---
title: 'This Transparent Engine is Fascinating (How Engines Work) - Smarter Every Day 292'
source: 'https://youtube.com/watch?v=TbhF7jTLlG4'
video_id: 'TbhF7jTLlG4'
date: 2026-07-21
duration_sec: 1493
channel: 'SmarterEveryDay'
---

# This Transparent Engine is Fascinating (How Engines Work) - Smarter Every Day 292

> Source: [This Transparent Engine is Fascinating (How Engines Work) - Smarter Every Day 292](https://youtube.com/watch?v=TbhF7jTLlG4)

## Summary

In this video, Destin from Smarter Every Day visits Brian King in Nebraska to explore a transparent V8 engine that Brian built himself. The transparent engine allows viewers to see the internal workings of a four-stroke engine, including the intake, compression, power, and exhaust strokes, as well as the oil circulation and timing mechanisms. The video also features a ride in Brian's all-wheel-drive Cutlass, which produces 840 horsepower.

### Key Points

- **Introduction to Transparent Engine** [00:00] — Destin introduces the concept of a transparent engine, inspired by a video he saw online, and expresses excitement to visit Brian King in Nebraska to see it in person.
- **Engine Overview** [02:44] — Brian explains that the transparent engine is a standard 5.3 LS engine, bought broken for $50, and modified to be transparent for educational purposes.
- **Oil Circulation Demonstration** [03:44] — Brian shows how oil circulates through the engine, using a hand pump to demonstrate the flow through the oil galleries to the lifters and other components.
- **Four-Stroke Cycle Explanation** [05:40] — Destin reviews the four strokes of an engine: suck (intake), squeeze (compression), bang (power), and blow (exhaust), using the transparent engine to illustrate each step.
- **Timing and Firing Control** [08:32] — Brian explains how the firing order is controlled using a magnet and glass tube switches, which close the circuit to fire the spark plugs at the correct time.
- **Crankshaft and Camshaft** [09:50] — Destin describes the crankshaft's counterweights and journals, and the camshaft's lobes that control valve timing, emphasizing the importance of radial indexing.
- **Valve Train Components** [12:52] — Brian shows the pushrods, lifters, and rocker arms, explaining how the camshaft lobes actuate the valves through these components.
- **LED Cooling Solution** [14:20] — Brian reveals that he used aluminum channels as heat sinks for the LEDs to prevent them from burning out, a solution he developed in college.
- **Engine Running and Misfire** [16:21] — The engine is run at low speed, revealing a misfire due to a bad spark plug, which Brian identifies and replaces.
- **Oil Sump and Pickup Tube** [17:28] — Brian explains the oil sump and pickup tube system, noting that the oil pump draws oil from the bottom of the pan and circulates it through the engine.
- **Ride in the Cutlass** [21:53] — Destin goes for a ride in Brian's all-wheel-drive Cutlass, which produces 840 horsepower at the tires, and experiences the power and sound of the car.
- **Personal Connection to the Car** [23:02] — Brian shares that the car is a family heirloom, purchased with inheritance from his father, and has been a project for 13 years, creating a special connection.

### Conclusion

The transparent engine provides an unparalleled visual understanding of how a four-stroke engine works, from the four strokes to oil circulation and timing. Brian's ingenuity and craftsmanship, combined with the personal story behind his Cutlass, make for an inspiring and educational experience.

