Building a 800-850 HP 17 liter Cat truck engine from start to finish. 1973 Peterbilt powered by a 6V92T two stroke Detroit Diesel at the end. 73 Peterbilt starts at 54:03.

Glad I stumbled upon this video... great memories! I was a wood pattern maker apprentice at the Cat Mapleton IL foundry back in the 80's. We made the wood patterns and mock-ups that started the prototyping process for each casting part number. The wood side had 50 journeymen and 2 apprentices; it was the best, most exciting job I ever had. The pattern shop was connected to but separated from the foundry. It was well equipped, well lit, air conditioned, and quiet. Some of the journeymen served their apprenticeships right there at Cat. Others came from all over the globe and from all aspects of industry. One journeyman learned the trade during WWII while serving on a submarine tender ship in the north Atlantic! All were immensely talented. I was moved around the shop every 6 months so I could work and learn from all of the journeymen. Patterns and core boxes were made 'old school' by hand from mountains of mahogany. I remember working on the first wood patterns for the then new 3600 series engines. The V12 variant was so big it took 5 days for the casting to solidify! By the mid-80's cnc machining was coming on fast and the Cat pattern shop (and most corporation shops) was no longer viable. Being a lowly apprentice, I was first to be laid off. I finished my apprenticeship at another pattern shop specializing in aviation super castings and worked as a journeyman on castings for F-14, F-18 aircraft, and various other defense components. I heard the Cat pattern shop closed in the early 90's. I think back at my time at Cat with great pride. Your comment regarding the surface 'bug' on that engine casting made me smile: "That's just the way these castings are... they don't make these to look pretty" Did too!!! ;<)