Why Does Everyone Ignore Tall Deck Big Block Chevy V8s?

[@AndyR1982]

Met a guy at the race track years ago that had a 366 in a nova. He had the heads ported to the max and a single plane intake on it. He told me he picked up 5 of them for 1000 bucks. Had a fairly rowdy cam in it and LOTS of nitrous. His exact words were, " they were cheap, and eat nitrous like a fat kid eats cake."

[@kevinsnyder8448]

Yup

[@DRNEGOLICIS]

Long rods and a heavy piston you won’t get over 5k for long

[@AndyR1982]

@@DRNEGOLICIS, they would get you by long enough. And hell you could cam to shift at 5000. And spray like you are painting a house lol

[@patrickshaw8595]

I would get some Holland Tunnel racing heads you cant normally run on the street and STROKE that tall deck until the fast moving shorty pistons MADE some air FLOW. Yes I am talking El Chino crank and rods and some custom pistons . . . but if NATURALLY ASPIRATED STREET and Holley Dominator Carburetors trip your trigger - Hey!

[@lencac7952]

Back in the day, early 80's, first year of the NHRA Super Comp class is when we are talking. We raced an altered called Danger Zone. If that tells you anything. Anyway, we would only use tall deck truck blocks. For multiple reasons. One, extra attention was paid when it was centered in the mold when cast and the iron was of a higher nickel content than any other passenger block. Second, the cylinder walls are thick. After a sonic check we could punch them .125". The tall deck allows for a longer connecting rod. Forged steel main caps. 427 tall deck with 427 crank, punched .125", 477 ci I do believe, aluminum Super Rods all that stuff. We'd buzz it to 8600-8700 rpm. 7.50 sec. car back in the 80's

[@fastone371]

The problem with using tall decks is you get a real goofy stroke to rod length ratio. They work good with a 4 1/4" or even a 4 1/2" stroke crank though. We were using standard deck 4 1/4" bore blocks and going .100 over IIRC which made them 482". With Howards aluminum rods and a Chevy steel crank we were going thru the traps at 8300 RPM's.

[@lencac7952]

If memory serves me I think we were using .400" long rods for the 477. We did build a couple versions with the 454 crank that were just under 500cid. But the 477 was the nastiest of the bunch.

[@FredCollins-l8c]

they can never compete with a 426 hemi

[@fastone371]

@@FredCollins-l8c I hope that you don't mean the Chrysler Hemi. You do know that the BAE, AJPE, Noonan, etc Hemis have nothing in common with Chrysler Hemi's, right? Other than valve arrangement. Nobody races a Chrysler Hemi, they really don't even make good performance engines, the valves hit each other during overlap with aggressive cam profiles.

[@seancollins9745]

@@fastone371 they share bore space, deck hieght, bellhousing, crank and cam centerlines along with most of the traditional geometery and design, yeah, the ports are bigger but they're pretty close to the original hemi including the deepskirted blocks with cross bolted mains.

[@j.danaclark2166]

I'm a ford boy but I worked on a fleet of 366s and I saw them make it to 400000kms driving a 4000 rpm on the highway unopened. Unbelievably reliable.

[@ZacLowing]

I like Mustangs and Mopars, but gotta respect them big block chebbies.

[@markrobinson4230]

I seen many suck valves and blow pistons up and block is junk then

[@j.danaclark2166]

​@@markrobinson4230I worked on a fleet of 25 and we had a single burnt valve and 1 that a guy cooked because of a blown rad hose.

[@johnjay5143]

@@j.danaclark2166 It was rare that they burnt valves because they were sodium filled industrial . As for running @ 4000 rpm's, that would have sounded like 8000 with the cams they had . lol Never heard of one running at that speed . I'd have fired the fools running them that hard . They are normally a low rpm industrial motor and winds slowly (kind of diesel like) .

[@j.danaclark2166]

@johnjay5143 I don't know the routes the trucks were on so they may have been more gentle but can't argue with the results.

[@TheSquarebodyScientist]

Wow, thanks for all the comments and views! I did not expect to get this much positive reception for this video. Part 2 is on the way! -Cal

[@terryatpi]

Subscribed. Thanks

[@RideRevival_Outdoor]

gratz on a video that seems to have taken off.

[@RedEyedPatriot]

Don't waste the wave Man. The YT algorithm has a way of forgetting about you. Most new channels don't garner views like this. Do some shorts too.

[@RideRevival_Outdoor]

@@RedEyedPatriot truth, ive been at it 6 years and have never had one take off like this.

[@samholdsworth420]

I'm a simple man, I see big block Chevy and I click

[@jtcoker2684]

I had a tall deck 427 when I was 16. It was a bad mfr after we built it. We started to build a big cube with it but sold it instead. It’s now a 550plus ci motor and still running around to this day. I’m 44

[@Neil-ru7kw]

The reason for the taller deck is to accommodate pistons with 4 rings vs 3 , causing a taller piston .

[@johnpopoff7950]

Exactly. The rods were standard Big Block Chevy

[@ogles824]

The first stroker big blocks I can remember seeing that were above 500 cubic inches were built from these. They were highly sought after in those days. That was back in the 80’s.

[@sheldonkelly3124]

All those farm tandems had them, sweetcorn & sugerbeets were hauled, lots & lots. Awesome engines.

[@raymondbourque1669]

My dad ran 366 motors in tandem dump trucks in the 70 and 80s until her retired hauling asphalt. What a work hose those 366s where! Brings back a lot of memories working on these with dad! Thanks for sharing!

