hey all...anyone got any info on the pre-production chevy V-8's?...early prototypes, early 50's, images...what have you?... thanks ahead cp
Saw one at a car show this year. It ran and drove. Sorry I did not get a picture of the car. There was also a couple of 2 cylinder cars running. What I found interesting about the one is it had NPT thread spark plugs and a cable belt driven oiler that would shoot oil through the copper lines into the engine.
While working in Reno, in '74, I visited the Harrah Auto Museum and couldn't believe the 1916 Chevrolet V8 car. Easy to change spark plugs. Great history and pictures!
This photo came from a guy who worked for GM back then. It's a early pre production Small Block v-8 being mocked up in an early 50's Chevy truck by a factory engineers. Check out the front of the block and intake coolant p***ages....
In '62 when I was in the Air Force, in California, a guy from North Dakota had a '59 Chevy he bought new with a factory 390. Had the 390 badges on the fenders. Each year he got a packet from GM he was to fill out and record any repairs, gas mileage ,etc.
A guy told me there was a tall deck small block planned shortly after the 50's V8 introduction. Can anyone confirm this? Blue
Recall reading about the Chev V8 when it first came out, the prototypes were 231 or 232 cu in, enlarged to 265 before introduction time, soon taken out to 283. There were a few changes made shortly after introduction. One was to put a groove around the distributor base instead of a notch. This was to allow oil to p*** through, the original design could cut off the oil if someone turned the distributor too far.
The Jalopy Journal
