History the "wonderfull" chevy v8?

Tell me about it!!

 

I am as anti Chevy as one can get but I have to agree with the above statement!

Dave

 

You are right on the money and that's coming from a sbc guy.
I went to a small town car show the other day, now generally there's nothing wrong with them but I came to the conclusion that the local Pep Boys must have had a sale on Chinese valve covers and air cleaners.
Cripes guys, you got money for cel phones, smokes, you name it, but Chinese **** puts a car in the bush league in my opinion (I know, I know, opinions).
And again, enough of the stuffed animals and model cars on the air cleaner!

 

Chinese doll up equipment along with the dolls, stuffed animals and model cars just brand the guy as a bush league hot rodder to me. Some get into a hobby to be one of the cool guys so to speak, take Harleys for example. You have dedicated riders and then there are the guys wearing their phoney decorated vests that never venture out of their own zip code.
When I see stuff like that I just walk on by. It’s like an accident scene, keep moving folks, nothing to see here.

 

RmK57, I tend to agree with you but consider this, what if Chevy had soldiered along with the stove bolt six? Would the y-block have become the engine of choice, and if it had don’t you think your commentary would apply to the 272-312?
Right off the bat the aftermarket had the opportunity to develop products for both the Ford and the Chevy, unfortunately for the guys with blue blood in their veins they went with the engine where they saw the most potential.
Out of the box the 1954 239 was viewed as a slug with little chance for improvement, but the short stroke, light weight and valve train of the 265 were what the manufacturers saw as the wave of the future, and 63 years later you can still purchase a new small block over the counter from GM or build one with every part coming from the aftermarket.

 

You don't even need to go further than the Chevy high performance parts catalog to screw together a pretty stout engine.
As to the aftermarket; we have a handful of people to thank, such as Vic Edelbrock who was there from the small blocks' birth and Smokey Yunick, Bill Jenkins, and others, without them, both GM's hi-perf program and the aftermarket would not have evolved as it has, and again Zora Arkus-Duntov for his needling the suits at GM to embrace high performance as a way to attract a loyal fan base for its products, both parts and vehicles.

 

The Y-Block had a completely different curve when it hit the magazines. Everyone did an "Oh Boy! Ford finally got a modern engine! There were soon articles on how to hop it...then before long all the articles were about how to swap
a junkyard Olds-Cad-Buick, even pontiacs and non hemi mopars into your late Ford. I don't remember the prices of stuff I couldn't afford when I was a kid, but I think I could have bought two Y blocks for the price of a junkyard 265.
Plus, they made the thing so it was a lousy fit into an early Ford...

 

mosy y-block oiling problems were not keeping the oil changed, i never had a problem ...

 

yeah Chevy performance was all you really needed in the old days for hopping up a small block. the 30/30 and the 140 off road cams were as radical or more than most aftermarket at the time. The Z/28 early LT1 intake is pretty much what a modern performer intake is based on. You really didn't see much design updates in the aftermarket until the LS hit the streets and a 400hp motor is now "meh". I suffer from that as well with my new Camaro at 455hp and it feels slow, but clicks 12.1 1/4's bone stock.

 

I agree ..all my sbc's have American parts screwed on em. For the most part genuine Chevrolet or early USA speed parts

 

I agree. Kind of like a car show where more than half the cars are red. The 55 Chev sedan I recently sold had a not-so-mainstream 327 with Muncie trans (and it was burgundy, not red). Had I not sold it I would be looking at something like Olds, Cad, or Pontiac engine just to be different. Sure miss that car.

 

Yes, the Small Block Chevy V8 is one of the best engines ever designed.

Here's a thread on building a 265. Very informative.

https://www.jalopyjournal.com/forum/threads/lets-build-a-265-chevy-v8.416175/

And this is a really good "How To" book on building the, (then new), 265 and 283. It was printed in 1957, so it has all of the information specific to the 265's and early 283's.

 

The 327 that all of 'em claim to be.
The legendary 375 horsepower Corvette engine.

 

Actually, I have to agree. I have always preferred Blue Oval sheet metal, but year 1937 is the exception. Here is my 37 Ford slant-back lined up against my drag-race buddy's 37 Chevy coupe a few years back. His sweet Chevy coupe has lots of history.