## Transcript

[Smashed the Gas] Welcome back to Smart Every Day. engines on this channel, and I think they're amazing.
where Everett and his buddies had created a transparent head on a Briggs and Straton It was amazing.
You can see the jet of fuel that comes up. the atomization of the fuel as it gets blown through the Venturi there. We went to a manufacturing facility owned by Holley Carburetors in Kentucky.
I loved it. I saw a video on the internet of a person that had made a transparent engine. I was like, this is incredible.
But when I got there, I was like, This person is not normal. The guy's channel name is Awdcutlass for All Wheel Drive Cutlass. It is not normal for somebody to build
a carbon fiber framed vehicle in their garage by themselves with their own hands. He made an all-wheel drive Cutlass. Just so you know, an Oldsmobile Cutlass is not made to be all-wheel drive.
This guy is smart. to Nebraska with me to go to Brian's garage and we're going to see a transparent engine and we're going to learn how it works.
[Intro guitar riff] Okay, let's start our adventure by flying to Nebraska, which is an awesome state. Anyway, let's go to the address that Brian gave us.
Brian and I howdy then shook, I'm in Nebraska, and this is Brian King, and you built this, right?
because I saw this video that Brian made, and it's amazing. When I was doing research on fuel
I was a little upset, to be honest with you, because I saw that 12,000 people have I want way more people to see your video because this is an incredible project.
Yeah. [D] Can you explain to me what this is and how. You did it? [B] Basically, it's just a V8 engine.
sitting over there, the same concept, same internal parts and all that. [B] Standard 5.3 LS engine, But needless to say, that was one that was broken and I bought it for 50 bucks and
[D] And you made the most amazing visual learning aid I've ever seen. [B] Sure.
[D] So, it's got everything, right? because that's amazing, it's got actual pistons that move in cylinders.
[B] Nope, I took the rings off because it didn't need to have them, I guess, the way I designed this. [D] Okay. You've got the crank shaft down there.
[B] Connecting rod. You've got connecting rods in there, and that's the wrist pin right there. And so what is this right here on this side?
You got your oil pump right behind this cover here. [D] Okay. [B] It goes right up to the top here, right above the cam shaft, which is the center.
So the oil comes up here. [B] I'll get an air bubble in there. That way you can see where it's... Oh, and you're doing that with your hand. Do it again.
So bring the oil toward you. You just pump it. there and it gives you an idea that the oil is circulating. So does the oil always come to the... Is this the back,
So it keeps pressure, I guess, if that makes sense. forces it into the places they want it to go. [D] So you're. Just recycling the oil?
[D] But on a real engine, there's places where the oil, So behind each black screw, I drill the hole to get down to the lifters. [D] It's so hard to see on this camera, but yeah, you see this...
This is the main feeding manifold, so to speak, of the oil. [B] Oil galleries going left and right. [D] Gallaries?
[B] That would be your firing order. So if you look, that would be when your actual spark plug fires the electricity [D] I want to take a second to review the strokes of a four-stroke engine.
Most engineers and mechanics refer to it as suck, squeeze, bang, blow. with 805RoadKing where we could see through a transparent engine head and we That video is fascinating and you might want to check that out later.
that we made in that video to describe these strokes. and down inside the cylinder and two valves on the right. engine works and count off each of the four strokes along with me.
allowing a fuel air mixture to be drawn into the cylinder. When the piston gets near the bottom of the cylinder, the intake valve closes
This is called the compression stroke. This is called power stroke. which applies force to the face of the piston pushing it down.
that third stroke, the exhaust valve then opens and the fourth stroke, called the exhaust stroke, clears the cylinder of all those exhaust gasses. The intake valve then opens back up and the process starts over and over again.
Timing is everything in an engine to make sure it works properly. is at top dead center because you want the pressure to be building up at the same So seeing these four strokes as
a physical model, that's completely awesome. So as the piston is going down, that intake valve opens, now air is getting sucked into that cylinder.
Now it's in the compression stroke, so it's compressing all that air and fuel in that little spot. So that's your spark plug firing.
And what that does, it creates a little spark, ignites all the fuel. That provides power to the cranks shaft when it does that, when. to open, so they have to relieve the pressure somewhere.
