Hot Rods Dressing a SBC to look more Traditional

This will sound silly to most of you SBC aficionados, but I've never actually had a Chevy-powered hot rod or custom in my life. I just picked up a roadster with a 69-70 350 c.i. (2bbl) motor and I want it to look more late 50s/ early 60s style. What are some best 'bang-for-the-buck' bolt-on pieces I can purchase to make the motor feel more period correct? It's under a hood most the time, but just want to remove the OEM 70s feeling as much as possible.
Thanks!

 

finned valve covers, just has to have a PCV/Breather cutouts for a simple bolt on. You can bolt a early cast iron 4bbl intake on and run a Carter carb, or a multi carb setup. Kind of have your choice of air cleaners depending on the setup. Ram horn exhaust manifolds and then a points distributor give it that vintage look. With ram horns you can then run the plug wires like a early corvette where they run down the back of the block and come up from the bottom.

The motor in my 33 pickup is a 70 350 block.

 

There are numerous threads on this, there was another one just over a week ago.


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A little bling in the right places distracts the eye from those tell tale non-early items.

 

I always need to ask define "traditional".
265/283, 327 etc.

 

Are headers early ‘60, style?
When did they start to be common practice?
I’d set for Corvette 2,5” ramhorns on my 327 in ‘40 Ford.

 

Depends what style you want. I'd consider an oil fill intake manifold a must as the oil fill was stock up to 1967, avoid an HEI distributor as they started in the 70's.

Going for a low buck 50's look? Stamped steel script valve covers, painted four barrel intake, 55-59 Chevy or simple chrome air cleaner, ram's horns exhaust manifolds. Generator for bonus points.

Going sixties styled? Finned aluminum valve covers, four barrel intake and simple chrome air cleaner, maybe ram's horns manifolds, maybe headers.

 

@el Scotto
And a short waterpump

extra bonus for a glass bowl fuel filter, and plug leads routed under the ramshorns [with "banana shields"]

 

Ok, this is a 283 but you can use an early intake with the tube and retro fit a PCV system in the back of the manifold and plumb it into the carb (plenty of how to do on here) then you can run valve covers with no openings etc. If you are going to run an alternator it would look better to keep it off the top of the engine, make it not stand out. The main giveaway of a large journal is the balancer up front but that's really about it. JW

 

At the end of the day they are more common than Toyota corollas. And about as interesting. Just about e erysipelas budget minded modified car has one.
The 265 and 283 was arguably one of the least powerful engines until the 327 the 327 is probably the best sbc.
I have seen them look real good a traditional car when it looks like a stock engine freshly pulled from a nearly new 55 or 57 chev. Complete with factory air cleaner. Also the factory fuel injection is pretty cool too.
Anything is generally common place from a catalogue. It takes a keen eye who knows what they are looking at to spot some rare original performance or dress up item that's not currently available.

 

You know...an sbc IS A PERIOD CORRECT ENGINE. Many dont like that fact but it is... late 50's being the period. Shoot, i have a 57 vette 265 in the garage right now. Early corvette valve covers are aluminum and finned and cool btw. Sbc isnt my first engine of choice and if i was in your shoes i wpuld probably sell that 350 for great money and buy something actually period like my 265 and itd bolt right up...mostly. can get cloth wrapped plug wires from wired customs

 

Anyone know if the one shown (speedway motors? ) is available in New Zealand ? Thanks !
Edit : Sorry, I think I just did the hijack a thread thing ……..

 

The Corvette script GM valve covers were on every SBC in a hot rod.

 

Mid 60's Edelbrock,C4B,C3B or a C3BX. 1NIMROD

 

Piggy-backing on @Robert J. Palmer 's post. Just make it look like a 'vette engine.

 

One more...if you had money in the 60's, Corvette valve covers, if not, maybe chromed GM covers, if
no money, nicely painted stock covers....

 

Get some magazines from the era you want to replicate. What they look like in there is what they looked like.

 

I say this all the time. They're better than new car magazines and the stuff is an actual window to the time period.

 

Knowing me, I'd probably make it look like a '69 302....
Here comes the shit storm.....

 

This thread reminds me of Charlie Sheen's character from Two and half Men, he goes to the Dr regarding a rash on his gentlementalia, the Dr asked him if we was using hair dye on his pubes. The answer was affirmative to which the Dr replied in an Indian accent (dot, not feathers) "We have an expression in our country, you can put a tuxedo on a goat, but it is still a goat".

 

Currently, with a MotorTrend+ streaming service subscription, they have every Hot Rod Magazine ever published available to read on the app. It's a great reference for what old hot rods looked like at various time periods in history.

 

Any "Cal Custom" doo dad will be suffice. (Air cleaner, fuel pump block-off plate), and a "Say Why-And" intake for mine. In the pic is a Weiand water pump, which leaked shortly after I put the car on the road.

 

This isn't hijacking a thread.....but staying true to the topic

Try Chuck's
Weber specialties in Auck have a Malpassi unit [but crazy expensive]

But if you want a vintage look...........hunt through Ag and Tractor supplies

 

@Kerrynzl
Thanks, I will try Chucks.
I had actually started looking at the tractor suppliers as being a farmer I remember the older tractors with similar glass filters.
Clemens

 

I saw a late model block were the guy drilled a hole through it below were the rear of the intake sits .
He had a tapered pipe thread bushing in it and screw in PVC valve at a 90 into that .

I recall it because I was looking at it to see if he had hidden nitrous lines there .

I asked the guy about it and he said he wanted valve covers with no holes and a PVC valve still .
He had a oil fill tube on the intake .
Other than a short line going to the intake under the carb you could not tell he had a PVC valve .

Was thinking of doing it so I can run my 57 2x4 Vette intake maybe with side ways Holly's ( been looking for correct vette carbs $$$$ and some old vette valve covers with breathers that unfortunately got installed years ago. Lot less oil blowing all over then .
I have seen fake road draft tubes that were really hard to spot .
The damper generally gives it away. I have see small dampness on a 350 but I would not do it .
Not worth it to fake out maybe 3 guys at a show that might even know the difference.
A old Mallory or tack drive vette distributer or old cast standard distributer . Rams horns if you want or period correct headers .

I grew up when SBC was the go to replacement for a flat head and many other engines.
A very early 60's car with SBC is about as traditional of period correct as you can get.
Yes there to common and boring now but if I was building in 61 I'd have wanted a SBC. Still do.

 

You can also use some small diameter tubing under the manifold and up inside the oil filler tube [with a hosetail sticking out of it]
with a Breather cap you want the PCV to pull air away from the breather [hence the tubing]

Some Corvettes had a cap instead of a breather on the filler tube and a PCV was connected to the oil filler.

They usually vented in at the rear "Tomato Can", and vented out via the PCV filler tube

 

The majority of what shouldn’t be done is accidentally? already covered in this thread. No blue plug wires on billet wire looms. No smooth/billet master cylinders. No late model alternators. No long SBC water pumps. No block hugger headers. No A/C compressors, especially Sanden 508s, no vinyl wiring with crimp connectors. No late worm drive hose clamps. AN fittings should have previously been on Aircraft. Exceptions to every rule, but basically, as mentioned, if you don’t see it in the pre-mid 60s magazines, it shouldn’t be there now, IF you are truly attempting to be legit “traditional”.

 

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