[@thereluctantgearhead4544]

Dont use a 454 flexplate on a 427, 454 is external balance, 427 is internal balance. A flexplate from a old style 2 piece seal 350 sbc will bolt right on that 427. A regular 396/427 internal balancer is also needed. 454 is weighted. Im currently building a 427 TD with 6.535 long H-beam rods and forged dome pistons for a 9.8 deck 427. Be around 13.2-1 compression. Gonna turn mine 7500-8000 rpm with a big 274/282@.050 solid roller cam, BPE 316cc rectangle port aluminum heads, 2.30/1.88 valves and a Bowtie singleplane intake made to use a standard distributor. Also using a 1050 Holley Dominator. Should make well over 700hp NA. The deck is .400 taller than a 9.8 deck block. These engines were popular in the truck & tractor pulling world back in the day, seen a few blown, alcohol units making 1800+hp in pulling tractors. Also used in boat drags and Pro Stockers in the late 70s. Also mud bog trucks. They are stout. Definitly worh building. Buy an intake made for a tall deck and .400 long pushrods and thats pretty much the ticket. We built a 366 years ago just to kerp a drag car functional while the 454 was being repaired, with just a L-88 cam, a Tarantula intake, 850 Holley and 2 inch Hooker headers. Ran 7.50s in the 8th in a mid 70s Camaro with a 4000 stall & 4-56 gear. Shifted at 6000rpm. Bottom end was stock except for .060 overbore. Had closed chamber 215 casting 396 heads on it. Bolted right into thst camaro with room to spare. Headers fit no problem. Them blocks are thick as hell.

[@johndcunninghamjr4111]

@thereluctantgearhead4544 That is an awesome build you've got going there. But I don't think this guy is going balls to the wall,I think he is trying to have some cheep fun with some discarded big blocks like a lot my fellow technicians did back in the day. But I got to say I am very impressed with your build. Sounds like it's going to be awesome.

[@jimmillet1442]

How did you keep them from blowing up???My dad owned a chevy dealership in Illinoise when I was growing up in the 60s and I had access to all of them.I couldn't keep any of the big block chevys togeather for very long..they would throw rods through the block in an instant. I tried everything...A couple of my buddies had SS 396 chevelles they bought through my dad.One of them was an L78 375 hp and that car was wicked but it blew at around 9k miles.Thry ere not built nearly as tough as they should have been.

[@davelowets]

​@@jimmillet1442Then you WERE doing something wrong.... If you can't keep a B.B.C. together, then you should have given up.

[@johneckert1365]

Forged crank 454 is internally balanced just like the others. Only cast steel crank 454 were externally balanced.

[@backyardbuilttrucks1]

454 engines are all external balance. There was not enough room in the crankcase for the huge crank counterweights the factory would have to use. So they hang some weight on the flywheel and the harmonic balancer.

[@stevenbauer2205]

The tall deck 427s used to be desirable to racers looking for max performance with durability due to how robust the blocks are, this was before the aftermarket was so prevalent.

[@rubyr.4812]

In 2004, I built a 427T +.030" and put it in my bus conversion hauler. Kept the 4 ring style pistons. I used some bowl ported 396/427 oval port heads with 100cc chambers for 9.5-1 c/r. Also used a 250*-260* XE Comp cam with good results. I still use the factory intake with 2 thermostats. I have an aluminum intake and spacers that I was always going to put on it, but it runs so good I never got to it. I run a 500 cfm Edelbrock with good results. I made some 40" X 1 3/4" dia. headers and "H" pipe, and used a std. SBC/BBC Pertronix billet distributor and a std. BBC oil pump and shaft. I can see the wear pattern on the dist. gear is not in the middle of the gear, but I have about 250,000 miles on this motor with no problems. It got 6.5-7 mpg when it was fresh, pulling 30,000 lbs. gross, and got 3000 miles to a qt. of oil, @ 3000 RPM all day long. That was 20 years ago. Had the pan off to check the rods and mains about 6 years ago and the bearings looked like brand new out of the box! It needs to be freshened up now, as I can tell it's down on mileage and power a little, but it still runs good. Probably needs a valve job, new cam and lifters and a set of rings. Maybe this winter...

[@jazzandbluesculturalherita2547]

TWO thermostats? Why two?

[@survidmt]

When thermostats fail, they don' t open, which usually overheats the engine. I'm not a certified mechanic but it seems to me, the second thermostat is literally a backup, it basically sits in tandem. If one fails the other still allows the flow to happen. I happen to have one in a 22' box truck, Kodiak with a 5 and 2.

[@tommylitchfield3450]

@@survidmt Run a Robertshaw type thermostat . They stay open when they fail. They are more expensive, but cheap insurance against engine failure.

[@colinwallace5286]

I used to run a fat-tired granular fertilizer applicator that started life as a 1985 Chevy 65 with a 366 in it. It breathed through an air cleaner off of a big diesel tractor ducted from behind the cab. I spent about 12 to 14 hours a day bagging that thing across the rolling fields with a few tons of product in the box. I always thought it would be a total riot in the right car or pickup. Never managed to kill that thing. I wasn’t abusive, but doing that job wasn’t easy on our trucks. A side effect of using a transmission mount PTO is that you have to shift gears without the clutch, since every time you shift, the PTO simply acts like a brake, and the synchros can’t overcome it to let you get it back in gear. Having spent some time driving semis, I just started float shifting it, which worked great if you didn’t try to force it. Loved that engine.

