AutoMotive3D

Teach with AutoMotive3D

A 3D engine your students can build part by part, run on the dyno, take apart and break on purpose. Visual, hands-on learning helps every student retain what they see. This page has six short activities you can run on Monday.

Open it in the browser

Six ten-minute activities

  1. 1Name the valvetrain

    Engine fundamentals · any engine

    Isolate Heads & Valvetrain so the rest of the engine fades back. Students name every part they can see and say what it does. Then switch to an overhead-cam engine like the Coyote or K20C and ask what changed.

  2. 2Build it in order

    Assembly · Free Build 350

    Start from a bare block on the stand. Students put the engine together and explain why each part has to go on before the next. Ask what would go wrong if you tried to install the heads before the pistons.

  3. 3Where does the torque come from?

    Displacement · SBC 350 vs SBC 383

    Run both on the dyno and compare the curves. Same bore, longer stroke. Students explain why the 383 makes more torque, and where in the rev range the difference shows up.

  4. 4Diagnose it

    Diagnosis · instructor-led

    Inject a fault without telling the class which one. Students work from what they see and the code it sets to the cause. A good pair to start with: low compression and a blown head gasket both set P0301. How do you tell them apart?

  5. 5Watch it let go

    Combustion · boost and fuel

    Put a boosted engine on low-octane fuel and run it until something fails. Students explain why that part failed first, and what you would change to stop it happening.

  6. 6Compare the layouts

    Engine design · V8, inline-six, four

    Pull a small-block, the Chevy 250 inline-six and a four-cylinder apart with the teardown slider. Students sketch the differences: cylinder count and layout, pushrod versus overhead cam, where the intake and exhaust run.

Help us get it released

The Android app is in closed testing on Google Play. If students have Android phones, they can join the test in three steps on automotive3d.ca/test. Every tester helps it reach the store.

Tell us what’s wrong

Built by a BC tradesperson. If a part, a number or a step in these activities doesn’t match what you see, or you’d use it differently, email info@automotive3d.ca. Instructor feedback goes straight into the next build.