[B] The one closest to you there, the smaller one. Now you're pushing all the burnt fuel out. [B] Basically, the port would be right here,
[D] And that would go out to your. Exhaust system? Now we're back to the vacuum side again, and fuel being squirted right there.
So cool. [B] And there's exhaust. It's intake, compression, power. and closing is mechanically coupled to the spinning of the cranks shaft.
It's designed to do just the right thing at just the right time. of the spark plug to keep lighting off the gas and keep the engine cycle going.
Okay, so how are you controlling the firing of these cylinders right now? So if you look across the front here, there's one little magnet.
[D] That little thing right there? [B] Yep. And then if you look where that magnet lines up with those little glass tubes, it closes that switch, and that's when I made it make it fire the light.
So one rotation of that is two plunges of each cylinder? You haven't had to change it?
And so that's how your timing is controlled. [D] And the cam shaft, you can see it right there. That's a little harder to. See, isn't it?
Can you really do that? [B] Yeah, it. [D] Okay, before Brian takes that cover off, a big thank you to Drake State Technical and Community College that put me in touch with Huntsville Engine that gave me
Right here, we have a cranks shaft. you can see right here, this is where the pistons are connected right here. You have one piston going that way and one piston going that way.
That way and that way, right? Now, there's a couple of really cool things about the cranks shaft. big counterweights on here, that opposes the amount of force
and accelerations caused by those pistons going in and out. Look at the lobe, the counterweight. drilled out, and here it's been drilled out a lot.
You can add and subtract those weights to balance out the engine and reduce Another thing to think about is how do you hold this thing in the engine block? happening and lots of weights being thrown around.
I think of it as resting it on the journals. Those are the journals that hold the cranks shaft in place along the axis of the engine itself.
Now, the cranks shaft sits above the cranks shaft like that right there. You'll notice on the cam shaft, you have a bunch of little offset.
You see, it's like a cylinder with a protrusion. Those are the cams, you see them? those protrusions go up and down, and that's what controls your valves.
Your valves control the intake and the exhaust of the engine. We have the power is and we've got the timing and control of the valves is a separate thing.
Now, if you think about it, where this is radially indexed to that is very, very important. If you look really close here, that's that little notch right there.
They can radially rotate that until that's aligned. on the front of the cam shaft, and those things are hooked together Now that you have a visual map of all the stuff going on,
let's go back to Brian's shop and let's check it out in the running condition. How did you cut everything so exact? I have a bunch of skill saw, and I've got a couple of rotary saws.
believe it or not, and then hand-filing everything. [D] I am incredibly impressed with your work. Okay, absolutely.
that's your push rod, and there's your oil gallery down the center. and the is basically an off centered cylinder, is it? I guess if you look at it, you can see the lobes coming up in different areas.
[D] Okay, and so the lifter rides on the cam. [D] Yep. Called the pushrod? [B] The pushrod, yeah.
[D] The rocker, okay. [D] Keep going and I'll see the rocker move. And then on this other side.
[B] Pretty much. Okay, this could not be more clear. [Both laugh] [D] That's pretty amazing is what that is.
But what's so incredible is the tolerances on a... [D] This is a cast iron block. everything is precisely machined, but you just did this with normal tools.
[D] On the Smithie? I have so much respect for you. I really do. [B] All right.
[B] Yeah. [D] That's so clever. a heat sink on them, and that's what that aluminum channel is. Otherwise, the LEDs get so hot they burn out.
so I had to figure out something different. It's something I did in college a little [D] That's awesome. [B] Jack of all trades again.
Better than a master of one or something. I would say a PhD is an inch wide It looks like you're like half a mile deep, half a mile wide.
All right, so here we go. It's hard not to smile, isn't it? [Upbeat folk music begins playing]
[B] Yeah. Let's see what it does. [B] Yeah, and then the other side is going the other way.
So it's really wild. [D] That's as slow as it can get it.
[D] Just put a wrench or a drill on it? in the beginning before I put the electric motor on it. So boom, boom, boom, boom, boom, boom, boom, boom.
[B] No, I think it's probably just having a misfire on. enough that it's grabbing that window switch and it's making the trigger wrong. [D] We got a misfire. [B] We got a misfire.