[@ThePigslayer]

Glad to see this. I can confirm that a standard distributor will work as long as you’re using the factory intake manifold. If you are using something else, the manifold will need to have spacers under it to accommodate for the extra deck height. And that will all make the distributor too short. The factory intake was designed to work with standard length distributors. The larger crank pulley fits in the 73 square body I’m working on just fine. Oil pan fits fine. I haven’t got a ton of running on it yet, but seems like a good upgrade over the old tired 350 it had. Exhaust is my last project to tackle. I’ve got a couple videos of mine running uploaded if you’re interested

[@scoutdogfsr]

I have a 76 K20 Suburban that runs a nasty tall deck 427 that we pulled from an old C60 flatbed we had on the ranch. It was a bit more involved rebuild than the 396 low deck it replaced but was 100% worth it. At least its not another 454 like most guys just plop in.

[@samholdsworth420]

As the driver of a Suburban with a 454 I am offended lol

[@yolandalindsay8368]

It's a workhorse that is built for torque, strength, ease, drivability, economy & longevity.

[@fastinradfordable]

Not economy lol

[@danielkingery2894]

Def NOT economically oriented...lol In a Squarebody, this thing will pass anything on the road...except a gas station...

[@jasonsapp792]

I also have a 366 in a 1986 C65 single axle dump truck.... It has a Holley carb from factory and an HEI distributor.... School buses are also a good source for 366 engines... Bigger tow trucks can be found with the 427 , had one of those also

[@trevorjoeofficial]

Felt like I was the only guy in the world messin around with one of these lol, I’m in the same exact spot from using rock auto to cleaning everything, awesome keep the videos up👍

[@davidbalderston4665]

I've got a couple videos 366 in a c10 on u tube give you an idea what they sound like with headers cam and intake

[@dDayye]

I've used those engines for years, I still have a 68 c60 with 366, a 69 c60 with 427, a 79 c70 with 366 and a 95 7500 with throttle body 366. They all still run great and I still use them time to time.

[@davidfleishman2275]

I worked at GMC truck dealer 1977/1982. Did plenty of long block replacement.GM did make a 454 tall deck big block as well. Did a few short block replacements on warranty. They would black hole a cylinder. Fellow mechanic had a 1969 Chevy Nova. He rustled up a complete 427(stock) and put it in his Nova. Ran like a truck.

[@russell154]

You had me at squarebody and I stuck around for the big block tall deck talk. Good stuff so I subscribed. Looking forward to your future stuff.

[@johndcunninghamjr4111]

I worked at a GMC dealership back in the late 80's early 90's and those motors were the 427 and 366 were used in UPS trucks and 3500 pickups and tow trucks. We use to buy the cores and use them in 1500 pickups and they ran great,11,and 12 second 1/4 mile times with no problems. All we changed was oil pump, cam,intake, distributor and carburetor of your choice. Those tall decks will run. By the way I recommend a 400 transmission and a 9" rear.. I really don't want to say how I know you will need my recommendation. LOL 😂 But you will thank me for it. 😊

[@thereluctantgearhead4544]

@@johndcunninghamjr4111 Definitely need a T400 and a stout rearend.

[@samholdsworth420]

Put a Nissan CVT in it

[@BillieWilliams-l6m]

​@@samholdsworth420 😮😂😅😂

[@elwoodbrown7005]

In high school we helped a buddy swap out a locked up small block for a 366 into his 2nd gen camaro. I honestly don't remember if it was a 2 or 4 barrel carb but he was very happy with with it and I remember it would peel the G60 belted tires forever..

[@a-k-jun-1]

I used to drag race back in the 90's to early 2000's and exclusively used tall decks. From stock with the peanut port heads to all out stroked/long rod alcohol motors. Didn't care if it blew up because like you said, they were dirt cheap.

[@duncanmacrae6384]

I rebuilt a 366 to replace the 350 in my 1976 K20. I used the "domed" pistons, pocket ported the heads and put a Comp 252 High Energy cam in. I used the stock dual thermostat housing and intake manifold. I replaced the governed holley with a 600 vacuum carb. It turned out to have a lot more power than I thought it would. The original 350 got about 10 MPG. the 366 with some tuning got 13 MPG. This was with a 4 speed non overdrive truck with 4.10 gears. Looking forward to seeing what you do with these.

[@machscga6238]

The 366 set up with the right drive train will beat any other gas truck engine on fuel economy. The reason they don't have a MPG reputation is because they were in the Medium trucks and were paired with 5 speed manuals with the split rear end with 8.44 and 9.55 gears. Swapping these with a 454 is an instant win at the gas station.

[@tommitchell9102]

BUILT 2 BOTH 366. BOTH ARE 330HP. STILL RUNNING AFTER 10 YEARS RELIABLE. THANKS FOR T HE INFO. 😊

[@Richardlunke]

Drove a GMC 366 flatbed. Would hall 5 cord of cedar blocks. It had a 5 speed with 2 speed rear. Loved that truck very dependable and it would scream.😁✌

[@kurtisstutzman7056]

Rock on...! I had heard of them, but this is the first 366 I ever saw... Thanks for sharing... Keep up your awesomeness...!

[@fleetwin1]

So cool! never heard of "tall deck big blocks" before. Can't imagine why people would not like these beefy engines

[@Drsnafubar]

Standard passenger big block was 9.8" deck height and the tall decks were 10.2". At least the aftermarket blocks are. With the tall decks you can get upwards of 632" or better.

