Building A 502 GM Crate Engine To Drop In A '71 Chevelle

(Chuck)>> It's red hot and blue, and it's our latest performance project on Horsepower TV.

(Joe)>> Today on Horsepower TV we'll kick off our crate motor buildup on Project Blue Thunder with a 502 cube engine that makes 502 horses. We'll head to West Palm Beach for a Ford lover's paradise where the blue oval boys do battle on the strip. Plus we've got a cool tip on how to use weather stripping to make your hot rod a real show stopper. So hang on for Horsepower TV. [ music ]

(Joe)>> What a sweet ride. I love this thing. Hey partner, how's it going?

(Chuck)>> Well, as usual your timing is impeccable here. While you were out having a good time cruisin' in the Super Sport, I've been working on our latest project. Hi, welcome to the shop. Now, what we've got here is a '71 Chevelle that's fresh out of the paint shop. And what I've been doing is putting all this new trim on here that we got from Original Parts Group.

(Joe)>> And, you did a great job.

(Chuck)>> Thanks.

(Joe)>> Now, this is a car that's definitely all dressed up with no way to go. Let me show you what I mean. Under the hood here, well it's missing a few major components like an engine. But you know what? Today we've got that covered.

(Chuck)>> Now, we're gonna start our "Blue Thunder" buildup with this 502 horse 502 from GM Performance Parts. It's gonna be the perfect thing to take our classic Chevelle into the '90's with more cubic inches, more horsepower, and maybe even a little bit more mileage thanks to state-of-the-art fuel injection and camshaft technology.

(Joe)>> Good point. Now this 502 crate motor comes factory-assembled with a short block and some pretty stout parts including these JE Forged pistons. And on the bottom end, well we've got four-bolt mains around a steel crank. Now let's take a look at the heads that come with this 502. They're made of aluminum and they have oval ports and 219-188 valves.

(Chuck)>> man, those are some great parts but we're gonna swap out the camshaft anyway for one that'll give us the horsepower we're after without sacrificing idle quality. Now what we've got is a crane dual-pattern hydraulic roller, here, and while it may sacrifice a little bit of upper end horsepower, what we're gonna get is gobs of bottom end torque. Before we can take out the old camshaft, we need to remove the factory spider and the lifters.

(Joe)>> Using a special puller we remove the balancer, then the timing chain cover, the timing chain, and finally the old camshaft comes out.

(Chuck)>> Here's a little tip that's gonna help you the next time you install a cam shaft. I like to go ahead and put some lube on this first journal and then go ahead and insert it into the block. That way the block will support the cam shaft while you lube the rest of the journals. Now remember what we said about this being a dual-pattern cam shaft. Now that means that the exhaust side has a little bit more lift and duration than the intake side and that's gonna help us with both the cylinder pressure and it's gonna help scavenge the exhaust a little bit better.

(Joe)>> We've got our retainer plate back on here to keep the cam from walking forward. Next we want to put our chain back on and line up these two dots so that we're right at top dead center. Looks like we hit it. Blue Thunder's 502's a mighty big motor with a lot of stuff slinging inside so we're gonna upgrade to this fluid damper to take care of those vibrations. As you can see we've got our timing cover back on. Now we'll put some of this anti- sieze lube on the crank snout. And, when installing these things always use the proper installation tool, never, never, use a hammer.

(Chuck)>> An oil pan swap is the next order of business. And here's the reason why. Now the stock 502 sump just won't clear the chassis on our Chevelle. But, moroso makes one that will. As you can see, it's considerably shorter than the stock sump there, plus, it's about an inch shallower and with these side kick-outs, it still holds that extra quart of oil.

(Joe)>> You bet. Another neat feature of this pan is it allows us to use our stock windage tray. That'll free up a few more horses. Also it's got this baffle here to keep the oil down in the sump and a trap door that keeps the oil from sloshing forward.

(Chuck)>> Now that shallower sump also requires a special pickup. And Moroso's gone so far as to heliarch this one to a high-volume pump. Course it's already set at the proper depth. Now, we're gonna pump you up with a lot more Horsepower TV when we return.

(Joe)>> That's right. We'll bolt the heads, ignition and induction on project "Blue Thunder", so stay with us. (Joe off camera)>> Hang on Ford fans, later we'll take you to the Ford classic at Moroso Park in West Palm Beach. Then, we'll show you how weather stripping can add a show car touch to your rod.

[ music ]

(Joe)>> Hi, welcome back to the shop and to more of our 502 build-up on project "Blue Thunder". Well, we got the oil pan on and we're about ready for those heads now.