 

Ford guy here. Got my first SBC just last year. Pushing 50 years old and just now messing with one. No oil filter location or oil pan fitment issues. Bout the only improvement needed would be a cam lock plate.
Valve adjustment on the ford is easier but sure was nice not having to mess with broke timing cover bolts.
Replaced a Yblock with this sbc. Yblocks are cute and look cool but no where close to a sbc
FEs....... now that’s a totally different story

 

My mom's cousin bought this '57 brand new. As a kid growing up in the late 60's/70's building models of '57 chevys I was so jealous that he owned it. So glad my dad had this pic. Anyways in the mid 80's I finally met him at a family reunion. I asked about the '57 and his response was heart breaking. Worst car he ever owned, burned oil from day one, and many other problems. He sold it after 2 or 3 yrs. I was devastated!! A 57 wagon is my dream car.

 

High school, 1957: A few Juniors and Seniors got new or yr. old Chevys ('55 and '56 models)for their first cars...some were in Auto shop, one in particular was boasting about "My First Hot Rod!"
I scoffed, told him it was no built-up 'hot rod', it was an 'Entry-Level car', and for him to do some reading and 'supe-it-up!'
He was incensed, in front of his friends...I said I had an 'obsolete' hot rod, with an ancient engine from the 1940s, and could beat him in one, two, or 3 gears.
He lost his temper...agreed to race.
I just roared away from him, all 3 gears. He was just astonished. How could this Model B Ford be so fast???
Crazy Hernando's Racing Team numbers, donated almost new pistons (3-7/16" bore) and a welded-stroked Mercury crankshaft, 4-1/4". Potvin cam was new, as were the Offenhauser heads, slightly used 4 jugger (Evans) and rebuilt Stromberg carbs.
He told everybody at school after that, Had he known that 'crate' had 4 carbs, he never would have raced: those would have tipped him off that engine was 'SOUPED-UP!'
I shot him down every chance I got, to the point of calling him, "Hey, Entry Level!"

His bud had a '57 Chevy, (B/A 2 dr. hardtop) nice for what it was, (stocker) but in '62, the 327 was an over-the-counter DEAL at Courtesy Chevrolet...and enough 265 parts would fit, making the 327 short block 'the only answer'!
They went to take delivery, and went to the friend's house to do the switch. I dropped by, the friend was a 'common friend'...
First sin I saw was the use of his now-ported (way out!) and polished 265 heads.
A Power-Pak 4 barrel cast intake was fitted, but the 265 exhaust manifolds were kept.
Flywheel was 283, stock p***enger clutch.
Everything bolted up, (there was some problem with brackets/pulleys, can't remember)
When we fired it up, RPM was kept 'high' to seat new hydraulic tappets, per the sheet.
The owner was just stoked..."Wow...What a job!"
I said, "Entry level..." He said, "Whaddaya mean? There musta been 500 bolts, that was a hard job!"
I said, "Elementary..."
After a quick road test, I had to admit: It was a GREAT 'swap', although 'upgrade' might be more to the point.
I was stubborn, as the 'Chevy: The Hot One's even Hotter!' slogan was wearing thin.
My 292 Y-block Ford was eating Chevys alive, but I had pistons installed backwards (similar to Smoky's 6 inch rod trick, wrist pin offset gave me a surprise 'kick'...but much more was done to that Ford, as it barely beat a couple of stock 283s before I worked on it!)
But the value of the SBC was realized after I had built MANY of them for races, street, and hot rods. Yep. My F100 got one donated to me by a Doctor in Santa Cruz.
Out of his Corvette, a '69.
20 years that engine was in there. 13 second machine with street tires and mufflers.
I replaced it, very high miles. Another 'gift' engine, this time an '89 Vortek.
Edelbrock intake and Comp cam keep it in the 'hot rod' spirit, and I no longer hate the SBC. We 'get along'..... But they're STILL 'entry level'.

 

I was an apprentice in '57, and my boss, Red Mayfield was an older but energetic ex-racer that could fix anything.
A few Chevrolets with the 'new V8' came in, old customers with the New V8 Chevys!
If they smoked, Red and I would mix up and pour Bon-Ami down the carburetor at a fast idle, fast as the engine would 'take it'!
Some quit smoking before we replaced the air cleaner, a couple left and were still smoking, but just like Red said: They stopped smokin' in a day or two...
I've done this a couple of times thru the years. When warranted, it still works, and you can still get Bon Ami.
No need of it for 265 Chevys, though...not any more...

