All time greatest engine?

It's Monday, just got off work and kinda feel like startin an argument...

Had one of those typical new-student questions today..."What is the best engine to use in a hot rod?". Gave him the usual "It depends..." answer, but it got me thinking.

So, what is THE all-time classic rodder's engine? Obviously, the flattie would be at or near the top of any list...but I'm willing to bet that with all the diverse styles and age groups on the HAMB, there might be a few other opinions. SBC? Ardun, maybe? As with everything about rodding, it's largely a matter of taste.

Too much trouble to break it down to different models of car, so how about pre and post 1936?

Personally, I've always been a big fan of the "10lbs of stuff in a 5lb bag" look, so for me it has to be the early Hemis.

 

gotta be a toss up between a sbc and a flathead..

 

Personally, I like the flatheads. But, for the most bang for your buck, it's gotta be a sbc.

 

Flathead, what else is there? Everybody and they're grandmother's dog's asshole has a SBC.

 

oldsmobile rocket

 

if you lined up all the Small Block Chevrolets ever prodcued end to end they would rap around the world like 4 times!!! what other company can say that?

more than 90000000 SBC have be produced

 

Ditto on the 10 lbs. . . .
Hemi. Always and forever

 

Rolls-Royce Merlin V12


Supercharged of course.

 

If I were a rich man, i'd have one of each:
Flathead
Hemi
W Motor
Nailhead
Early Cad
Olds Rocket

Already have a few SBCs.

 

An EA code [275 hp] 1967 SBC 327 with the [first year] Q-jet with the good brass floats, ordered with the optional HD 3 speed manual tranny.... Probably the MOST bullit-proof combo put out by ANY factory ever!

 

Thats easy....SBC..... changed everything.........they all are important..you can HotRod any engine.....but as far utilization, being light, easy power to be made, parts available, its small size.......SBC is king.............I have a sbc's, 409 Chevy, 292 Y block Ford, 392 Hemi's, 394 Olds.........I dig them all..........Littleman....the Sbc put many smiles on HotRodders faces when they became available...........back then...it cannot be denied..They all have their place from Flatheads to todays stuff..

 

Buick Nailhead.. I just like this motor.. and it looks cool

 

Sound like the sbc have it!

 

They look pretty nice with finned valve covers, six twos, and a Spalding Flamethrower.

 

I think the Reason that Most everybody like the sbc is because you break down on the Road!
you can Find sbc Parts anywhere
Break down with a Flatty, Olds or Buick and you have a Hard time finding Parts
just my 2.5 cents

 

All time greatest engine has to be the Miller/Offy.

For the length of time it was Raced, and for how dominant it was.




And the Ford Cosworth DFV.

For the same reasons...

 

"283" Chevy

 

Damn that's exactly what I was going to say. You could add Drake to the Offy too. But of course these aren't really the Greatest Hot Rod engine - just the greatest engines ever.

Greatest Hot Rod engine really has to be the flathead - if it weren't for the flatty, hot rodding would be a whole different game and Zora never would have made the pitch to GM Brass to make the SBC what it became.

 

As far as design goes the Small block chevy is one of the worst in my opinion, only thing it has going for it is availability.

But then again flatheads are the worst design, but they happen to be my traditional engine of choice.

 

Just because a SBC is cheap and easy doesn't mean they're great.

 

For Pre '36 I would say Ford four hands down. Since then the SBC pretty much has taken over. In 1950 the Flathead was king. Good thing about Hot Rods. Do it your way

 

early 283s and 327s are aight but comeon, think a little outside the box....caddilac and olds are unmatchable for their low end torque... on the other note hemispherical design heads were and still are the industry standard for drag racing..why else would hemis be around so long for the primo fuel engine?...ill go with the Hemi.

 

Just because the "Hemi" is still used in fuel racing doesnt mean that its Chryslers "Hemi". Yes it does have a hemispherical combustion chamber, but that is where the similarities end. As far as pushrods go, you cant get much better than Pro Stock Drag Race motors, but pushrods dont reside in the "All time greatest engine".

 

69 302 sbc with 4 speed.now wheres the pop corn,thisin is gonna be good

 

Conceptually, the Chrysler Hemi.

In practice, the small block Chevrolet.

Show me all the Top Fuel titles won by SBCs.

 

sure it does. What else can you buy cheap, build cheap, get half way decent mpg out of and still kick alot of ass on the street or on the track. That answer is just wrong, You must have been beaten bad by the sbc's to have that opinion

 

like it or not look at any major gathering and count them sbc' s