Hot Rods Dressing a SBC to look more Traditional

Nostalgia? Traditional? Whatever, dude I view the whole thing as somewhat pretentious and preposterous. This is 2023, these engines are now almost 70 years old, older than most of you cats. I'm a damn relic, a blast from the past. I'm not into pretending things are when they are not. We used to go up to Dave's Home of Chrome and look at all the chrome goodies, I even bought the sword handle for my dipstick. And the JC Whitney Catalog, always wanted a Winky the Cat. Well traditional was also working at a gas station when an old 62 Ford Galaxie Station Wagon with a 352, cracked expansion tank blowing rusty water all over the engine, blowby coming out the oil filler like a incinerator, under the hood it looked like drill rig, and a fat lady wearing a mu mu with 4 screaming kids asking for her Blue Chip Stamps. It's all part of life's experience. It's traditional.

When I was a kid I marveled at the old greasy flathead in my dad's 50 Ford, it an so quit and smooth, when it ran. I have memories of my mom sitting in the car as my dad and some enlisted men pushed the damn thing to get it start. Made my dad buy a 1958 Plymouth Belvedere. As my interest in cars grew, I had little regard for the old flathead, too slow, modern V-8's kicked it to the curb. Even today I see it as a outlier, a motor long obsolete.

I was, and still am, all about power and speed. But I love all American Hot Rods, even Fords. Traditional to me would be that I couldn't afford much, so I had to struggle to get that new Engle cam. I would love to have had some of those engines in this discussion back in the day. But I digress. I get it, LS engines are superior but seen as an insult. But for myself, it brings back how I felt when looking at an old flathead and seeing that new '57 FI Vette belonging to young AF officer pull up next door. Man I wanted one so bad. The cars have changed but I haven't I guess.

 

Being a young man in the seventies and pumping gas for a job was amazing. Must admit the Cudas and gen 1 F bodies of the day were my favourites. My barber in the late 60’s and early 70’s, who ran a chromed out T bucket (with a sbc) that would blind you in the sun, is probably the reason I put shiny stuff on my sbc’s. Aah, those were the days. Only thing better would have been to be 20 years older, but that would make me my dad.

 

Right on!
69-72, the rich kids in my high school were getting Chevelles, Cudas, Mustangs, Z/28's, Roadrunners, Corvettes, etc, laughing, wondering why we were still messing with those antique tri-five Chevy's, Olds, Ponchos, Y block Fords, etc.
Along came the cute cheeleaders, babies, lost trust funds, bills, no skills, no nice cars, more bills.
Sure, we went to community colleges, had dirty fingernails but in the end those 55-57 Chevys were front and center in our lives, still are, life is good!

 

I too was a petroleum transfer engineer in the 70's on 82nd in Portland (a prime cruise local). It fed my desire to own a muscle car and provided me the cash and resources to build one. Good times, good memories.

 

Good thing it wasn't a target master.... GAG!....

 

327, six Strombergs. Vertex mag. Lots of shiny on this one

 

I came into my prime, (12 years old), in early 1960's. Just about everybody who came into my Dads shop was swapping their flattys for any Chevy small block they could find. There were waiting lists for them at the junk yards and were not cheap by the days standards. Still my motor of choice. I don't think you need to go to the lenghts Sam did to disguise the Roach Rods 350 but doing any of the above suggestions will create an engine that looks just fine. Most people won't know the difference anyway. There aren't a lot of folks around anymore who were party to the introduction of the small block and actually know the difference.

Do what works for you.

 

ALL SBCs are Corvette Engines, especially when they are for sale...

 

Every time I hear that I think of all the corvettes out here missing there engine just sitting around .

 

My dad had a customer who was a doctor that bought himself a new 67 Corvette when he finished medical school. He would get it serviced a couple times a year even though it basically sat in his garage all year round. In the 70's when he still used the car, he had a minor engine problem on a long trip and the GM dealer it was towed to convinced him it needed a new GM crate motor to replace the numbers engine. Eventually he had a numbers correct engine built and installed, but we're fairly certain that someone at the dealer ended up with a nice Corvette engine in their car. That car was to be passed down to his kid, it's a gem.

 

March 13, 2023………all dressed up and ready to go

 

https://www.hemmings.com/stories/fall-out-drags/

 

Here's mine. Extra traditional by keeping the damn hood shut

 

These are great !!

 

Knew a guy that in the late 70's had a 69 L71 BB Vette.
Took it in to a shop because it ran bad . Was told the 3 carb set up was junk and it needed oval port heads to run right.
He got it back with some truck 454 with peanut heads and a Rochester .
Guy though they did him a favor .

