This ‘Most Blown Up’ Hemi V-8 Has More Holes Than a Donut Shop

No two blown engines are the same. What makes this one stand out isn’t what you see, but the entire rotating assembly, which no longer wants to rotate. 

Make no mistake, this is still a dramatic-looking mess. From the very beginning of this I Do Cars video we see two huge holes in the block, almost mirror images of each other in size and position. A third hole exists in the same area, down through the oil pan. Clearly something important, likely a connecting rod, dramatically exited the stage. The big mystery is how it happened.

As soon as the valve covers come off, we get our first clues. Heavy varnish is found in the heads, indicative of infrequent oil changes. There’s also plenty of metal residue in the oil that remains, indications of a bottom-end failure. There’s plenty of water damage, too, but that likely happened after the fact, as this engine sat outside.

With the heads removed, we can immediately see an issue with a piston sitting crooked in the cylinder. And once the oil pan is removed, we find out why. The pan is filled with debris, including bits of piston, connecting rod, rod caps, bearings, and engine block. The bottom end got so hot that some of the bearings were welded to the rods. Others were as thin as tinfoil. Nearly every bearing in the bottom end showed significant damage.

But that’s not all. Even with the pistons and rods removed, the crankshaft still struggled to turn. The rotating assembly is essentially everything that spins or otherwise moves in an engine to make power; the crankshaft and connecting rods are part of that, but things like wrist pins (thick metal pins that hold the pistons to the rods) are as well. Here’s where it gets wild—just about everything was wrecked to the point of locking up. The main bearings for the crankshaft were so bad the crank would hardly spin. The pistons wouldn’t move on the wrist pins. And, of course, the rod bearings were cooked.

It all leads to a simple, if destructive, conclusion. This engine likely was low on oil and running hard when it finally let go. And even then, it appears the driver didn’t let up on the gas. As a result, nearly every internal component on the bottom end of this engine is destroyed, including the crankshaft.

So word to the wise, everyone: Check your oil and keep it full. Otherwise, your old busted ride just might end up in an I Do Cars video.