My Henry j project car is fairly light in weight and a Small Block Chevy is just so damned practicle it's hard to resist. They're small, light, cheap and parts can probably be found at 7-11 stores. I was thinking of going with a 383 if I go that route. But everybody has a Small Block! I'm almost tired of looking at them. So, my question is: What engines of yesteryear would work that wouldn't be Boat Anchors and would put out comparable HP? What did Nailheads and Rockets weigh? Any suggestions or lists of donor cars I should look for?
depends on the rest of your car really,,what rear and trans,,then what do you have to go through to have what you want,,ie adapters etc etc..easier o make a choice when you have an actual plan sbc is a good lil ,motor along with the rest of them,,so looking at them ? who ares what any motor looks like ,,long as it wins races
I am a big smallblock Chevy fan but now the LS series motors are the way to go. If you want a more unusual smallblock how about a Buick or Olds 350 from the late sixties/eary seventies?
go with what you know is my take. if you think you're tired of looking at sbc's..try shelling out more bucks for a hemi,nailhead,rocket,yblock..the cost sometimes dictates what you run . after you check those prices,sbc might look a bit better.
I'm tryin' to stay late fities early sixties to some extent. So stuff from the seventies doesn't really do it for me. What did the nailheads and rocket engines weigh?
do a search,,there a a few posts here with engine weight charts,,pretty sure those ones are both over 650
Why not use a Buick, Olds, or Pontiac 455? How about a BBC? I'll never get sick of looking at a small block Chevy though. If you're on a budget they're really the best choice, with the BBC coming in at a close second. PS With 4.10 gears a 327 or 350 would make more sense than a 383. They'll live longer at high rpms.
With all the speed parts available for small block Fords these days, the small block Chevy being cheaper argument isn't a valid one now.
Big Block Olds ? Man OH Man with a FAT cam would be awesome not at all light but youll need a neck brace first time out Geoff
I have a friend with a J. His dad raced it back in the 60's and 70's with a tunnel ram 327 and Muncie. Late 70's he went 454 and turbo 400 and went a lot faster with lesser components. It just looks right in that car. Devin
I would not go with a stroker motor with 4.10 gears. Build something a little more rev friendly,making power in the upper register.
Or.... 394 Rocket.... 401 AMC... 472 or 500 Cad 400,425 or 455 Olds Nailhead Y-Block MEL Or an SBF, 260, 289, 302, or 351M, 351W, 351C Or an FE or BBF Or a SBM, or BBM Or a small or big Poncho Small or big Buick Small Olds And then of course there are the Hemis... You've got WAY more choices than an SBC...
I was planning to run 16" wheels in the back and am waiting to see if Radir/Mickey Thompson comes through with their promissed 12:00 cheeter slicks. I'm not sure what the outer cir***frence will be but you thoughts are probably something I should consider.
Now there's a few I hadn't thought of. Now if I can find something that isn't Boat Anchor in weight......
Im putting a 401 Nailhead in my build for much of the same reason. I didnt want to be another belly****on. The 401 & 425 put out huge torque, the 401 weighs 650lbs but stock puts out about 325hp and 445lb-ft torque the 425 puts out about 340hp and 465lb-ft torque and weighs about the same. But with these motors because not everybody has one, parts are extremely expensive. Also these motors are about 100lbs heavier than a 350 but lighter than most big blocks. A Chevy 327 would be really cool and can wind up pretty high, or maybe a 283 fuelie that'd be cool too. Just my 2 cents.
Most of the real Henry J g***ers I've ever seen had Chevy engines. Certainly, others must have been used, but by the time these cars were (sort of) common as g***ers, the mouse motor was the dominant "correct answer" for racers. My memory might be defective (it's been a few years, after all), but I don't think I ever saw one race in the top cl***es (AA/GS, A/G). Most raced with smaller motors in lower cl***es, and those smaller motors were overwhelmingly made by Chevrolet.
Yep, an older sbc couldn't be more right in that car IMO. And where's the drama? I'm really surprised this made it to the second page without the hard core Chevy haters finding it?
HMmmmm Small light weight car. Small engine compartment. Steeper gearing. Want something other than a SBC. How about a 340 Mopar? Impressive power in a small motor. This coming from someone who has a 425 Buick in a Model A. Good luck in your choice. Canuck
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