History Was Henry asleep when the first Chevy Small Block came out ???

The year was 1917 and Chevrolet just released it's first Overhead Valve V-8. The little motor did not stay on the market very long due to policies at the Newly formed General Motors Corporation.
Never the less the Car and Engine is worthy of recognition. To read the whole story, Click on the link below..............Jeff

http://www.jalopyjournal.com/forum/group.php?do=discuss&group=&discussionid=40731

 

When was the first Chevrolet V8 made?

 

Thanks Harv, One of the 1917 V-8 survivors is being sold and I just thought that some of the younger Guys would be surprised............. Jeff

 

I'd think Henry was too busy pushing Model T's out the door to let it concern him a whole lot at that time. He built 735,020 vehicles that year out of a total US production of 1,814,988 of which Chevrolet built 125,882, In the three year run on the V8 they built around 3000 of them, http://www.gmphotostore.com/1917-Chevrolet-Series-D-Engine/productinfo/53216861/#.Ui_VtX_bJ34

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Thanks for the read....Chevys will always be out front.....

 

By all reports, Henry was stuck in his ways and not one to like change. He would still be building Model T's if his Son and others hadn't pushed him to move forward. Even then he did it reluctantly and with much resistance.

In some respects Ford Motor Co is still a little like that......look how long they milked the basic Fox Mustangs, 79-93. But that was a stroke of genius from a marketing/manufacturing standpoint IMO. Same with the flathead V8........32 to 53.

Don

 

In 1917, Chevrolet was a pimple on Henry Fords dogs ass. Chevrolet didn't gain a whole lot on Ford until Edsel died. At that point Henry was old and didn't have the energy to move the company forward. After WWII Ford stayed with the flathead and buggy springs while the rest of the automotive world moved forward. I still won't own a Chevrolet!

 

Out front of what a train......





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The 1917 Chev V8 was a dead end... Ford was more worried about the 4 cylinder that came afterward and especially the six they brought out in 1928.

Chev was giving the Model T strong competition,then as soon as Ford brought out the Model A, they trumped his ace with a six cylinder engine.

This inspired him to go one better with the 32 V8.

By that time the Chev V8 was long forgotten. It stayed forgotten until the Chev V8 came out in 1955 then some antique car fans brought it out as a historical curiosity.I doubt anyone at Chev even remembered it existed.

 

Rusty, Some good points there and I agree with You. I have heard it said that when Chevrolet came out with the 6 in 1929 that Henry said, "If they want cylinder give the cylinders !!!"
Good to no that there are others that follow Auto History................... Jeff

 

There were lots of cutting edge designs in the early days. Lafayette had a V8 in 1920. Early Buicks had roller lifters. 4spd transaxles were around as early as 1906. Henry was dead by '46, so yes he was asleep when the SBC came out.

 

Something that most of us forget about is the financial end of WWII. I think Henry Ford came out of WWII smelling like a rose. That along with his age (82 at end of war) and the loss of Edsel probably took away a lot of his will to compete.

 

Im very impressed with this. For many years I was of the belief that Ford was the first with the production V8. What a surprise to read this post and its attachment. Thank you.

 

Here's a 1915 two page pictorial on American Eight-Cylinder Motors, ten engines and they're all V8s.

 

That 1915 pictorial is very interesting. While I knew about the 1917 Chevy V8 I was not aware of all those other pre-1920 American V8s.
From the pictures it looks like they were mostly flatheads, unlike the Chev o.h.v. engine. I think V8s tended to be available only in higher end cars, before Ford developed a casting process that lent itself to cheaper mass production.
It makes me wonder why the V configuration eventually became the engine of choice for many American manufacturers, and why 8 cylinders?

 

36 horsepower? Hardly worth it no wonder they didn't last.

Posted using the Full Custom H.A.M.B. App!

 

I own a Chevy and a ford. As long as their American cars I'm not discriminating. I'll never buy a import.

 

Your computer is an import...... (note the smilie face, it's a joke.)

 

The Series D Chevy V8 was expensive to produce and shot up the car prices. That was the end of it until 1955. Chevy got by very well on the inline 6 for decades.

There were some interesting years in there for all car makers. 2 World Wars, a depression, etc. Look at how many car-makers simply failed in those years, also a good many in the post-WWII era.

Bob

 

36 horse power was about middle of the road in 1917 for production vehicles. When did Cadillac come out with a V-8? I think it was about the same time.

 

Henry knew his long stroke sweet sounding flathead V8 would someday be an icon and old car lovers would pay mega bucks to keep them running forever!

 

Henry didn't like overheads because of keeping oil to the top end. The oils of the day were not very good and would sludge up.

 

Had Chevrolet built a successful V8 engine in 1917 Henry Ford may have taken notice,,but the engine was plagued with problems much like Henrys earlier experiments with his own V8.

The flathead V8 was a huge feather in Henrys cap not to mention the '54 Y block overhead V8 Ford engine,,one year before the Chevy V8,,no denying Chevy builds a great engine now. HRP

 

Really? For the decade of the '30s, Ford and Chevy each took the top spot five times.

 

couple of years ago, I took a ride in a '17 V8 chevy touring car. It was the one that had been in Henry Ford museum, donated by Chevrolet in about 1935. Had a bunch of low end torque and pretty damn fast for a '17 anything. Was definitely a blast!

 

Kinda funny that, even earlier than this, the first V8 made available for sale was French. I couldn't possibly be alone in my thinking that this Antionette V8 from 1909...



...would look awesome in this 1923 Citroen...

 

Would look awesome anywhere.

 

I read a road test on one a year or two ago (in Hemmings, maybe?), and they said that it actually went too fast for its own good. They got it up to 65 or so, then got scared and backed off....I guess the brakes and suspension weren't quite up to that....sorta like most '60s muscle cars.

 

I think many are missing the point.
Henry Ford was NOT praised for inventing the First V8.
Henry Ford was Praised for making the First "One Piece Block" V8.
The other makers made V8 Blocks that were Built up from several pieces.
Henry Ford literally spent Millions (late '20's Dollars) on concurring this challenge to make an entire V8 Block in one piece Cast Iron.

 

Resisting change......Henry Ford was the last to go with hydraulic brakes.... "All steel, from toe to wheel" was his motto. Edsel and some engineers built a hydraulic brake rolling chassis in a back shop. When Henry was shown the result, he asked "why haven't we been doing this" ?

Or so that Henry Ford story goes.....

4TTUK