Engine Failure - The Road To Recovery - Twin Turbo Ameri-Barra Vortec 4200 Datsun

[@fredbadgett7962]

"A Fist Full of Vortec." At least that's what the music made me think of. Where's Clint Eastwood?

[@michaelblacktree]

I guess the sequel would be "For a Few Horsepower More"? 😎

[@fredbadgett7962]

@@michaelblacktree Well played, Sir!

[@andrewnelson3733]

Too funny

[@jp2246]

9:19 dang your fast

[@Calvin-Nelson]

My Dad taught me well.

[@dilsher12]

Looking forward as always

[@thomaskueny566]

excellent video

[@Calvin-Nelson]

Thanks!

[@itsdarooster8160]

I suffer from really bad anxiety and your videos always calm me down I love your channel and builds!!!!!!

[@Calvin-Nelson]

Thanks! Glad we could help!

[@ericbengtson3490]

Can't wait for the dyno results on this build. Compound turbos oh my! Much love to your family and your content. God bless.

[@Mrshotshell]

They're not compound, just two of them like a twin turbo v8

[@Calvin-Nelson]

Thanks!

[@crazyfoot490]

Good luck. Go get em.

[@Calvin-Nelson]

Thanks!

[@B0RN2RACE100]

This was a great video. Definitely subscribed

[@Calvin-Nelson]

Thanks!

[@devil2jz500]

In Brazil they have the GM 4.1 inline six and they make insane HP on those. They even sell billet blocks of them.

[@haatch999]

the rebuild is just the start bigger and better one thing to note is methanol doesnt miss fire it detonates when lean so she may run fine at ethanol tune but will ping knock and detonate shredding built engines good luck with the american barra aussie rooten for ya

[@Calvin-Nelson]

Good to know. Thanks!!

[@codemanrose]

Looking forward to good results with this engine!

[@ChrisCookAuto]

I want to do a 4200 turbo build for my 5th gen Camaro so bad!

[@Calvin-Nelson]

Do it!!

[@devil2jz500]

They already come with a front differential set up for AWD projects.

[@mp5778]

Great editing, and excellent content. Always enjoyable. Stock cams?

[@Calvin-Nelson]

Reground cams

[@michaelblacktree]

Did you also use the solid lifters?

[@blackericdenice]

Why couldn't you install new thrust bearing?

[@Calvin-Nelson]

We could have probably done that. Not going to risk it with a motor that has little tiny pieces of metal running through it at the moment.

[@blackericdenice]

@@Calvin-Nelson Cool. My 2004 Trailblazer 4.2 (183k miles) stalled twice in traffic yesterday with the a/c on. I was just wondering when will I have to clean the throttle body again.

[@Calvin-Nelson]

@@blackericdenice Good old PCV system.

[@xozindustries7451]

Does anyone make forged pistons for the4200 yet. I’m excited to see how much this motor can make at the dyno

[@marktilley388]

yes they are going to install them on there next build, I believe they are Mahle

[@daniesalex7073]

If my memory serves me right , they already made a fully built motor with rods and pistons for the white wagon

[@Calvin-Nelson]

@@daniesalex7073 Everything we have run up until this point has been stock bottom end.

[@daniesalex7073]

@@Calvin-Nelson damn

[@stevec5280]

Did it destroy the crank thrust surface too or just bugger the bearing?

[@Calvin-Nelson]

No idea. Not going to risk it on a motor that had metal sent through it at the moment.

[@riffraff9000]

Wow. I suddenly thought I was on Cooper Bogetti's channel, what with the music and all. lol.

[@Calvin-Nelson]

A lot of the car youtubers use the same music. Lol. I actually heard the one on Alex Taylor's youtube.

[@shadowopsairman1583]

I wonder if there is a 6 bolt flex plate, and torque converter like there was on the TH transmissions

[@Calvin-Nelson]

There are. We'll go with what has worked in the past.

[@woodzy575]

What is the "first time out" 1/4 mile goal? Sounds real nice on that burnout, great work!

[@Calvin-Nelson]

Actually going to run 1/8th for a little while. Hoping we can get into the low 5s first time out.

[@hisproperty1438]

G'day Nivlac, Errr... Ummm... That's not how you measure bering crush. You need the bearing shells in the rod & cap to measure it. Crush is the gap between the mating surfaces of the bearing housing when the bearing shells are installed, and 1 cap bolt is loose. Andrew

[@Calvin-Nelson]

Ok. Maybe I used the wrong term. I think the way I measured it did the trick.

[@uptownsamcv]

awesome work. would the 4200 fit in any GM that came with a Vortec V8 or LS option?

[@Calvin-Nelson]

There is a good chance. I have dimensions on the wiki. sites.google.com/view/vortec4200wiki/dimensions

[@brianhaw9398]

Good luck at the noname nationals!