[@unclesquirrel6951]

@@Drsnafubarwith the 427T you'll be limited to a max of 520 if the block has zero core shift and the cylinders are extra thick for a 0.125 over bore and with the stroker crank you have to worry about the oil gallery along the pan rail

[@normbarrows2]

The engine in my 71 Chevelle is a tall deck mark IV block. Tall decks require a spacer between the intake and heads, and the deck is 0.100" higher. Otherwise, it's just like any other big block. Mine is a 30-over 454 with a 1/4" stroker crank, which works out to 489 CID / 8.0 L. 4 bolt main. lightened, internally balanced forged Crower crank. longer custom Crower rods. custom JE pistons (1/4" higher wrist pins). 10.28 to 1 compression ratio. World merlin heads with the biggest valves possible. True roller valvetrain. Offenhauser IR intake. Twin 1150 dominators. MSD 7ML2 ignition. Estimated 688 HP on 93 octane - no turbo, no blower, no nitrous. It has a high-volume Melling pump, a road race pan, twin remote Oberg filters, an external oil cooler, an Accusump, and a marine pre-luber. Including the braided steel lines, it takes 15+ quarts of oil. The nose of the car has been replaced with twin NASCAR radiators and 4 cooling fans to keep it from overheating in traffic.

[@timberslasher4899]

I thought the heads were also different from factory, at least on the 427?? But either way, I know a guy that has a truck 427 in a 68' tubbed camaro. Has an M22 so its a 4 speed. Has 33 Thompsons on the back. Not sure of every specific ingredient but it has an 8-71 BDS blower and a 500 hp NOS fogger system. It will light those 33s up with a 4th gear roll on, no nitrous. Not sure what kind of clutch that is that can stand that.

[@normbarrows2]

@@timberslasher4899 all mark IV heads are dimensionally the same and fit both stock deck and tall deck blocks. Tall decks require the intake spacers. Internal dimensions vary - D port, oval port, combustion chamber size, valve size, runner displacement, etc. Odds are they never put D port heads on a tall deck "truck" block from the factory.

[@timfisher77]

I am 62 years old. I have had several square bods. I had a shortbed standard cab two wheel drive with a 4 speed and 350 in 1980 when it was brand new. I had one in 2005 when it was old. I worked on those things when they were still under warranty at a chevy dealership. I like the look and styling of the squarebody series. I like the styling of all the '80s cars. The new cars are so much tighter no rattles, no squeeks, antilock brakes, air bags

[@davonnymorrison8696]

I bought the big water pump from rock auto works great. Under 1977 Chevrolet medium duty truck 366 they even have the thermostat housing gaskets on there for the double thermostat set up.

[@cedarrocksawshop3876]

Very interesting video. I’ve got a 366 myself out of an old C60 that I was going to have rebuilt and put in my 85 one ton. Can’t wait for the next video.

[@leegmc1985]

I worked on these way back. These are stump pullers. Yes, low rpm. Unless you update them. But I worked on both of these. Most were in dump trucks, or trash trucks. There is nothing wrong with these. I used to be blown away at some of them that had factory headers huge 2 1/4 primary tubes. Like SB block hugger headers. I worked on the later 454 and 427 Tonawanda late model versions. But I preferred the old school ones. You will not be disappointed with that 366 in a square body. Torque like a diesel. Man. Memories. Lots of valve stem seal replacements, snd and rod bearing replacements. Thats about it. They are very strong.

[@Bikerbob59]

Looking forward to the build. Always looking for ways to build cool stuff from old farm trucks.

[@TRAVISVANZUIDEN]

Thank you for this video!! I have access to a free running 366 and I was really hesitant on messing with it, but you have me interested

[@jakeblack4095]

I am currently running a 10.2 deck Dart Big M @572" in a 68 C10. There is no replacement for displacement...thanks for the BBC content

[@k.c.s.6347]

Old school budget stroker... 366 block + 454 crank & heads = high reving 427 stroker. Very durable. Very powerful. Very cheap (overall considering what it would cost to build a 427). Adding a decent cam and intake will give you a great low budget monster.

[@tomeickhorst6787]

I had a stock 366 with a cam and intake back in the late 90’s it run mid 11’s in a 70 nova street car

[@Gerrard-k7p]

Hi, I am a fan of tall deck 427''s as the base for performance engines. As you say, 4 bolt mains, forged crank. Fitted with better pistons, almost any passenger car heads, cam etc. you have a strong and cost effective engine. They also a great platform for a stroker, thanks

[@rjcason98]

Excellent. Looking for part 2 video !

[@ScroatBagGarage]

I had one of the 427TD from a 70’s dump truck, did a semi stock rebuild, mild cam, spacers and 2x4 high rise for a hot rod. That sucker was a torque monster. Was for show/cruising and didn’t race it but I would do another. Was cheap ($200), had an edelbrock carb. I don’t recall exactly what was done to get the distributor to set, I think I had the manifold milled so the distributor sat lower, was a long time ago.

[@Carstuff111]

I LOVE the tall deck big block Chevy engines. They can make decent performance when built, however as just good stock, basic engines, they are perfection for work as truck engines. One thing most people seem to forget is that truck engines are often not meant for top end when you are actually doing real work, they are meant to make great low end grunt and run all day under stressed.

