Who wants an engine build course on video?
 

Ok so I am going to start by stating that I am not sure if there is demand for this, but I was tossing around the idea of making an engine building course on Teachable that anyone could purchase and have access to.

Obviously my creds are that I make the 3.6 engine cases and the build would feature one of my cases.

So think of this as Wayne's book except in step by step detailed video format, available as an on demand course on Teachable. Probably charge $399 or somewhere in that ballpark.

What are your guys thoughts....does a product already exist like this, or are people happy to keep using a paper book which is missing lots of vital tips to build engines?

Curious as to your thoughts.

I think it depends. If it covers tear down and evaluating used parts for reuse, that would be really valuable. If it is building a new engine with all new or refurbished parts, that would be less appealing I think.

Mark

I bet there's demand- I have Wayne's book, and this could be a great supplement. I find it nice to actually SEE someone doing a task after I've read about it, before I do it, if it's the sort of thing you don't want to do twice.

Agree with Mark, breakdown, inspection, and rebuild would be best. And make it for dummies :)

What would the price-point be?

Approximate is fine, are talking $100 or $500?

I was thinking somewhere in the $399 range because it will cost a lot to do this right and take a lot of work to make it useful to people. In the grand scheme of a 25K or more build it would probably be worth it, I know I wish I had something like that in my early builds.

Teardown is a good idea, never thought of that.

I’ve used bad shoe production videos for my ford projects. Camera quality wasn’t great 10+ years ago, but that should be easy today.

Bad Shoe Productions How To Video Series - Ford Transmissions & Rears

I would be interested. Books are great but video instruction with good camera angles and a quality mic are the best.

Loom or panapto are good platforms as well.. I use these for welding videos..

Good idea and agree on tear down maybe even include engine removal. I've used yellowcap garage videos and those guys do a great job bringing it down to newbie level. I

I'd pay 300 or so

+1

I think it's been done. I thought Wayne did it. My CD is labeled "How To Build & Modify Porsche 911 Engines." Prolly 10-12-15 years old. Under $100 then. As I recall the subject motor was a 2.0 or 2.2. Might even still be available deep, deep on the website.

Wayne's book and other reference is excellent. That said, existing materials only take procedures so far. IMHO, value exists in pushing the build procedure envelop beyond where existing references go.

Saw your 3.6 case. Work of art.
.

I would be interested in the content.

I support paying for good content, education material, etc. However it may be more lucrative to post the content on YouTube and leverage ads, sponsorships, or another alternative form of monetization. You'd have to do the analysis, or maybe you already have.

I have Wayne's book and used it during the tear down. encountered a couple places where something was needed that was not reference in the book. very good book, but as with many text books there are the occasional places where getting from step X to step X+1 is not explained well.

starting to get engine parts back from the shop. would be interested as I really dont want to 'blow' this build.

PS I attended one of Tony's classes last year. very helpful seeing all the parts but during the build the devil will always be in the details. fortunately I have a few local friends who have rebuilt 911 AC engines for advice.

I would be interested. I’m a visual learner so reading how to do something doesn’t do it for me. Plus I have too many questions along the way.

Here are my thoughts on how to make it maximally useful to everyone.

1) There is a lot more opinion involved than most people realize. Different people swear their way to do something is the “right” way. An example I saw recently was a discussion around case sealant. How is a novice to know who is right? Whenever a task has the potential to be controversial it would be good to point it out, explain the rationale for both sides, explain why you chose the course of action you chose and then encourage people to research further.

2) A tear-down approach also has the potential to encounter common issues like a broken stud. Then the question becomes do you show how to drill it out, helicoil/timesert, etc? or do you do like the math textbooks when you get to a hard part and say “this is an exercise left for the reader”?

3) If you could sub-divide some tasks that might helpful. That way a novice can stop, go learn the detail and come back to continue. That way it won’t interrupt the flow for someone who already knows how to do that. Example: you could have detail for someone who doesn’t know how to mount the engine to an engine stand. People who have done that before can continue on.

Have a look at the BoxWrench how-to videos, its the BEST how-to video I have ever seen, and its a bout 15 years ago :

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=89o5rLpbCgI&list=PL80ED80E9F73D6E3F

Good notes guys.

So the good thing about putting it on Teachable is that it can be dripped in sections. First of all one giant 3 hour video doesn't do anyone any good, it needs to be bite sized.

Each section in Teachable can have a video and notes, so you could have a sheet with torque values for each step. A video is not very good at conveying facts and figures, but it excels at how to.

If you want proof of that go try timing your cams using Wayne's book then go have someone show you. Big difference.

Lastly each section in Teachable can accommodate user comments, so someone can chime in and leave a note that says something like "on a 2.0 you need to do it like this" which means that OTHER experienced users can leave their feedback.

It's a pretty sweet platform, and nothing like it existed a decade ago.

So yeah, still mulling this over, the initial work required to do it is pretty high but I think it's worth it to people.

if it was exactly my engine/trans I could see spending $300 on it

If it was similar like a 3.0 SC (Wayne's book) where I have a 3.2 Carrera I wouldn't be interested

I’d be interested, esp in the 3.6.

I think this is a cool idea, and probably something I'd pay for if I were to build an engine. Lots of good suggestions here. A couple more:

1. A POV camera would be quite helpful in many situations, especially as part of a split screen
2. Editing is important. Lots of how to do it videos take agonizingly long times to show things
3. Consider posting a "movie trailer" on you tube to generate interest

This is a great idea and you probably could fine tune it to the point where YOUR videos are the benchmark in the hobby.