(Chuck)>> Yeah, but before we do, check out these gaskets that came with our 502 kit. They're a composition gasket with an integral steel sealing ring, and silicone sealant's already applied around all the coolant passages.

(Joe)>> we showed you these heads, earlier, but here's something else you might be interested in. They're factory port-matched on the intake and exhaust sides. Plus, the bowls have been blended for improved flow and a little more horsepower.

(Chuck)>> We're using ARP stainless head bolts here so make sure to apply some of their thread lubricant to prevent galling and to give you the proper torque value. Now for these aluminum heads, we'll crank 'em down to 60 foot pounds. [ torque wrench clicking ]

(Joe)>> Now we can reinstall our lifters and remember these are rollers, so they just need a little bit of oil on them get'em lubed up for initial start-up. After the lifters, we reinstall the alignment bars and bolt the spider back on.

(Chuck)>> Well we're ready for the push rods now. Of course we've upgraded ours with these special chromemoly heat-treated pieces.

(Joe)>> While you drop 'em in, I'll go get the rockers.

(Chuck)>> Hey, great idea.

(Joe)>> It would have been cool to use roller rockers instead of these but clearance is a problem with the valve covers that came with our kit, and we want to use these because their low profile will allow us to use the stock accessory brackets for things like air conditioning, you've got to have that.

(Chuck)>> That's important. These might look like stock, stamped rockers, but actually they're Crane's new "Nitro Carb" pieces. What they utilize is a special treatment process that'll give three to five times more wear resistance. At any rate, make sure you give 'em plenty of assembly lube right down here in the pivot area.

Adjusting your valve train is easy, just rotate the engine until the cylinder that you're working on has both lifters bottomed out. Then just tighten the rockers until you eliminate all the clearance. Once you've done that, give it an extra quarter turn to preload the lifter.

(Joe)>> Now this thing's really starting to look like an engine. Our 502 kit also included this cool piece designed to keep the hot oil off the bottom of our intake. It just drops in here like this and snaps right into place.

(Chuck)>> Well, we're gonna feed our 502 rat with this "Super Ram" fuel injection system from accel. Now, it's a multiport design that works up to about 6500 rpm and of course it comes with its own wiring harness, high volume electric fuel pump, and computer. Now this computer's gonna allow us to tune this system using their Calmap Software.

(Joe)>> You know the real heart of this technology has to be this large design and check this, 1000 cfm throttle body. Enough to feed the hungriest rat. What you say we bolt this stuff on?

(Chuck)>> Man, that's a great idea. I've got the computer, you get the heavy stuff.

(Joe)>> Thanks, pal.

(Chuck)>> All right, there, mine's in place.

(Joe)>> Mine too.

(Chuck)>> Here's a little tip for you budding engine builders out there. Instead of using those rubber end rail seals that can blow out and cause a leak, try this next time. I like to run a bead of silicone along the end rail here to seal things up.

(Joe)>> All right, here we go.

(Chuck)>> Straight down.

(Joe)>> How we looking?

(Chuck)>> Looking good over here.

(Joe)>> Okay.

(Chuck)>> Alrighty. Here, I'll get these bolts.

(Joe)>> Yeah, give me some.

(Chuck)>> Here's a couple for you. I've tightened up the intake from the center out, using a criss-crossed pattern. The throttle body is next. Meanwhile, Joe's been getting our ignition system together over there. How's it going, sparky?

(Joe)>> Hey man, I'm all fired up. We'll light off our fat rat with a high-output, multi-spark ignition. This one's from msd and includes their pro billet distributor, six al control box, this blaster ss coil, and a set of their eight and a half millimeter wires. A conventional system loses ignition intensity as the engine revs but with a capacitive discharge system like this you get full power even at high rpm.

(Chuck)>> I've brought the number one cylinder to top dead center, so now we're ready to drop in the distributor, but first, let's go ahead and mark this cap And the body for that number one plug wire. Now, when we drop in the distributor, all we have to do is line up the rotor with the mark on the body here. Now, you might also have to rotate the oil pump drive to make everything else line up.

(Joe)>> I guess we're ready for these next.

(Chuck)>> You bet.

(Joe)>> Now wait'll you see what we've got for you next here on horsepower tv. (Joe off camera)>> Up next the blue oval bash of the year in florida. The annual Moroso Ford classic. ( )>> A lot of people come out and are really, really serious. I'm serious but I'm serious to have fun.