[@genehart261]

These engines ran 400,000+ miles in HEAVY service, I'd love to see this one in a 3500 series dually.

[@markofwisconsin]

Many were put in school buses.

[@samholdsworth420]

GM would be doing their shareholders a diservice to put something that reliable in a vehicle today

[@richarddahmer4474]

Well, your about 45 or 50 years to late! I built a lot of them for racing they were really popular with the big inch Chevy guys 454, 468 or bigger! I just finished building one for a good friend of mine and we are almost done with a 78 short-bead pickup! that it's going in! I still have 2 of them that I raced for years and am getting ready to put them in an old, new car and go again! This one I just built is a 496CID at .030 over bore. we could have made it a 502 if we had board it .060 over, but the block was nice, and we wanted to get more mileage out of it! We can boar it .060 over next time! It has a new billet steel crank with a 4.250 Stroke! and just short of a 7" Rod! and a set of maxed out Dart Pro-One Aluminum Heads! The 366-T is not much good as it's a small boar! You can't bore it out to a 4.250 like a 427 or 454! But here's is the deal and why they were and still are sought after blocks for BBC's They are 4 bolt main high nickel blocks just like an HP 427 but what is so great about them is the deck of the block is .400 taller than a regular 427 or 454, now everyone knows that the 454 has a rod angle problem the 427 is perfect! But the 454 is putting a lot of side loading on the trust side of the piston and cylinder because the rod is too short for a 4" stroke! 427's are 3.750 stroke and are great just that way but if you want the toque of the 454 pulse the high RPM house power that would come with it if you had a longer rod to let it sing! It's almost like GM made the 427-T tall deck block just to order for the 454. So here is the deal, you take a 427-T Block, do all the machine work and line hone or check it, and boar it over to what you need or want! take a steel 454 crank and pistons whatever compression ratio you want, and most all Rod manufacturers have a big block chevy rod that is .400 longer than the stock rod! the pistons are for a standard deck 454 nothing special about the pin height just a good Forged Piston! You build it for whatever you're going to do with it? Drag Race, Boat Racing, whatever? You order a set of .400 longer pushrods, and they make a spacer plate kit that raises the intake manifold .400 above stock and the cam and all the rest is your choice! The 2 I have in my shop that are still running, one is a "Bowtie Block" with 4.500 boar cylinders and a big crank with a 4.500 stroke! It's a 572 CID. See GM knew what to do with the truck block! The other one I have is my favorite, it's a regular 427-T truck block I run aluminum rods (Never had any problems with them!) Drove it on the street! But! it's a 461CID .030 over 454, it makes over 900 HP on the Dino! Naturally aspirated with 1-1150 Holley Dominator, and it has a total of 500 HP of nitrous oxide, in 2 stages just for fun! ran it for 12 years never hurt anything! So that's it! I can show it to you! I have a lot of witnesses and people the lost to the car and engine! And I have Nothing to Gaine, I AM A FORD Guy!!! Born and bred! WHY? You Say? Because I know a great engine when I see it and race it! and I give a hole box of Kudos to the GM engineers for coming up with this combo! (o; I have early 66 Mustang Fastbacks a 68 Couger X-R7 70 Maverick and a 70 Torino and a few more. But I also have a 68 all original 3rd owner Z-28. Because I love driving it and the way it runs! Like I always say if you cut yourself off from a great car or engine because of the brand name? You will never know what you're missing! I mean really, when you get done building a car how many parts are actually made by Ford or Chevy? Think about it, Take Care, and Always Have FUN!!! (o;

[@johnsob6]

I have a 366 in my 65 c10. I love it, I can’t wait to see how yours turns out! 👍🏻

[@PaulYount-j2h]

409-348s , also great forgotten Chevy motors!

[@chrisroberts7638]

Ah yes the original "W" big block Chevy with the cool looking valve covers!

[@Drsnafubar]

Can't forget the Z11 427 "mystery motor" in the early sixties race impalas.

[@jazzandbluesculturalherita2547]

Oh Man, why not just restore the old 3-ton chassis? CLASSIC! The phrase "old grain truck" gives me shivers and memories about growing up on our farm. Love all those old trucks and implements. Thoughts of a 5-speed transmission with 2-speed rear end, or some combination like this. Tall decks make for 4-ring pistons, long connecting rods, under-square operation, lower RPMs, and LOTS of torque.

[@thereluctantgearhead4544]

I have a few videos talking about the tall deck bigblocks ya might be interested in. Ive been building them for decades.

[@johndcunninghamjr4111]

@@thereluctantgearhead4544 They do make for some really nice sleepers. LOL

[@thereluctantgearhead4544]

@@johndcunninghamjr4111 Definitely a strong engine. Just look at what they came in stock. Some big ass trucks that haul a lot of weight. Extreme duty applications for sure. Never seen LS engines in C70-C80 dump trucks, grain trucks, tanker trucks, etc. Strongest GM gas engines ever built. I'd buy all of them I can find.

[@kevchev9952]

We still see a lot of the 366 and 427 engines, all in grain trucks. They're going away, mainly because many combines hold more grain than one of these trucks. Most farmers are moving to grain carts and semis. Many of the governors for the distributors have long ago been disabled due to someone throwing on a different carburetor. GM added an extra oil ring to the piston, and this is the reason for the taller deck because the pistons were taller. It was quite common to find an idle cut-off solenoid on a 366 and 427 when they still had their factory parts. The base idle was set with the solenoid energized, and when the power was taken away from the solenoid by turning off the ignition, the butterfly would then close completely, eliminating most cases of run-on or the dieseling effect.

