The Chevy small block turned 60 this year. Could they design and build an engine this strong and durable during the Government Motors years?
Ford made some fine smallblocks as well.
1-8-4-3-6-5-7-2.
Thanks for posting this. Lots of hard work and tinkering went into what we can be grateful to drive and admre today.
First car was a 1966 Chevy Malibu with a 283. wonderful car, good pick up, good fuel economy. Unfortunately, ‘Body by Fisher’ meant many many many rust holes in the floor by 1980.
And the water pump was easy to change.
I always preferred the Mopar small block because it didn’t need 4-bolt mains and Chrysler engineers had a knack for good vale sizing for drivability. However, you spend enough time following a small block Chevy on the racetrack, you realize that it is the better mousetrap and when you make the switch, you discover that you actually can win, not end up in third or fourth.
My 2000 Tahoe came equipped with the small block Chevy. I know that was the last year in the Tahoe not sure about the vans.
Had that in my first Car, a 55 Chevy Two Door 210 Wagon.
Bullet Proof Engine and the Two Speed Powerglide, or as we called it “Powerslide” Transmission made it a rocket, not.
I did get my first Speeding Ticket in that Car, 35 in a 25.
My first truck was a 69 SWB with a .327 with a three on a tree. It would catch second no problem.
Today, this small-block V-8 now has full computerized engine controls and direct fuel injection, yet still maintains that compact and light overhead valve design. It is capable of amazing amounts of power, yet has better fuel economy than most economy car engines dating from the 1970's!
btrl
I’ve owned too many of these to count, from a 283 that looked like the one In your picture, a 365 hp 327, to a couple of 350-350 LS1s that I drive today (one at a time). That’s along with some truck engines that I don’t even remember the sizes. I knew the small block chief in the 90s. He once said: “I can make a push rod small block with just as much hp per cubic inch as any DOHC engine made, as long as you can give me the right metallurgy in the cam.”
What a beauty. Too bad most of us rarely got to see one this clean. Think I’ve still got finger scares from trying to change plugs with the thing still “tinking” hot.
Thanks for the memory.
The Chevy small block V-8 is another testament to good old fashioned engineering. The cutting edge aircraft of Kelly Johnson through the Saturn V moon rocket were designed with little more than slide rules and good practical engineering. Sometimes I think that our computer aided design may leave out some of the practical engineering know how that gave timeless designs like the small block Chevy V-8
My first car was a ‘55 Chevy wagon with a 283 in it. It was a total project car that I picked up for $400 in 1983. At one point, the shifter was broken so I removed it and reached through the hole in the transmission tunnel to engage the gears to drive to school. The small block Chevy motor never caused me any trouble.
Many thanks to the designers of that motor. And many thanks to you, Impala, for posting the article and bringing back some fond memories.
I’ve got a 283 sitting in my driveway right now, inside a ‘67 GMC truck. W00t.
All I know is a 68 Impala with a 327 can get from here to there plenty fast and smooth.