]

As one of your (likely few) Gay fans/viewers - that BBC joke made me laugh and smile. I love your videos/channel and sense of humour.

[@johnsmith7676]

Degenerate.

[@engineering_noob1260]

what you need to pull those heads - is a stand that rotates, so they dont slide off and fall on the floor .... oh wait :D

[@blakehintz3207]

This was a cool one. I love BBC videos!

[@hcthomsenable]

Yet another fantastic video. Thanks😊

[@DavidSutula-o1x]

Hey Eric. Would love to see how much each part weighs on a BB tear down. You've weighed heads before, just wondering how much weight comes off as you break down the block.

[@greatreset3]

Sunken boat motor or boat anchor !? 🌊

[@chrisnguyen863]

Could you tear down an old ford 7.5L 460 ? I would love to see that !!

[@adampagano5361]

So apparently, one shouldn't park their big beautiful chevy at the bottom of a lake

[@g2theb584]

If you hand tighten the chuck then click it once to the unlock position it will lock the chuck.

[@tasselhoff41]

way to fight the monster. gratz

[@johnparrish9215]

A frustrating but decent start to a 496 build in my opinion.

[@LittleLadyLidbetter]

I wonder if the piston removal was extra hard do to a ridge at the top of the cylinder? I don't know if this generation of engine has an issue with that. I believe there is a tool to remove the ridge enough that the rings can pass it. And of course if you have to use that the cylinders are out of size and would need an overbore. It really looked like a couple of the pistons were bouncing when you hammered on them. I was cheering for you, good job Eric!

[@shadowopsairman1583]

All engines when stored incorrectly or not drained can exhibit the same issues, galvanic corrosion, look it up.

[@edifyguy]

They were bouncing. I saw it too. He said he'd need a ridge reamer (he was right) and then proceeded without it. Ah well.

[@tonymonastiere8510]

You need an acid tank. Just drop everything in with a Hi-Lo. That block can be saved. Redo it! It's a 4 bolt main block, keep it.

[@peted5217]

Wonder when Fords 7.3 Godzilla Big Block will be featured. Basically a large bore LS type design in F250 & up since 2020

[@rosewhite---]

starting at the back causes leakage...but the damage can be 'welded up' by surgeons.

[@MrNeildrake]

….a well deserved engine stand upgrade

[@HypocriticYT]

That engine should have been able to chew up any failed parts and spit them in the oil pan and keep truckin’😂

[@nickmadsen4859]

maybe you could do a 460 ford? if you can find one, love the channel btw!

[@mikeorendi8967]

I've never seen Ford rust on a Chev block before. It might have been parked too close to an Econoline van and the rust jumped over.

[@mrz80]

Ford ?= Full Of Rust, Dude : :D