[@dustcommander100]

I had never heard of these. Been thinking I need a little more power in my '85 K10, and maybe I can rustle one of these up around here in the Southeast US. Thanks for making the video!!! Greatly appreciated...

[@davidwinklepleck1196]

Note a 454 flywheel is not neutral balanced. They are different from a 396 or 427. made that mistake one time

[@zacharymunroe270]

Hey man iam in Canada too... I have a 366 and 427 tall deck. Iam gona take the rods press the pistons off because the rods are stronger than the car stuff and the pistons have 3 ring Grove pistons which are taller, But the same length rods.. get some proper pistons for a 454 depending on bore size.. then take the steel crank out of the tall deck as well and put it in a 454 block.. going to play around as well , have a blast and good luck

[@jamesb3511]

I remember a story about these blocks being used in Top Fuel several years ago!

[@JeffKopis]

Not in Top Fuel. Nobody has run anything but aluminum block Hemis since the late 70s.

[@jamesb3511]

@@JeffKopis I think this was around the late 60's early 70's . I remember they were running out of Hemi blocks, Also using the blower on the truck block they had to make a custom intake spacer for the blower. Car ran reasonable to a Hemi but had a valve problem. So this was a sort of one off project.

[@petemcpeterson6205]

There was a nhra top fuel SBC powered rail in the 80s he was leading​ points until the nhra decided to stack weight on his setup . He was absolutely dominant. @@JeffKopis

[@michealmccullom6740]

My dad said back in the day that some of our school buses had 366 motors that ran on propane Maury county TN

[@hensleyshobbies-doug7761]

Man, I've forgotten all about the 366, absolutely just plum forgot, that was a truck, big truck engine too wasn't it, mainly? I just found your channel, glad I did, just in time to see you do something with the 366, going into a square body Chevy too, yeah just staying "stock" more or less, should be really really torquey in the pickup, depending on what tranny you put behind it and rear end, nevertheless ought to be exciting to see! Can't wait! Keep on keeping on and I'll be watching!

[@wayawolf1967]

If I were not running Duramax diesel trucks the only other engine I would be looking for is the tall deck 427. I had a 1979 3500 dually with a 427 tall block in it back in the early 90s and it was a beast. Even got decent MPG.

[@kidsteach938]

The taller deck pushes your heads farther apart, and you need intake spacers ( you know that already), but also your headers will be a tad farther out, making these engines a bit harder to fit into a narrow engine bay.

[@calvincantwell5445]

Young Man FYI small block 400 and 454 used the same flywheel. They’re both externally balanced. All other Chevrolet motors are internally balanced. Good luck with your build.

[@ClassicTVMan1981X]

Besides the 366 and 427, Chevrolet also made a tall-deck 454 V-8 for their medium trucks for the years 1979-80; at most, this version made 245 hp and 380 lbs-ft of torque. After that, we then have the Vortec 7400MD (1999-2001) and 8100MD (2002-2010).

[@tomniggel4101]

427 version is what we used in the old days to make big strokers. 366 was a good source for steal cranks for 396 and 427. use to buy junk ones for cranks and 4 bolt main caps. Heads have huge diameter valve just like the truck 350. Use an intake spacer and you can run a car intake. No 454 flex plate it will nock it out of balance. . Use a big small block or 396 0r 427 flex plate .

[@eddieb4227]

We ran them on the Olympic peninsula haul shake bolts. Truck would haul from 3 to 6 cords of wood. Also ran the GMC V6 hauling the same weights. Pulled just as good!

[@DRNEGOLICIS]

I put a 366 in my c20 when I was a kid. Ran great for years. Good fuel milage and pulled every thing I threw at it. I had a 2 barrel on it for a while and went to a Quadrajet but kept destroying drive lines and transmissions

[@cranerigging3604]

Good points ! We would always grab those engines when I was building big block chevy's back in the 1980's because they had a steel forged crankshaft .

[@paulz2641]

Many dont.

[@toddbell4334]

My brother built a TD 427 with big piston dart top top and yes he machined a msd distributor to proper spec. It was built by component machine in Indy we put it in his mid 80's 2500 square 4x4 it was a fuc$ing beast!!!

[@kevinpeters1596]

There were a few 454 tall decks as well. 502 and higher displacement are tall decks as well I believe

[@jamesboardman7048]

I had c70 single axle, it was a beverage tractor, so I had it pull a three car trailer, it was the bomb two speed differential, just was the best combination for that trailer and picking cars up around Michigan. The only issue the air pump for the brake, kept vibrating loose.

[@ChrisMcCutcheon-wj2pp]

I love these tall decks, no small base circle cam needed, this block will clear a 4.5 stroke arm with very little clearancing

[@toddstanley7804]

366 is an awesome, last forever engine. My dad ran schoolbus's. 366 was perfered over 350's

[@RollinTwentySix]

Awesome video! I have long been curious about these truck engines, thanks for the video!

[@truckericksdashcam]

My dad and I had a delivery business in the 80"s . We had a C60 and 2 C65"s with 366 engines . The best thing about them is they would start no matter how cold it was outside . The worst things is they seemed to shake apart all the time . One time a water pump shaft broke sending the fan thru the rad , at the same time the clutch threw a pizza slice size chunk of clutch out thru the lower bellhousing . The little fan blade on the alternator would split in half sending shrapnel thru the hood . The exhaust gaskets were prone to blow out too . If that happened first thing in the morning , you'd be deaf by the end of the day . The stock carburetors sometimes just didn't respond to throttle input , so I'd pull the choke knob out for a second and it would work again . Pretty reliable for what they were I guess . By 1985 we just switched to diesel trucks .

