Lets talk Small block chevies! Some history from say 1955 to 1963

Old Soul, that's awesome man!!!! I can't wait to see my Weiand on the top of my engine!!! Frog mouths are a certainty!!!

 

I'm not sure I'll be leaving them up there... haha.

 

Highlander,
Agree with just about everything you said, if your not runnin a mag, love the old dual point Mallorys, Spalding flame throwers, Cal Custom, Corvette, ect. finned aluminum valve covers, multi carb intakes. Im curious why you didn't mention the 283?, the only old school big block,s are 348 & 409.

 

Oh you gotta. they are "IT"

 

After staring at that 4 two manifold I think that is really what I want. I can just picture opening the hood all crazy detailed and seeing a set of 4 stagered frog mouths staring back at me in front of the Mallory dual point. gives me the chills.

Now how much of a tard would I be to convert that to elec ignition using a unilite pickup?????? or is it not even worth it???

 

#1 #1 #1 !!!!
So many of these twenty somethings are running around looking like "Bowser" and don't have a clue that very few of us looked like that.
Matteroffact, most of us look the same as we did then, just more scars and wrinkles.
And as for the small block not being tradional, as soon as they appeared at the dealerships they started appearing in hot rods.
If you are determined to make your engine locked in time study dual point ignitions, and very early four barrel carbs, like WCFB's. Headers didn't start showing up on street cars until the mid 60's, as I recall. PCV's started in the mid 60's.
You may be dissapointed with the performance of your engine tho, unless you want to hide electronic ignition in an early distributor, and use a generator shaped alternator. JUSTMYARROGENTOPINION. Mike

 

Don't forget the early vette exhaust manifolds. The outlet is bigger. My dad ran them in street stock in the late 70's . The rules would'nt allow headers.

 

I get sick of the 350/350 horse TH350 3.50:1 crowd...but second to a Flathead...nothing but nothing sounds better than a well built 283.

 

Haha, yeah once we put that manifold on there and lowered it down and into it's new home, it kinda hit me that I was building an honest-to-God hot rod and I got the same chills...

Can't wait for next spring...

 

I have a 1955 Hot Rod mag with a story about Zora Arkus-Duntov putting a 4-53 GMC blower on a small block. GM wanted him to torture-test it, so he made a blower manifold and dyno'ed the heck out of it! Cool!

 

i have a set of those heads , are they as good as the double hump?

 

Well I am a late 20 somthing dude but I am not handsome and I dont have real tall hair. mine fell out thanks to Alopecea. gotta love autoimmune diseases.

I am definately intrigued by the wcfb's. a cool looking carb in my oppinion.

I dont see why the generator is gonna have an impact on performance unless you are thinking that with a elec ignition I cant get the proper voltage to the unit???

Im not going for a crazy high horse motor but I dont think that 350 hp unrealistic.

I just recently had this urge to build a locked in time apearing engine. I didn't used to care so much on a custom but I have to build this car like this. Really the first time I have really had a solid build plan in 10 years from this car. I am super excited. now I just have to figure out how to fund this project.

 

R. Pope beat me to it when he said 3/71 blower! Either that or a 4/71! both look too cool on an early small block - especially the Wiend drive with the multiple 1/2" belts!

 

I like the multiple belt setup. and I have the under hood room. prolly cost the same to do that as a freekin 4x2 manifold setup sheesh! spendy little things

 

My first encounter with a S B Chevy was when i turned 16 ,,got my drivers license ,,and got to drive my Dads brand new '57 Chevy 210 two door hardtop ,,turquiose n white ,,283 4 barrell PWR PAC ,,three speed overdrive with a 4;11 posi rear ,,,,it became the 2nd fastest car in Marshall County Iowa ,,next to my buddy's '55 Olds with a Mondello Motor n three dueces & a Hydro Trans ,,never could beat that cottenpicker ,,

 

I have been scrounging parts for a 283 myself. I have a Chevy II block and have been looking for a forged steel, small bearing crank for it (not too hard as money is short). I traded for a set of period correct power pack heads, too. From my research, I understand the rods to use, if you can find them, are small journal 327 rods, that are the right length but beefier. Add to that a set of forged pistons and a good balance job. I like the fool-proof nature of electronic ignitions and plan to run a Mallory Maglite, painted black without the badge. I'm thinking three deuces, though a four-barrel is bullet proof. With a pair of Corvette 2 1/2" ram's horn exhaust manifolds from Speedway. In the old days you ran what was called a "Duntov" cam. I live close to Memphis and will probably use one from Comp Cams. In California I bought cams from Engle because you could drive down there and pay cash and get a deal. I'm into deals. I always buy lifters, push rods, and cam from the same folks. This one gets roller rockers. I used 'Vette covers back in the day, and since they're being reproduced, will probably use them again, unless I run across a set at a swap meet. (You need taller valve covers for roller rockers, I know, but a spacer should solve that problem.) Nothing revs like a 283!

 

Here's a few of the small blocks I've done for various projects.

This is the one in my '49 Ford Coupe. It's actually a .030 over 350 with Trickflow canted valve alum. heads, but I dressed it like an earlier small block with an Offy 2x4, Corvette valve covers, and rams horn manifolds.

It's attached to a Muncie 4 speed, an early Lakewood '55-57 Chevy scattershield, and a Hays billet flywheel. It's stone reliable and runs like a raped ape.



I used the same basic formula with the small block in the '49 Fleetline I was building. It had a crate 350, but it was also dressed like an earlier small block.



This is another 350 that has double hump heads, an Edelbrock 3x2 with Stromberg 48's and chromed script valve covers. It's in a Model A Coupe.



A couple of years ago, I got really deep into building a 265 in a late '50s style for my Model A Roadster. The Roadster is on hold for a little longer, but the motor has been done for a while, and just needs to be painted.

