This Transparent Chevrolet LS V8 Showcases the Intricacies of Internal Combustion

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The concept of internal combustion often feels like magic to me. While I have a basic understanding of how engines operate and have been tinkering with them since my teenage years, delving into the intricacies still leaves my mind in a whirl. This is why I find pleasure in videos like the one showcasing a transparent engine block and head, providing a visual representation of internal combustion.

This video is brought to you by the SmarterEveryDay YouTube channel, featuring Brian King from the AWD Cutlass YouTube channel. King’s focus on his all-wheel drive Cutlass build led to the creation of a fully transparent engine, fashioned from salvaged parts of an old Chevrolet LS V8, to serve as an educational tool illustrating the principles of internal combustion.

To construct this visual aid, King acquired a worn-out LS V8 engine for a mere $50, stripped it of its metal casing, and replaced it with transparent plastic components. While the engine functions similarly to a standard internal combustion engine with operational crankshaft assemblies, camshafts, valves, and an oil pump, certain alterations were made to enable it to “operate” without actually running. Given its display purposes, the transparent engine lacks physical spark plugs or ignition components and instead relies on an electric motor to drive the crank.

King integrated LEDs into the cylinders to indicate when the spark plugs would ideally ignite, a feat more impressive than any mechanical task I’ve encountered. To synchronize the timing, he affixed a magnet to the camshaft sprocket, allowing it to trigger the lights as it rotates past metal tubes with magnetic switches.

By activating the crank motor, viewers can witness each cylinder “firing” and observe the real-time operation of the firing order in an LS V8 engine. The rapid revolutions and the forceful movement of metal components at such speeds never fail to astonish me. Seeing this spectacle unfold in a dimly lit room is truly remarkable. It provides a moment of levity when King identifies a “misfire” caused by the magnet triggering multiple cylinder LEDs concurrently.

While we have witnessed transparent engine elements before, such as those featuring the inner workings of a cylinder head, this homemade see-through engine serves as an excellent demonstration of a full four-stroke engine cycle.