[@KentuckyFriedFixes]

I know this is an older video but you made some good points here. I've had two of the 427 truck engines and both were 4 bolt mains with a steel crank. I don't know if that was standard production but since your 366 has the same I'm willing to bet the 4 bolt main and steel crank was pretty common on the tall blocks.

[@JSCB-365]

My Buddy has a 366 in his C60. He was gonna swap to an 8.1 but changed his mind so I'm in the process of getting a stand alone harness for the 8.1

[@russellborron5231]

My Dad had a 1950 26 foot GMC flat nose bus. Horizontally mounted rear frame. 409. Geared very low.6.11 to one? Grenaded two 409s. Built 1967 tall deck. Casting marked TRK MAR . Four rings per piston. Fresh build problems solved. Ring and pinion mesh from wrong side.

[@cameronburnett8191]

Not sure how I found your channel but keep the videos coming

[@robertg.tibelljohansson7869]

Intresting stuff and will watch more as you put it on youtube. I have only one thing to say from experiance, remove the oilpan before you turn the engine, if there is debris in it i can fall down in to the engine and easier to diagnose the engines health.. i did not do this on one engine and missed a clip that had come lose, i then rotated the engine and did score a cylinder lining, not a fun day..

[@mightybismark6208]

These have several HD features from the factory. Lots of low end torque. I swapped in a 366 and a mild cam several years ago and I could feel a good improvement over a healthy 350 while plowing snow or in deep mud. The truck it's in is a 3/4 ton square body Suburban.

[@jeffjankiewicz5100]

Fram is trash, use a Wix or Napa Gold(rebranded Wix) oil filter. I`m 66 and they have served me well. Daily is a 1991 C1500 350ci with 340,000 miles. Still running strong and does not burn oil. Oil changes every 3000 miles. Maintenance pays off. You can build that 427 into a screaming monster with a good cam and some port matching. You have a new sub Sir.

[@danielroberts698]

Replaced many tall block 427 back in the 80’s. They came with sodium filled valves. Disasters if you run them too hard. Cylinder number 5 was almost always the culprit. Idk why. My theory was change to stainless valves. It would have been great to have a afr gauge to see if they were running lean. Good motor though we were running them hard over the road.

[@JohnW1711stock]

The 366 blocks were used in early fuel Funny Cars. Jungle Jim, and Bruce Larson, among others used them until they went to Chrysler Hemis.

[@HectorFabela-k6u]

Get on with it, already! I don't have a lot of patience. Lol Looking forward to this build, my guy.

[@spaceghost8995]

You should move on then. This guy is not in a rush like you.

[@HectorFabela-k6u]

@@spaceghost8995 Did you even read my comment? Maybe you missed the LOL and the Looking forward to this build comment.

[@pamdunn8454]

we have a 1972 chevy tall deck 427 complete - carb to pan , in good running condition for sale

[@That70sChannel]

I've got the 305 V6 which I believe is essentially that family. '69 GMC C5500

[@chrisroberts7638]

There is also a 351 V6 that GMC made; and also a "702" V12 that was just two of the V6's connected end to end - two carbs, 4 heads, 2 distributors. The block may have been a single casting though. Back in the times where each division of GM had their own engineering departments and were set free to try novel approaches like front wheel drive units that took a Olds 455 and a TH400 trans that was reversed and connected to the flexplate/torque converter with a 2 inch chain; and two half shafts and CV joints to provide torque-steer free FWD. GMC ended up using this in their RV where FWD gave it a low, flat floor and made it easy to drive compared to box-on-frame RV's of the time. Now GM sells us a Chevy Suburban/ GMC Tahoe/ Cadillac Escalade ESV that from 50 feet away you can't tell which one it is and they all use the same engine. The 1960's/70's were a great time for automotive engineering!

[@MattWare-p9b]

Yes, the 366 was actually a good running engine. It was actually my motor that I let my cousin use I pulled one out of a dump truck and me and my cousin put it in his 1974 nova it was not fast at all. It had no horsepower but it had a shit ton of torque it would light the tires up Very easily but it would only turn about 4000 RPMs it was done and we left truck intake on the truck water pump. It had that weird ass thermostat double thermostat housing we had to make an adapter for the radiator hoses and everything we left the factory distributor and just converted it to pertronix electronic ignition, and we took the factory carb off and put a just a regular 750 double pumper on it and we ran it and it was a real reliable engine he drove it for almost 4 or five years like that until he over revved it to 5000 RPMs and broke a piston

[@moosehand8721]

That 366 lifter valley looks fresh out the box. Surprised it wasnt sludge city.