[@Calvin-Nelson]

Thanks!

[@bobh5th]

Hey, I’ve been watching for a while and you’ve done quite a lot with these engines so far. With presumably plenty more ideas to come. You have nearly entirely fueled my love for the 4200. Is there anywhere I can find a list or video where you break down everything you’ve tried thus far with successes and failures?

[@Calvin-Nelson]

I have this. sites.google.com/view/vortec4200wiki/power-matrix Also, lots more info on that wiki site.

[@landondosch7841]

Rip

[@jackmehoff1565]

That is not a remand tag it’s a heat button junkyards put them on engines when sold so if it comes back they know if it was overheated

[@Calvin-Nelson]

Ok. Whatever it's called. It had stampings on it too that had an engine service shop too.

[@zrxdoug]

So, are the new rods the same weight as the originals, or did you do some sneaky off-camera balancing, or what? Nice work!

[@Calvin-Nelson]

They are a different weight. New rods are heavier. It's an inline 6. Crank is neutral balance. As long as all rods and pistons are the same weight it doesn't need balanced.

[@zrxdoug]

@@Calvin-Nelson D'oh! I keep forgetting that..

[@aarownsdumbchannel]

I don't recall. Is the 4200 a 180 degree thrust bearing? Any thrust bearing upgrades?

[@sirkrow7118]

I havent found any in my research. just a cam grind and some rod upgrades and arp fasteners

[@Calvin-Nelson]

It's 180 degree thrust. You can install two upper shells. We didnt.

[@frankensteincreations4740]

Job well done brother! Only thing I’m wondering is how the rotating assembly balance is with the new rods… 👍

[@Calvin-Nelson]

No need. It's an inline 6. No bob weights.

[@frankensteincreations4740]

@@Calvin-Nelson kinda what I was thinking since the forces are all in equal and opposite directions they probably cancel out… not like a 90* engine…

[@MineCraftRoundHouse]

what ECU? Also s it a one off intake?

[@Calvin-Nelson]

Megasquirt Goldbox. Yes. One off intake.

[@Drunken_Hamster]

So a couple things: Why'd you choose to go twins instead of a twin-scroll single? Also, is there any read-up on this engine series that shows stuff like how many bolts are on the main crank bearing caps, head flow, head stud size, etc? Lastly, given your dyno testing, would you say these engines are good for 100whp per cylinder while being daily reliable on a stock bottom end? Maybe 125whp per cylinder as a "weekend warrior"?

[@sirkrow7118]

Im just some guy on the internet but ill give you my 2 cents. My best guess for the turbo selection is due to airflow. you can make a single but work on other inlines because they may push more air. these 4.2s may not move enough air to really support a single big without a TON of turbo lag (this is really only the case for pushing the upper limits of these engines). my best guess to support this is the head not flowing enough to support it. To your dd reliability, if you do the cam grind, some injectors, coils and plugs, a descent turbo rated for your power goals (600), and a quality tune I dont think youll have any real reliability issues as long as your not running pass after pass after pass or really hard launches. Im pretty heavily considering this swap for my xj project. so far its gonna be lifted by ~6.5 inches and have a 1 ton axle swap. The amc 4.0 is amazing but not capable of the power goals I want for it so hence my research. I wanted to go LS (yea ik) purely for the simplicity and price. you can do it damn cheap and not be waay in the hole. well With this engine I can still do that. to what ive found I can run the same ecu for the 4200 as an ls and the 4200 bolts to almost any chevy trans since its got the 4l60 bolt pattern. So basically if Im not happy with the turbo 4200 then I can just yank it, change the engine wiring harness, engine mounts, and reprogram/retune the ecu.

[@marktilley388]

@@sirkrow7118 this engine has a unique trans mounting pattern from my recollection hence the adapter plate being used here. I could be wrong,

[@michaelblacktree]

That's correct. The Atlas engines have a unique bellhousing bolt pattern. GM made a special 4L60 bellhousing, just for these engines.

[@Calvin-Nelson]

Went with twins because we thought it looked cool and had them on the shelf. On a stock bottom end 700whp is where I'd keep it. Replace the rods and it will hold a lot more.

[@xtremeboost7]

Why not just replace the thrust bearings?

[@Calvin-Nelson]

Not going to risk it right now with a motor that has a bunch of metal all through the oil passages.

[@Calvin-Nelson]

@Kris K you absolutely could.

[@jackmagnium6115]

i do have a good question though. the vortec 4200 is 4.2L vs the barra being a 4.0L. whats the actual size difference and is it from bore(circle size) or the stroke?(the length the piston travels)

[@Calvin-Nelson]

A little bit of both.