[ music ]

(Joe)>> Hi, welcome back. Let me ask you something. Do you flip out when you see a vintage fairlane like this? Does the sight of a '59 Galaxy send you into orbit? Are you mad about all kinds of mustangs? Well you've come to the right place here in West Palm Beach. It's an all Ford show where the blue oval boys and girls have their own fun and fast times. [ music ] [ engine revving ]

(Laura)>> They want to be with other Fords - people that, I guess can relate to their own Ford fantasies. (Joe off camera)>> A fantasy of history and horsepower where you'll find a fair amount of Fairlanes, several low flying Falcons, even a couple of cool cougars. But mostly it's Mustangs. The favorite among Ford fans who want the most practical platform for high performance and low et's.

(Mike)>> It's a fast car, it's an easy car, cheaper car to buy. I think a lot of guys like to build 'em just because of that purpose - inexpensively. ( )>> I've got six of 'em and that's all I run, Mustangs. That's all I got.

(Mike)>> Ford is the first car I ever bought. This is the original car I actually bought when I was 17. It's a boss 302, 308 cubic inches, 40 over. We're using a four-speed top loader with liberty proshifted gears in it, 5.83 rearend, and so far my best time, not today, but my best time is a 10.09 at 138 miles an hour. (Joe off camera)>> Mike Ardito and childhood friend, his '69 boss 302, recently got back into drag racing after a 20-year hiatus. Now, he and his famous Ford are hitting the tracks and, while breaking no records, grabbing lots of attention and good times. Meanwhile, Keith Pisut's Ford of choice is a '67 fastback with the original 289, now running in the upper nine's thanks to some serious hot rodding.

(Keith)>> It weighs 2,050 pounds, it made 485 horsepower, It's got a 5.86 gear with a Chevrolet powerglide transmission. Most people swear it's a small block Chevrolet but we gotta lift the hood and show 'em once in a while. It still is a little tiny 289. [ music ] (Joe off camera)>> This annual Ford classic is quite a carnival with everything from jet cars to the Superwinch Thunderbird wheelstander. But, mostly a blue oval bash where Mustangs are matched up in both bracket and heads up quarter mile clashes.

(Joe)>> Now some of the hottest races are in the outlaw 5-0 competition. It's a heads up type event and it's run what you brung and hope you brung enough nitrous. Hmmm. ..looks like this racer brought more than enough. Trace Cooper and Larry Albright brought their ponies to race in the outlaw event proving that the couple that runs together stays together.

(Trace)>> It does good things for a relationship. I'm not nagging at him to come home or get out of the garage. Because we're both underneath the car together working on it.

(Joe)>> Who is the best wrench among the two of you?

(Trace)>> He is.

(Joe)>> Who's the best racer among the two of you?

(trace)>> That would be me.

(larry)>> She's probably a better driver.

(Joe)>> Well neither Trace or Larry made it to the finals, but Michael Lickliter did and surprised himself by winning the outlaw shoot out with a 9.29 at 145 miles an hour. Did you think you'd take this thing?

(Michael)>> Not really. I just came to race. I did. So it's over now. (Joe off camera)>> Til next year, that is, when more of these Ford freaks come back to Moroso Motorsports Park to celebrate the power and beauty of the cars they love and love to race. (Mike A.)>> A lot of people come out and are really, really serious. I'm serious but I'm serious to have fun. [ music ] (Joe off camera)>> Coming up next our tip of the week. A low-buck touch for a show quality ride.

[ music ]

(Joe)>> Hi, welcome back. You know, nothing grabs our attention like shiny metal on a cool car, but the closer you get, well the more details you notice, even the ones that've been overlooked like well, weatherstripping.

(Chuck)>> Here's a quick tip that'll help you seal your street machine from the elements, and maybe help you pick up a few points at your next car show. Here's what worn-out weather stripping looks like. It's cracked, brittle and just cann't do its job anymore.

(Joe)>> Tell you what, I'll get the new stuff ready.

(Chuck)>> Good idea. Now, a leaky trunk can let water in where it'll collect in the lower quarter panels. Well, the next thing you know, you've got a rust hole. The first step is to get rid of the old weather stripping and clean this channel in here very thoroughly. Now, we did this one before we painted the car. Alright, now you're gonna need both of these items to do the job right. You want to use the black adhesive rather than the yellow because it'll blend in easier with the weather stripping and this wooden paint paddle will help you push it down into the channel without scratching your paint.

(Joe)>> I think you'll need some of this too.