[@hunnybunnysheavymetalmusic6542]

I always prefer high capacity cooling and lubricating options. I have a 9 quart pan on my 361 I/C 4 bolt main, and a 7 gallon 4 vane radiator. It was a fleet truck pulling heavy equipment for the city of Norwalk, CA and while only listed as am F350, it is rated as a 3 ton. My newer Ck3500 is also a fleet truck, but being a 93, it has just a fairly normal 350 and 4L80E, which is not nearly as rugged. The drive lines are somewhat different: one has an I/C engine with fleet cooling, a 4 speed manual, and a 5.11:1 Dana 70, and the other has a fairly standard model engine, automatic trans, and a 4.10:1 Dana 70 While they both have the same wheel base, I would have to directly measure the frames to know if they are the same length or not. The frame on the Ford is thicker, but its also 1-ply "C" channel style, and the "k" member is bolted on, While the thinner CK frame is "box" style with a few additional welded pieces as it merges into one under the engine, instead of having a bolt-on, drop-out "k" member. They both have single piece front wheel hubs [disc brake rotors integral to the hubs] instead of the more common shallow hubs with removable rotors and a bolt-on extension for dually type rims. A 366/427 would be a nice replacement for the 350. My brother has one of those 427's in a 92 C-60 feed truck, but he has plans for putting it in an older square body 73 model C-60 dump truck. I'll just have to keep my eyes out for one of these motors......and a manual transmission.

[@johnpopoff7950]

The flywheel housing he is talking about is for an Allison 540, 643 and 654 series automatic transmissions and manual transmissions used at the time.

[@TheSquarebodyScientist]

the truck that this engine came out of had an Eaton 5 speed manual in it - thanks for the comment!

[@LSswapGarage1]

My nemisis of my being... the 366. All the praise comes from people that never worked them as they had zero power and just got hot. In a pickup you will never have that issue though. That wasn't just one truck either.. it was many. The 427 was a lot more fun and had a decent bore size at 4.25" like the low deck variants. The heads on them are pretty awful in most cases... like 1.94" intake valves and 120plus cc chambers. The 4 ring pistons aren't meant for rpm but it all depends how far down the rabbit hole you want to go. If you notice, most praise comes from guys that are literally using only the block lol. I keep tinkering with my neighbors tandem with a 427... dumping in a normal hei and ditching the governed Holley helps, which you don't have anyway lol.

[@MrTravis789]

I think there was something about you need a big block radiator, a big block fan and a big block shroud to cool it right

[@davem3148]

My understanding of these engines is they have a heavy weight crank , rods and pistons. Drove them for years. These motors only turn 4000 to 4500 rpm because of the heavy duty parts used. If you use passenger car or pick truck parts you can make them run right on the street. Throw away the truck parts, and the it will make a good stroker engine with aftermarket parts.

[@offroad6309]

Been more than a few years since I've rebuilt a BBC. I currently have a 366 and std 427 sitting around. I also have a grain truck with a 427 5spd and 4spd auxiliary trans with a pto and dual rear axles. Came here looking for modern information. I'll check your play list to see what you have done. Thanks Edit. Well, that was disappointing. You haven't added to the rebuild 😕. Hopefully you will have a finish video plus more.

[@elipete211]

I bought a K20, the guy said it had a 396 but it turned out to be a 366. It has 373’s and is pretty good on gas for what it is. I put a sniper 2 on it and have yet to put it out on the road to see how much of a difference it makes

[@gomergomez1984]

Never heard of a 366 before. It’s a 4 bolt main, interesting motor.

[@76629online]

Also, a 454 does not have a neutral balance, they're externally balanced. They have counterweighted flexplates and flywheels, and the damper is also counterweighted. Note: NEVER turn the motor upside-down before removing the oil pan.

[@WARD5KUSTOMZ]

Ive got a 78 c6000 with a 366. Takes quite a bit to warm up. I need to get a carburetor on it.

[@jump62]

i have a 366 in a 1973 half ton 4x4 chevy truck that i put in around 1983 still have it used in field to spray farm chemicals has a 350 turbo auto trans behind it haven't ran it for years it was a beast positive track rear end had to be careful how hard you got on it had to put in two rear ends because i was playing around if your going to put it in a pickup find 454 exhaust manifolds makes it much easier if going auto a flywheel off a 327 auto trans will also be need good luck

[@CzechSixTv]

There's a small weight penalty to the tall deck motors, but the biggest reasons they weren't as popular to build are intake choices and rotating assemblies. Intake spacers are a compromise and there is far less variety in direct fit intakes(I've only ever seen single planes). Internally you either need custom pistons or longer aftermarket rods if doing anything but a stock rebuild. Back when aftermarket blocks were high dollar race team stuff these motors made a little sense for a full on big inch race build. Nowadays the last of the standard deck factory big blocks, or aftermarket replacements from the likes of Dart, can take you well over 500ci.

[@Kenny-1958]

All cranks in tall deck blocks are forged steel. Rods are same as low deck blocks, tall deck blocks use 4 ring pistons needing extra deck height.

[@johneckert1365]

No they aren't. All the tall deck 427 are forged steel. Most of the 366 are cast steel.

[@Lorne.Mccuaig]

@@johneckert1365 I can't speak with authority as to forged or cast cranks, but what I can say is the strokes are the same. If the 366 crank is forged, it's identical to the 427.

[@johneckert1365]

@Lorne.Mccuaig yup, strokes are identical. Maybe there were 366's with forged cranks, but I've never seen one. I've taken alot of them apart too.

[@Spudderr]

Would love to do a tall deck in my c3500 with an nv4500 behind it, talk about a tough as nails one ton when I’d be done

[@DuffusMonkey]

You can make a huge stroker motor with a tall deck big block. I think my buddies race car is 572 CI but he is using an aftermarket block so I am not sure how close it is to OEM block. I have solid models of 2006 Chevy big block RV engines used in UPS style trucks