Then the idiot traded it off on a chevy monza with a 4cylinder for his daughter

 

Traditional means what each of you grew up with and saw as a kid so there are millions of "Traditionals". Also when and where you grew up. My traditional, growing up in L.A. was Ivo, Grabowski, Hirohata, Freddy Rowe and all the cars at my highschool in 1957 - 59, mostly primered roadsters and coupes and Customs with shaved hoods, trunks, and primer spots. SBC engines were only in "New Cars". Our fast cars had Olds and Nailhead Buick engines or built flatheads. "Traditional" is a big word covering alot of ground. So is "Fast"

 

I git tired of having a belly button 327 so used construction adhesive to install a pair of Hemi valve covers on it!
There.... now you know my opinion of trying to make something look like something it ain't. You can take that rolled up sock out of your pants now too! YOMV

 

my eyes! All these Corvette valve covers but not in Corvettes. Somewhere there are Corvettes weeping.....

 

Any more shots/info on that belcrank???

 

Tempting fate I guess to call out a mod, but this has got to be a trolling post.
This is a topic that can be summed up by this skit.
http://www.montypython.50webs.com/scripts/Series_1/53.htm

 

2003
https://www.jalopyjournal.com/forum...ook-like-a-57-small-block-tech-question.5763/
2008
https://www.jalopyjournal.com/forum/threads/vortec-crate-350-made-to-look-old-pics-wanted.248056/
2010
https://www.jalopyjournal.com/forum/threads/can-i-disguise-a-350-to-look-like-a-265.539797/
https://www.jalopyjournal.com/forum/threads/can-you-make-a-zz4-engine-look-traditional.517782/
2011
https://www.jalopyjournal.com/forum...-327-sbc-look-traditional-be-reliable.623798/
https://www.jalopyjournal.com/forum/threads/traditional-dressed-350-pics.617040/
2014
https://www.jalopyjournal.com/forum/threads/sbc-help-trimming-305-to-look-like-a-283.855001/
2020
https://www.jalopyjournal.com/forum/threads/nostalgic-sbc.1188352/

I know this is just the tip of the iceburg.

 

I completely agree with this.

My take has always been that if the engine family began during HAMB-relevant times, then later iterations of the same engine family are essentially grandfathered in, especially if they're trimmed out in a traditional style. The SBC was first offered in 1955, well within the time period covered by the HAMB. Same could be said for the SBF Windsor (1962-1995), the B/RB Chrysler (1958-1978), Ford FE (1958-1976), the Ford Flathead (1932-1990).

Some engines that actually aren't traditional are Big Block Fords (385 Series), Big Block Cadillacs, Buicks, and Oldsmobiles, Mark IV Big block Chevys, and so on. For some reason, these engines tend to get a pass because they're perceived as different or unique, despite the objective fact that they were never offered during HAMB-relevant times. I.E. You swap your 55 Olds with a 455 Olds (Oh good! An Olds in an Olds!) versus a SBC (You broke ass unoriginal bastard, you sure ruined that car!).

And just like the 50s and 60s, we all buy new parts for our engines from various suppliers and the aftermarket. The only differences being that instead of picking up a hot rod magazine and mailing a paper check to Edelbrock or Isky, I can go on the internet and order new parts from my computer and pay by credit card. Nothing has changed in that regard.

The bottom line is that the small chevy is traditional. There's really not much, if anything, to hide, and it shouldn't be a source of shame that needs to be hidden. If you'll notice, the main issue with the SBC is actually hate for its commonality, not anything objective against it on the merits of its performance, reliability, or even status as a traditional engine.

 

Pages of photos and opinions including my own but the truth is if you want a period correct engine you pick the period and you dig into the photos and magazines and adds from the tail end of that period and you research to see what they actually used.
Guys used Corvette valve covers because they were easy to get, (Chevy dealer with a parts counter in every town of any size in the 60's and earlier) , inexpensive at about 35 bucks a pair if that. and looked great and all the sudden your wrecking yard 283 Was a "Corvette" engine. Unless you had a "speed shop" or parts house that sold some speed goodies in town or close by after market stuff often had to be ordered and the payment mailed off and then the wait for delivery.

 

No one ever asked how to dress a flathead to make it look more traditional.
Just an observation from a cluttered mind.

 

My corvette has cheesy Cal Custom valve covers...

 

My roadster engine. 58 Vette manifold , early plug wire looms , factory type progressive linkage. But it is a 67 327 block so it has the breather hole. On later blocks I like to use vette covers with moon breathers.

 

Circa 1960

 

I think that any "Traditional'' or ''Period'' looking SBC fails when it has an ugly steering shaft with ugly U-joints next to it. My 2c. JW