[@6226superhurricane]

4.2l 93 x 102mm barra 92.96 x 99.31mm both are under square motors which isn't the best for high rpm pretty common to destroke barras from 99.31 to 90mm 3.7l displacement for more rpm

[@TurboWorld]

How much does it weigh? Is the block girdle stock?This is glorious, Very happy to have this video on my channels playlist. Very impressive work Sir!

[@Calvin-Nelson]

They're very comparable to a aluminum 5.3L. sites.google.com/view/vortec4200wiki/dimensions

[@Cytheguy99]

I’ve decided to rip my I6 out of my envoy and will need to know those ring caps and what oil pan you have there. I’d also like to know more about your intake setup. I probably will have more questions as I proceed

[@Calvin-Nelson]

Not sure what you mean by ring caps. Oil pan and intake are custom made.

[@Cytheguy99]

@@Calvin-Nelson I meant gaps sir I love your build

[@Calvin-Nelson]

@@Cytheguy99 Pistons have sealing rings that are essential to sealing the combustion chamber off from the crank case. The rings sort of have a "C" shape to them. When you install the rings into the bore, there will be a gap between the tips of the ring. This gap is necessary, but allows a little bit of combustion to make it past the ring. The factory makes that gap as small as possible for that reason. The gap is necessary because when you run the engine, the heat from the combustion causes the ring to expand and grow shut. If the gap is too tight, it will usually cause you to break a piston because the ring will bind in the bore of the engine. Since we are planning to quadruple to the horsepower of the engine, that is going to generate a ton more heat and we need to make that gap wider.

[@Cytheguy99]

@@Calvin-Nelson thank you

[@Calvin-Nelson]

@@Cytheguy99 No problem.

[@supercuda1950]

Why do the head bolts snap (steel into aluminum)? Once the head studs are installed, I assume this is no longer a problem but if you had to remove a stud would it sanp or does antisieze prevent this? Also, would the later crank be ok for a single turbo with lower boost, say around 500hp? Thanks for the video and good luck .

[@Calvin-Nelson]

No idea why the head bolts snap. They just do. Seems to be related to the number of miles on the engine. You could use any year engine or combination of parts for that power goal.

[@racingruth9470]

👍👍

[@jcchristopher7827]

Sweet sounding 4200. I've been trying to figure out what year would be best for a mild super/turbo charger build toy/work truck we have some in the junkyard where I work part time any help would be appreciated thanks

[@Calvin-Nelson]

Any year would be good for that

[@jcchristopher7827]

@@Calvin-Nelson kk thanks I want to get it close to 400 whp hopefully keep the boost down to twelve or fifteen psi just don't know which ones are better for it. I wish they would have made a direct injection version that would have been a great one. Thanks

[@Calvin-Nelson]

@@jcchristopher7827 sites.google.com/view/vortec4200wiki/power-matrix

[@jcchristopher7827]

@@Calvin-Nelson thanks. We just got a late model 08 envoy in at work around a hundred thousand miles but is it better to get the factory harness out of the envoy or get a stand alone harness thanks

[@thewraith6360]

I know a ton of guys making alot of power running the molnar stuff on jetskis, around 200-250 hp a cyl. Also seen them fail on one of turbojohns vlogs where someone had a set of those molnar rods fail in a turbo windsor and turbojohn said he was surprised they failed cause those rods were actually really good. I feel like i know who said that to you and if im right the application that person does alot of R&D on has an infinite amount of aftermarket support, so for sure molnar H-beams compared to like a manley turbo tuff or the new boostline series is not comparable, but i don't think for what you guys plan to make you'll have any issues.

[@Calvin-Nelson]

Yep. They held up well. Just got off the dyno. Next weeks video will be good.

[@thewraith6360]

@@Calvin-Nelson Hell yeah cant wait 💪🏻when i get paid friday im getting one of your shirts!

[@Calvin-Nelson]

@@thewraith6360 Thanks man!!

[@andymarshall4014]

Who made the oil pan? Is there an adapter needed to run a glide or turbo 350/400?

[@Calvin-Nelson]

We made the oil pan with some help from our friends at PC Machine works. Contact Eric Heinze on Facebook. He can make you one. Yes there are adapters. Look up Emtech motorsports

[@SchofieldBrothersRacing]

I was wondering if the convertor ballooned and sheared off the lugs. I'm guessing at least the front pump is trashed like the thrust bearing. (skimmed thru last video and just started on this one.)

[@Calvin-Nelson]

I doubt it. We've run that same converter that failed at higher power levels.

[@SchofieldBrothersRacing]

@@Calvin-Nelson Just a thought. Glad you got it back together so quickly and the new rods are good to go! Can't wait to see the next dyno runs. With the new rods what are the power limits?