E.C. built this one for me. It started with a real '56 Corvette block (2x4bbl/Powerglide code), and I completely polished the block. Eric cut down a small journal 327 crank to fit in the 265 block, and modified the oiling so that I could use a distributor without a notch. It has NOS Jahns pistons, Eagle 4130 rods, an Isky solid roller I had reground, an Isky 2-gear gear drive, ported and polished '57 Fuelie heads with stainless valves, Harland Sharp roller rockers, Isky adjustable guide plates, Erson solid roller lifters, Fenton cast iron headers, a ported Weiand 4x2 with 4 Stromberg 97's, a Weiand 4x2 fuel block, a Vertex HEI mag. dist., custom MLS head gaskets, and it will have just north of 10.5:1 compression. All that is attached to a Scheiffer aluminum flywheel, a Speed Gems bellhousing/adapter, and a Ford Toploader 4 speed with a Jeep top-shifter.

Eric says it should make 400hp or there's something wrong. 400 hp out of a '56 265 would be impressive, to say the least!

Here's the lower end as the short block was going together...




And here's the mock-up of the stuff going on it...





Finally, this is the one I'm putting together literally right now. It's a '57 283 with '58 Vette (770 casting/ 58x) heads...a close replica of a '57-58 Corvette 283. It was also built by E.C., and Tinker's machined the heads.

It has forged Mickey Thompson domed pistons, a Duntov cam, an Edelbrock 3x2 with Stromberg 97s, an early Mallory dual-point converted to HEI, early Hedman headers, and 9-fin Corvette (fuelie) valve covers. It'll be connected to a '39 Ford trans and an Offenhauser adapter.



It goes in the deuce chassis in the background of the picture.

-Brian

 

Brian, you got pictures of the MT pistons in that last one? That is almost identical to the mill I am building for my Tudor. Only diff is the rocker covers and my carbs are 94s!

 

Bass you fucker you are building these things right outta my head. that Is amazing. this is the shit I see when I close my eyes. I love it. I hope to meet you someday and talk about all this crazy shit!!!!!!!

 

Here is my 55 265 no oil filter motor I had plans on puttin it in my 36 but went another route have it for sale but no takers recently got a 64000 mile 51 chevy 2 door might just put it in it

 

For those of you that have not looked at Jeffrey james 265 thread you should. Lots more great info in that one!

 

BASS IT HAS TAKEN YOU 8-10 MONTHS TO FINALLY COME OFF THAT INFO ON THAT 265!!!!!! What a coincidence that it comes weeks after I have my engine finished and it waiting to be plopped in my car. Hahahahahahahahahahahaha!!!!!!

Rad Motors dude. I think I might ship my HEMI to texas to have E.C. build it. I talked to him a little bit and from seeing your shit he seems like as good as it gets. Rad.

 

I didn't mention the 283 because there's no replacement for displacement and parts are much cheaper for 4" bore combinations. On the outside they look enough the same to enjoy em for what they are. 348-409? Like I said, dollar per HP. A dual quad 409 is worth more than my whole car! 348s are getting close as the 409 supply dries up and then you basically have a very heavy engine, internally and externally, that talks the talk but won't walk the walk, that is unless $$$$$ is no object. Love the SBC. More "smiles per gallon" plus all the shit we already know and love about em.

 

Bass,

Love the 350's with the finned valve covers. Not knowing all the SBC in's & out's... how are those engines being ventilated without any breathers in the valve covers? Thru the oil fill tubes?

Scott/Gotta56forme

 

here's a stock 57 283 CI/283 HP small block--097, FI, --runs pretty good too

 

I wanted to add to this post a bit. I could probably come up with a story or two about SBC stuff that I either have or have had because I have always been an SBC guy of sorts but I thought the story about Howard Johanson [Howard's Cams] was interesting.

In 1957 you could get forged aluminum rods for the SBC from Howard's Cams. In late 1960 they were producing aluminum racing heads [around 500 + or - a set].

I robbed this pic of the Twin bears dragster from this site.

http://www.nitrogeezers.com/howard_johanson.htm

It is running vertex mags [I believe Joe Hunts], 471 blowers with Howard's Chain drives, Howards aluminum race heads, Howard's Forged aluminum rods, Howard's cams . . .

Very early on all this stuff was available to whomever could muster up the cash. The SBC was regognized for its go fast potential from the very beginning.

Basically if you want to build a fast SBC that is traditional the sky is only limited by your wallet and your ability to scrounge.

 

I'm a lousy mechanic. As result, when I started my hot rod build, the sbc was my ticket. Sure, I would have loved an old hemi or flatty, but I'm most familiar with the little Chevy V-8. Being my first build at the age of 60, I didn't need any additional aggravation over & above all that it takes to build any actual car. Not only did I opt for an sbc, I chose one that is flat stock (aside from a new carb & headers, etc.). This one here is actually unrebuilt..it supposedly came out of a '65 Impala with 67,000 miles registered. The numbers check out & the motor does not smoke or act dumb. It was the best decision I made. I totally love it.

 

There is alot of mis information out there about this, actually Ed Cole and a team of engineers designed the first Small block Chevy, Alot like Henry Ford utilizing new casting techniques and ideas like stamped steel rocker arms hydraulic lifters and hollow pushrods for oil passages ETC..
Duntovs contribution was getting more power out of it later on and convincing Chevrolet that there was a huge opportunity in Hi performance and racing that would transfer into sales of both cars and parts.He sent a letter to the bosses at Chevrolet titled"Thoughts Pertaining to Youth, Hot Rodders and Chevrolet", He was also responsible for the V8 going into the Corvette for 1955. But he didnt design the SBC

 

Had this album for a couple of years....

http://www.jalopyjournal.com/forum/album.php?albumid=8196