EL CAMINO Scored a 6.0 today

[Gremlinsteve]

gotcha
I wasn’t sure on the ball busting
Im here to learn from those who have done this before

I do want it presentable. But it’s not a perfect truck per say

 

[Built6spdMCSS]

Question becomes how much you want to spend.... and triple that.

 

[Gremlinsteve]

Question becomes how much you want to spend.... and triple that.

This holds true in hemi world where I come from

 

[Northernregal]

If it had good oil pressure, you don't need to open it up. When you swap the oil pan pull a couple main and rods and have a look at the bearings, they are probably just fine.

Think about a different cam if you want good power, that is the one thing you need to spend money on. The BTR Truck Norris or Elgin 1839 (Sloppy Stage 2) are really good, proven winners.

Use a set of 799, 243, 706 or 862 heads to raise compression. 799/243 are the better choice, but 706/862 make more power on a street N/A combo.

Make a plan now for affording a Megasquirt or Holley Terminator to control it all. And plan for your transmission now too.

Set some concrete goals, or else you end up like me and it'll spiral out of control if your ADHD gets involved.


Do not watch any sloppy mechanics youtube videos.....

 

[64nailhead]

If it had good oil pressure, you don't need to open it up. When you swap the oil pan pull a couple main and rods and have a look at the bearings, they are probably just fine.

Think about a different cam if you want good power, that is the one thing you need to spend money on. The BTR Truck Norris or Elgin 1839 (Sloppy Stage 2) are really good, proven winners.

Use a set of 799, 243, 706 or 862 heads to raise compression. 799/243 are the better choice, but 706/862 make more power on a street N/A combo.

Make a plan now for affording a Megasquirt or Holley Terminator to control it all. And plan for your transmission now too.

Set some concrete goals, or else you end up like me and it'll spiral out of control if your ADHD gets involved.


Do not watch any sloppy mechanics youtube videos.....

I watch all of the sloppy stuff, but the issue with his videos is he made videos as he was learning. So you might find a video that has some bad advice, but in the next two, three or ten he'll point out the issue. Happel definitely knew how to bend rods 5-8 years ago. He lived and learned. You really need to watch a whole series of his videos on a build to get the full feeling. And something to remember when watching them, he has absolutely no love for any thing he builds or owns (until the latest one - New Edge.) But he has supplied a ton of informative educational information that works. He has dispelled a ton of myths.

I agree with heads. The 706/862 head in a NA build is just darn insane because of how well an LS responds to an increase in compression. Couple that with the efficiency of the cathedral port in terms of detonation resistance, they are a fabulous choice. And they are a dime a dozen - I get them for $40 a head at the local pick-n-pull.

X2^2 on setting some concrete goals.

 

[Tony1968]

If it had good oil pressure, you don't need to open it up. When you swap the oil pan pull a couple main and rods and have a look at the bearings, they are probably just fine.

Think about a different cam if you want good power, that is the one thing you need to spend money on. The BTR Truck Norris or Elgin 1839 (Sloppy Stage 2) are really good, proven winners.

Use a set of 799, 243, 706 or 862 heads to raise compression. 799/243 are the better choice, but 706/862 make more power on a street N/A combo.

Make a plan now for affording a Megasquirt or Holley Terminator to control it all. And plan for your transmission now too.

Set some concrete goals, or else you end up like me and it'll spiral out of control if your ADHD gets involved.


Do not watch any sloppy mechanics youtube videos.....

I watch all of the sloppy stuff, but the issue with his videos is he made videos as he was learning. So you might find a video that has some bad advice, but in the next two, three or ten he'll point out the issue. Happel definitely knew how to bend rods 5-8 years ago. He lived and learned. You really need to watch a whole series of his videos on a build to get the full feeling. And something to remember when watching them, he has absolutely no love for any thing he builds or owns (until the latest one - New Edge.) But he has supplied a ton of informative educational information that works. He has dispelled a ton of myths.

I agree with heads. The 706/862 head in a NA build is just darn insane because of how well an LS responds to an increase in compression. Couple that with the efficiency of the cathedral port in terms of detonation resistance, they are a fabulous choice. And they are a dime a dozen - I get them for $40 a head at the local pick-n-pull.

X2^2 on setting some concrete goals.

I have wasted a little time watching sloppy videos. I'm not an expert engine builder by any means. But I cringe too hard watching his stuff. Just doing things wrong completely. Yeah he doesn't care. At all.

 

[Texas82GP]

I have wasted a little time watching sloppy videos. I'm not an expert engine builder by any means. But I cringe too hard watching his stuff. Just doing things wrong completely. Yeah he doesn't care. At all.

I'm glad it isn't just me.

 

[Tony1968]

I'm glad it isn't just me.

No sir. I guess the name 'sloppy' gives meaning to me content

 

[87National]

Do not watch any sloppy mechanics youtube videos.....

Sloppy Mechanics is a great resource.

Prior to SM, in the mid to late 2000's, conventional wisdom was that you needed ARP rod bolts for big power, that you couldn't re-use TTY head bolts, that stock pistons and rods are unreliable beyond 500whp, that china turbos were junk (this one is sort of true, they have evolved since then).....etc.

Sloppy Mechanics busted those and other myths........which I thought was a cool approach as opposed to just blindly accepting what was being repeated on internet msg boards back in the day.

As was mentioned earlier.....you do need to take the info with a grain of salt. But for the most part you get a good idea of how to spend your $ wisely - where you need name brand parts (fuel pump, torque converter, fp regulator, injectors) and where you can get by with more generic stuff (turbo, intercooler, etc)

 

[64nailhead]

I understand all sides of Sloppy’s appearance. The name is not what it is about. The name was intended as more of a joke. As 87National it seems that he started out to myth bust all of the bs that everything can only be done one way and every other way is wrong.

FWIW, he didn’t start out messing with LS’s. But when he stumbled onto them he figured out what GM had done. It allowed the hotrodding to be done by the masses without $10k under the hood.

Until recently, he has shown no loyalty to sponsors or money. He actually lost endorsements for being honest about products and parts , Milwaukee Tools for one. I believe he put Elgin, an American company, back into the forefront of hotrodding only for the reason that they have a great product at a great price that performs - I believe early on they gave him a box of cams to test - and he did. He subsequently gave the cams away after he tested them.

Lastly, he’s a smart guy that is all about spreading knowledge to help others. He’s somewhat old school in that regard imo, and I can appreciate that. Consider that he has a tune file cabinet that will get your car running on a GM ecm, Microsquirt, Megasquirt 1 and Megasquirt 2, and Holley. Keep in mind that there isn’t 8-10 tunes in there - there are a ton. He will share most anything if you ask him.

I know he has helped me a bunch. He’s unorthodox, but dang does his crap work. The ‘Don’t BS Me Build’ is simple proof - cheap, reliable, and 550-600whp on a budget.

I find him hard to complain about. I hope he sells the New Edge as soon as summer is over and gets back to his roots.