[@daleknapke4981]

In this video I saw a 2019 Drag Week poster on the wall. Did you do one in 2014 or 2015? Sorry for the off topic question.

[@Calvin-Nelson]

My Dad and Mom did.

[@crew4x4]

Does a standard th350 th400 etc bell style bolt right up ? Also what are you using to control these engines super interested in this swap over the ls v8

[@Calvin-Nelson]

You need a simple and affordable adapter plate to put a th400 behind it. The dowel locations are the same, but the bolt locations are not. For this one I'm using a megasquirt. For others I have used Holley EFI, and Maxxecu.

[@jdcustomz]

You seriously have me thinking about pulling my 4.8l in my FC3s and slapping in a 4200. Eveyone has an LS. Inline 6 engines becoming the new LS. The older BM M54 engines seeing 500hp no tune

[@Calvin-Nelson]

Do it. Honestly they're a better engine in my opinion.

[@benjaminhuston6763]

wait so what head studs did you go with if you're not running factory bolts?? arp hardware hasn't been produced yet? i was talking with a guy just last week and we were going to go halves on a proof of concept and run them. Most of that pnp was exhaust work, huh? or did he go at the intake as well? Very, very curious

[@benjaminhuston6763]

also, what head gasket did you decide to run?

[@thewraith6360]

Gen 3 LS bolts work, check the wikipedia page he made for this engine.

[@benjaminhuston6763]

@@thewraith6360 I am well versed on the page. just must have missed it

[@benjaminhuston6763]

@@thewraith6360 just scoured the website again looking for it & could not find it.... maybe it was in one of his videos.... thanks tho

[@thewraith6360]

@@benjaminhuston6763 Its no big deal its a possibility, but yeah any studs that work for a gen 3 LS will work with this engine, ARP, the china studs or whatever. They just are a tad long but dont interfere with anything.

[@worstcrewchiefever6646]

how long is that 4.2 balancer to back of the block

[@Calvin-Nelson]

sites.google.com/view/vortec4200wiki/dimensions

[@tiitsaul9036]

Are you going with solid or hydraulic lifters this time? How high you planning to spin it?

[@Calvin-Nelson]

Going hydraulic for now. We will spin it to wherever the power peak is. (That turned out to be 7600 RPM)

[@TheRealTurboJesus]

I’ve been wanting to build one of these for a decade and a half. How much do you think you’d have into a build that was only ever gonna make 12-15psi??

[@Calvin-Nelson]

sites.google.com/view/vortec4200wiki/power-matrix

[@stephenolshefski9290]

Good luck at NN. Join is not an option for me. I want to buy a shirt and this video’s soundtrack. But mostly a shirt

[@davidleslie6207]

Awesome video! Would you consider building an engine to sell?

[@Calvin-Nelson]

Thanks. No. We're a little too Sloppy for me to be comfortable with that. Appreciate the interest.

[@seanmathias7569]

What radiator is that your running on this car?

[@Calvin-Nelson]

Second hand sprint car radiator.

[@shenanigansgarage3911]

An im talking junk about that motor🤣🤣 I threw a rod out of a 03 envoy an swore against em every since. Now I really wanna see one in a ranger or s10🤣

[@Calvin-Nelson]

They're awesome engines. I wouldn't be surprised if the front sump and 6 quart oil capacity had something to do with your rod failure.

[@QuintenLewis1989]

does anyone know what the bare block weighs?

[@Calvin-Nelson]

sites.google.com/view/vortec4200wiki/dimensions

[@gregthemechanicman]

it doesn't appear that you measured the rod in the most important area.. you need to measure the rods at the parting line while torqued to see if there is distortion from torqueing the rod bolts. that will pinch a bearing and throw out your clearance on the sides even though the top and bottom clearance is good and that's where everyone applies plastiguage.. but never near the parting line as it usually doesn't give good results as it gets pinched between instead of showing a good measurement.. but a rod pinching on the sides is common and the reason a lot of people loose engines if not checked.

[@Calvin-Nelson]

Hm. I would hope the aftermarket rods would not flex as much in that area, but it is probably worth a check. Maybe on the next motor.

[@jonazevedo28]

The Atlas engines are hidden treasures, aluminum block, 4.0 liter unline 6 cylinder shall we say more. i have wondered why people muck about with a 2JZ, when you get an extra 1 liter of displacement, better housing options for transmissions, and a better cylinder head. GM has so much figured out

[@Calvin-Nelson]

Agreed. Wait until you see this week's video coming our on Sunday. PS. They're a 4.2L, just so you know.

[@sandman900rr]

do any of you atlas fans know of one of these being swapped into a cherokee ?? No luck finding one myself.

[@Calvin-Nelson]

It has been done. Look on the Facebook page.