You might also do some additional categories. As in; having guys who specialize in EFI, fuel injection, and Weber carbs do similar quality production videos with guidebooks/spec sheets.

I've seen your car and engine builds firsthand, and I know for a fact that you are a capable guy.

Go for it!

What happened to that 3.6 assembly DVD that was for sale a few years ago? I bought it when I was about to do my first motor.. I'm sure he didn't have the same credentials as Adam but it was quite helpful.. P Fixit I think it was called?

Fantastic idea. In fact I was on the shortlist for a case and my plan is to put together my next air cooled and one of your 3.6 cases is high on my list.

I too attended the engine rebuilding classes and comfort with a 2.2l does not equip me to custom build my 3.6. I would absolutely be your customer for this video as well as a case to execute on it.

Will you be selling a kit for pistons, cylinders, etc. to match exactly your instructions or leave that open? I'm thinking a target of 380HP NA on pump gas but not stuck on that, is that what you are targeting in this instructional video or options for (320hp/380hp/430hp)

Please feel free to contact me if it can help you think this through and thanks for considering doing this.

Wait, every case you sell gets a free video?

Just like Ikea.

Not familiar with teachable but if they are like Udemy where you can access the content on the website and via their app then it would be very usable to study in comfort in advance and access on the fly in the garage/shop.

You Tube might be good for short helpful content to act as free advertising for your full course.

I would gladly pay $399 for an in-depth course. Peanuts considering the time and knowledge that would go in to making the videos, not to mention the savings from not $#^#! up 20 grand worth of parts by getting something wrong on a build. Thumbs up from me.

They are very similar from what I have heard.

Whichever platform I choose I think the key is to have the content modular in small, bite sized pieces.

Take a hint from the technology industry. Free information provided for expensive hardware. Tailor your information for only your products. (as deep general hardware knowledge is assumed)

My two bits from years in the industry, I won't pay for information because most, if not all, experts aren't.

edit: If you need a closer to home example, PELICAN! all the free info you can take and it sells 100x more product than by playing the information arbitrage game.

I dont think the parallel is the same at all. Right now, all the info you need to build a Porsche engine is on pelican and YouTube. All of it.

The problem is the amount of time to browse it all, determine what fits your application and then try to actually utilize it all.

Most people would rather have a "done for you" solution where they watch and duplicate step by step.

I would not actually be providing any "new" content. The information is already out there as you say. But I would be collating it and organizing it in a form useful to most novice and intermediate users such that it is usable.

Basically a huge timesaver with my specialized knowledge thrown in to boot.

Oh, and this isn't a sales tool to sell my cases.....they don't need the help.

It depends on the content. There is a good one for 964 motors that I purchased and it seemed relatively cheap. Don’t remember exact price, maybe $100? It is also broken up into steps. For $400, I would think it would be significantly longer than the other video with more details.

Have you considered looking for sponsorship from those manufactures who sell the tools and parts you'd be using in the rebuild videos? I think there is significant product placement value if you show 'brand x' being installed or used - sure one could get an alternative, but many would go with the 'sure thing' demonstrated in the video.
Additionally, you could provide a list of tools and parts needed with links to source them. That adds value by making it easier for users and drives business to your sponsors.
It would take a bit more work up front on your part, since you have to pin down the sponsors, but it may allow you to underwrite the production costs with their money, then you can sell the videos at a lower cost with much less risk to you.

Catorce,

You're onto something. Most stuff out there is crap. There is always room for a new guy to blow away the mediocre status quo. Video production has taken a massive step up in the last 3 years even, as professional YouTubers have raised the bar on lighting, audio, and camera equipment. The days of filming some tutorial with your cell phone are over.

Books are last century. Reading a book about an engine rebuild works for very few people. Even Wayne's much touted "101 projects" is fairly terrible by today's multimedia standards. The paradigm has changed forever.

I say go for it. You will learn a TON about video production by sharing your life knowledge.

ChrisFix This is the best quality auto DIY on the internet, bar none. Just watch one of his videos and see his attention to detail. He is so good you may not even notice. If you've watched other low quality crap, then you'll see why he is #1 for a damn good reason. This is the caliber you should aim for, if you do this. This is how a professional films DIY video.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QcWELyTbdP4
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V_g1-WHD4rw
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mQ2fJ_aM_T0

Thanks for the feedback guys. We've been contracted to do a fairly nice build on one of our cases in January, perhaps that would be a good candidate for a build video.

And Sugarwood, thanks for the ChrisFix stuff, will definitely check it out!!!!!

Wow, Checked out CHris Fix......REALLY good stuff. He must be using a Gopro. Probably not necessary on an engine build but still a really cool POV. Excellent production!

I'd be interested in purchasing one to go along with my new case. :) When are you needing the rest of the coin on the 3.6 blocks? Cheers

I'd happily pay for a very detailed and easy to follow step-by-step video series that is designed for the home garage guy with little to no experience. I work on my old BMW airhead motorcycles and lots of people post videos of varying quality on how to work on those bikes, but this guy has figured out how to make the videos easy and fun to follow. Here is an example but you can check out his whole series. https://youtu.be/uYhOHbjQIck

For M9x engines, there's this set that we recently got in stock:

Porsche M9X Engine Assembly DVD Set from Flat 6 Innovations

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I would totally be interested in this!