 

As I alluded to earlier, Edelbrock was one of the first to do r&d work on the 265 Chevy.
Link below for complete article

But Madigan reports it was “Vic’s old friend Ed Iskenderian who was chosen to develop the camshaft.” In the end, Brown called the small-block “a very rugged and thoroughly dependable powerplant. When modifications are properly administered, the engine is amazingly responsive.” Words true to this day still.



http://www.superchevy.com/news/1702-hot-rodding-chevrolets-small-block-v-8-circa-1955/

 

Back in the early 80's I got a job as a engine ***embler. I didn't really like V-8s much at the time but went on to build well over 400 motors, from Chrysler Hemi's, Aussie Holden's, Big Block Chevs and Cleveland and Windsor Fords but the SB Chev was such a cool motor to work with. I ended up building a little over 360 of them and I was hooked so much I made myself a 301 that is now in my RPU. I believe the reason they fit so well in the early Ford V-8s is the they were designed to be a replacement for the side valve. How many know the bore and stroke of a SBC 400 (401.6) in the same as a BBC 402. JW

 

I have not read not read every post in this thread. It does bring up a good point.
Many people think once Chevrolet introduced the Small Block it made all other engines obsolete this was not the case.
Many life long Chevrolet customers (like my great grandfather) did not like the idea of a Chevy V8.
My great grandfather was a Cites Service whole dealer with a fuel oil business. He would not order a fuel oil truck with a V8 (He had 3 or 4 trucks running at a time). He always got the 261 six
At one point he need a truck had to take a truck of the lot with a V8 he hated it. He said it did not have the torque of the sixes.
As stated early in this thread the push in rocker studs made the hi-performance word leery.

Now if you want to go fast on the cheap (I think that is an oxy*****) or race compe***ively the small block Chevy is the only way to go.

As a inline 6ers I must point out @DDDenny that Chevrolet introduced the BlueFlame in 1929 production lasted until 1962. It was the engine that made Ford go V8 due to dwindling sales caused by Chevrolet increased over the Ford four cylinder, and it helped win WW II the Duce and a half trucks and the red ball express.
Very successful NA$CAR sportsmen builder, owner, and driver Steve Danish started racing in the very early 50's with the BlueFlame six.
In the mid 50's (56 or 57 I think) Steve felt he needed to go V8 and build a Nailhead Buick not a small block Chevy.
The car did win but was never had the success of his 6 cylinder cars and went back to the sixes after one year and back to his winning ways with the 6 into the 1960's
Steve did go small block however it was pretty deep in the early 60's (63 or so)
No hard feelings just a little history discussion.



Steve Danish's Nailhead powered car note rocker cover.


After Steve went back to the BlueFlame in the early 60's note the late models in the top left (261 Chevy Powered)


I would like to point out that I am a BlueFlame six guy I am not brain washed. At this moment a 100% period correct small block Chevy stands out more then any other engine. There has been so much hate directed at the small block in Traditional Hot Rod world that when someone builds one it really stands out!

 

The first and "not so wonderful" Chevy V8, see article below.
A good many of us loyal Chevy V8 devotees know about this, many more of us acknowledge it as "just another antique".

The Chevrolet Series D is an American automobile produced by Chevrolet between 1917 and 1918. Over 4,000 Series D cars were manufactured in the 1918 model year,[1] and it was the first Chevrolet V8 car made. It was not until 1955 that Chevrolet made another V8.

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chevrolet_Series_D

 

In the parts department you always had to specify small block or big block. The 402 is just a .030 over 396.

 

Why couldn't they put the points. in front, I guess HEI solved that.

 

They did have the distributor in the back,but was smart enough to put A window in the cap so you could set the dwell with it running very easy.

 

Then the oil pump would be up front and that would make it a ***** to fit in early Fords with cross steer, that's part of its design feature. JW

 

Y

LOL - Chevy's 292 and GMC's 300 ci 6s would have just smoked the y

 

At least they got it right the first time and had the distributor in the front where it belongs.

 

The distributor fits better at the back. Doesnt get in the way of thermostat/ top hose and blower location and if nothing else it looks tidier...Aesthetics do count!! JW

 

Can you imagine the confusion the day the Ford guy started working in the Chevy parts department?
It could happen!!!
Customer: I need a camshaft for a 302.
Parts guy: is it a Boss or a Windsor?