(Chuck)>> Ooh, important stuff. Let me show you what I mean. First, you lay a thin bead into the gutter. Then, push the weather stripping into place. Make sure the butt splice is where water doesn't collect and stand. Push the outside edge of the weather strip down into the gutter, using the paint paddle. That's all there is to it. The doors are a little bit trickier. Now you'll want to separate your left and right side weather strips. They're usually marked. I like to start at the back edge of the door where I apply a little bit of adhesive wherever the weather strip comes in contact with it. Then, attach the end of the strip using the anchor pins provided in the kit. Continue to apply adhesive to the weather strip about a foot at a time. Now, you're ready to push the anchor pins into their holes and work your way around the rest of the door.

(Joe)>> Man, I need to do this to my Camaro. Where'd you get this stuff?

(Chuck)>> well, I ordered this from A&M Softseal. You know, they make it for all popular cars. I'm sure your Camaro's one of them.

(Joe)>> Well good enough. Stay with us, hot parts is next.

(Narrator)>> Now Horsepower's Hot Parts brought to you by Summit Racing Equipment. Your source for high performance parts for 30 years.

(Chuck)>> Hey Joe, give me a hand here.

(Joe)>> Oh sure, no problem. Oh I haven't been working out with Arnie, this is actually a plastic replica of a Ford flathead with the Ardund conversion from a place called Pyar Products. Now, these things have nutserts to allow you to bolt on everything from intake to exhaust. And they've got a lot of uses from displays to dummying-up your drivetrain. And they've covered a lot of the popular engine designs. So if you'd rather pump plastic than iron, you can get one starting at $300 and put it on plastic.

(Chuck)>> Ooh man, lifting on those engines was exhausting, and speaking of which, check out these headers. Now they're a unique design from Flowtech and incorporate this afterburner turbo chamber here. Now, they claim they'll pump up the torque like a set of tri-ys, yet still deliver the horsepower of a big tube set of headers. Plus, they're made out of 16 gauge steel and they'll fit the small block Chevy in a variety of chassis applications. Now you can bolt up a set of these for under $180.

(Joe)>> well the heat from your headers and the high compression ratio can cause starting problems at the worst times, when you're in the staging lane, or lover's lane.

(Chuck)>> Now you can cure those hard to start problems with this high torque gear reduction starter from CSI. Now they're available for all domestic performance engines and if you're weight conscious, they'll even save you a few pounds.

(Joe)>> Pounds, hey we're talking American dollars here and you can plan on turning over a couple of hundred for one.

(Chuck)>> Well, man, we ain't done yet. Wait till you see what happens when we crank up next week's Horsepower TV show. [ music ]

(Joe)>> We'll pack some power into Chuck's wagon with a new supercharger. Then put her on the chassis dyno to discover how many extra horses this grocery getter gets. We'll show you the inside story on intakes to help you find the manifold for your machine. Plus we'll take you to the annual Super Bowl for high powered Harleys on the fast quarter mile track in Kentucky. ( )>> We like fast.

(Joe)>> And later this month on Horsepower TV we'll drop our 502 big block into Project Blue Thunder. Plus install a high performance tranny, headers, and exhaust. We'll get some pin stripping tips from a pro as he puts the paint to our '32 Roadster. Plus we'll take you to the track and follow some drag racing stars of tomorrow as they pursue their own passion for power and speed. ( )>> It felt kinda scary, felt good!

(Joe)>> And remember high performance fun is what this show is all about. You know I've been thinking.

(Chuck)>> You're dangerous when you think man.

(Joe)>> No listen, I don't think this engine's gonna clear that hood.

(Chuck)>> It will, I measured it. Now that's a Super Sport hood. It's got a raised...

(Joe)>> That's not gonna clear.

(Chuck)>> I went ahead and measured everything.

(Joe)>> It ain't gonna clear.

(Chuck)>> I'll bet you.

(Joe)>> Steak dinner!

(Chuck)>> You're on parnter. Now only one other thing needs to be resolved. Where you gonna take me when you lose?

(Joe)>> Not that place where you go where they serve the whole cow.

(Chuck)>> Well I only want half a cow tonight.

(Joe)>> Well I don't care. I'm gonna win anyway.

(Chuck)>> No you're not.

(Joe)>> Hey what are gwe gonna do next on that thing?

(Chuck)>> Well for sure it needs a transmission.

(Joe)>> Tranny and raarend maybe?

(Chuck)>> Rearend, Suspension looks a little bit loose on it, and for sure the interior.

(Joe)>> Major interior job.

(Chuck)>> Man I wouldn't sit in there if I had your butt under me.

(Narrator)>> Horsepower TV is an RTM Production.