Hot Rods Dolling up your Big Block Chevy for a Traditional build and Hot Rod

I am hoping to paint the block tomorrow. Im gonna reshoot the vavle covers too they did not turn out as smooth as i would have liked. I am thinking of having the valve covers striped out like the caddy covers but instead of them saying cadillac they will have the caddy v and above that will be 454 in red. they will look like stock sort of. It will confuse the hell out of people.

 

you should run the chevy transistorized tach drive distributor 1111267
just sold mine

 

A Herbie Handcock video.

 

The 427 thats in my Gasser.

 

This is Barry Grants "Six Shooter" on mine

 

I have a set old mr gasket BBC alum finned VC's for sale. they need to be re-polished and the mr gasket screen print is fading off but you could buff that off totally and put something cool in that flat spot like your cars name ect.

Paul

 

This one is going in my brother's 32.

 

If you want it to look traditional, put a hood over it. If anyone asks, tell them there is a nailhead or an olds rocket under the hood.

Dave

 

Now, since we are all here debating what is traditional and what isn't, the 454 in my avitar is now Chevy orange. Bead blasted M/T valve covers and 4 BBl manifold with an original Carter race AFB.Triangle air cleaner with pinstriping on it. Mallory dual Point. The frame and running gear is all going to be Cherry red.
Should I leave the engine Chevy orange, or paint it to match the frame and running gear? I've stood out in the garage for SOME time trying to make a discision. I'm still pondering the triangle air cleaner, but everybody that see it says they like it.
I really do need to get photobucket.....

 

Chevy orange motor and cherry red frame seems a bit harsh!

 

i'd paint it black...

 

Never thought of black. Isn't there some kind of unwritten rule about getting too many colors going at once?
We always painted the blocks in the digger black, but it had a black chassis. Black would make all that aluminum pop. Hmmmmm.

 

Well i got my block painted today. In the pictures it looks almost black it was cloudy all day here. I cant wait to see it in the sun

 

I'm with monsterflake, Black engine.

I think it would be too much cherry red going with the chassis color on the engine.

The bases of the 2 barrels on my Man A Fre set-up are "supposed to be" (that's how they were sold originally) red but I painted them Chevy orange to match the block- it just looked like I didn't buy the right paint with them red.

I was told you can't go wrong with the 3 color rule: 2 main colors and then 1 trim/accent color like aluminum grey, chrome, brass, copper, etc. Then the color black sometimes can be fitted in as a can't help it 4th color like the black of tires or coolant hoses. Seems to work in general.

Myself, I am a fan of the triangle air cleaner only on the Tri-power Corvette, not so much on a single 4bbl. It looks like it is trying to fool people to look like what it is not-> a Tri-power 'Vette setup. JMHO.


Marty McF.

 

Marty, I'm leaning the same way on the aircleaner. Everybody around here says they like it, but I think I'll replace it eventually. It''s hard to beat the good old 14" round.

 

Chevies are supposed to be orange! They're just supposed to be!

The real question is what color should your frame be so it doesn't clash with chevy engine orange.

Black is for late model crate motors and people trying to hide something they consider ugly. If you love engines enough to run without hood sides, you're not a black-engine kinda guy good luck!

 

I thought the same at first but it sounds like he had a firm decision on the chassis color.

The color of something depends on what you want to to be most noticable and bring an individual looking at your car attention to. Do you want the engine on the suspension, brakes, or what ever to be the thing people notice first/most.


Marty McF.

 

My apologies to contnentaljohn, I really didn't intend to highjack your thread.
We can get back to my issues some other time. Sorry, Mike

 

Look in the October '63 (I think) Rod & Custom in the article on alternators-you will see a 63 Chev with a rat in it that was racing in NASCAR. That was their "Mystery motor", and they ran it for a season or two before it was released to the public. That engine used tin covers. They were in cars in early 1965, probably after they ran the inventory of 409's out in the early 65 Impala's.

 

My 427 in the gasser

 

I've got two of those distributors with the attending control boxes. Only problem with them is that they had a history of going in the dumper unexpectedly. Drive down the road and all of a sudden your coasting to a stop with a dead ignition. When we ran them on our oval track cars we alway mounted two units within easy reach of the driver. Then, when a unit took a dump the driver could reach over , unplug the dead unit and plug in the fresh one. After a couple of "experiences" a good driver could do the job and not loose a position in the race. If he were right in the middle of a turn it could really get interesting.

Frank

 

I agree, depending on what year youve got the rest of your car built to. say you have a late 50's to early 60's style build and 1965 rolls around and you grab the hottest engine you can find, a 65 396 and drop it in to hit the strip. youd have a mostly stock engine. to dress it up stay as early as you can.

 

too bad i don't know of anyone with a good early (67 big car) 396 core...oh, wait! i have one for sale! bolt on oil filter, short pump and accessories, exhaust manifolds, etcetera...

 

I think what and how you refer to something often defines where you came from and sometimes "when". The thing is, while correct in calling a W a W and I agree with you personally, what you and your circle of buddies called them is different from the next town. Even if this was true for everyone for the eight year run of the W, it ended in 65 and in most circles they were likely grouped closer with the BBC than the SBC. You talk big block Chevys with most 348-409 guys I know that bought them new or fresh out of the salvage yard and you'll have to explain its one of the "new" big blocks and not a W engine. Then again you still have tell many the W doesn't relate to the valve cover shape. Some even call them porcupines because of the valve arrangement, but for me I think of the late 60's experimental BBC style canted valve heads for the small block when you say porcupine. It all depends on who you talk to as to how they relate or remember it. Talk "The Boss" with Ford people and they won't be thinking about 67 Pontiac Firebird 400's but thats what they were pushed as.

We had this same conversation a few days ago at my friends shop, his dad is 71 and was telling another buddy and some customers about pulling the factory big block out his near new 60 Chevy to put it in his 33 Plymouth while swapping the Plymouth's small block into the family car. When he was done; one of the sharper guys pointed out that big blocks didn't start until 65, the retort was that "real" big blocks came out in 58.

Heck the small block wasn't really a small block until there was something larger from Chevy to compare it to.

 

I like BBCs. The power to dollar ratio has always been awesome. Color? Who cares. You got the biggest motor you could find for your hotrod and it happened to be a Chevy. I can imagine one in a nice copper or gold, lots of polished cast aluminum, maybe even a chrome water pump, period air cleaner/s, and a low rise dual quad intake with a couple AFBs. Perfect.

 

HA HA, that's about as far from traditional as is humanly possible.