[D] That's- That's fantastic. [B] We're going to, It's supposed to go right to left on the front side and left to right [B] We got a bad spark plug.
[B] You just look at it, there it is. Now can you run it up? splashing a lot of that oil around, that's not normal.
That way the oil can cover the cranks shaft better. the oil sits down in the sump, which I can show you what that looks like. [D] Okay.
Oil you see in there right now usually sits down inside the center of that. So you have your reservoir of oil down there, and it's pumping it up out of that.
typically be just out in the open air, not splashing in the oil. Then your pickup tube, that's your oil pump, sucks here and pulls that oil all the way from the bottom.
that's where the oil would be going across all the journals. [B] The pickup tube would be right here by your foot, right here. [B] Yeah, goes into the oil pump on the front. [D] Okay.
it would be all internally made veins and stuff like that. You had a fancy word for this. [B] The oil gallery. But the whole time I'm sitting there, I'm looking at this all-wheel drive
So this video would not be complete without riding in that thing with Brian. And we're going to do that in just a second. but I don't want it to feel like that because I genuinely love this thing.
And I was like, I like my wallet. I tried it one day and it was great and I loved it. And then I discovered they have an Airtag Money clip accessory that you
can purchase and put on your wallet and it makes it where you can find your wallet. And so I reached out to Ridge and I was like, Can we run on Smarter Every Day And they said, Yes. And I said, Awesome.
You believed me. Thank you. And I'm grateful to you for supporting Smarter Every Day. If you recall, we shot against the burnt, damascus, and it was double-bullet-proof.
We also shot against the titanium, also double-bullet-proof. and the bullets fused inside the wallet, which was amazing. you a video I didn't show before, which was the titanium wallet.
Let's take a Ridge wallet and then let's shoot it inside and let's make the bullets fuse inside the wallet and see if we can contain the bullet splatter.
As you can see, the timing was off, but it still led to something really cool. Watch the back of the bullets spin around here. So the way that works is that's the elastic strap.
So you can see the strength of the elastic strap there on the Ridge Wallet. If you support Ridge, you're supporting Smarter Every Day, I'd be grateful. And you have an opportunity to get a wallet that you can actually find.
It's the north shore of Hawaii topographical map. There's also a lot of cool patterns on the website. If you spend over 95 bucks, you can add on this air tag money clip for free.
This thing right here has changed my life and I can find my wallet. They have a 99-day money back guarantee and a lifetime warranty. And I negotiated so that you could have an air tag money clip for free if you
spend over 95 bucks because I know you will like this. a gift or they know they purchase it or whatever, they love it. So if you want to check it out, go to ridge.com/smarter.
Thank you for considering purchasing that because that supports Smarter Every Day. I like mine. I use it every day. So now the moment I've been waiting for and honestly was hoping would happen,
I wasn't sure, Brian asked me if I wanted to go for a ride in the Cutlass. Just hearing this thing rumble when it back out of the garage gave me the giggles. So good. [B] Is that noisy,
I climbed in, got my seatbelt on, and within a mile or so, Brian let her rip. [D] Where should the camera be? [B] Oh, [D] Holy crap! [Squealing in excitement]
Dude. [Both laughing hard] [D] I think I did, but it was bouncing everywhere.
[B] That's 840 horsepower at the tire on the Dino that we. Okay. Well, that was ridiculous.
You can hear it in your chest and it's amazing. He introduced me to the original lightning rod shifters that came with the Cutlass. We just cruised around town like old high
families, which is when he told me why the car is so special. [B] So when my dad passed away years ago, the little bit of money that I got out And this was one of the first cars I got.
So it's just like a family heirloom and I just have fun. [D] Okay. [B] About 13 years. [D] I'm sorry to hear that.
[B] Yeah, there's a big connection. Yeah. [D] There's a lot going on in the world today, but I take comfort knowing that there's some dude named Bryan out in the middle of Nebraska that's done amazing things
with a car that gives him a special connection back with his father. family who I had the great pleasure of meeting earlier. It was a blast.
If you want to support the sponsor, that would be awesome. I am working on the stickers now and they're pretty cool.
that support on Patreon to say thanks for sticking with me. So if you're up for it, patreon.com/smartereveryday and supports on the email list and all that good stuff.
You're getting Smarter Every Day. Have a good one. Bye.
[B] Ain't that fun? [Destin] Yes, its just fun. Golly, man.