Ways to disguise a sbc

x2...

 

I second that. If one of my freinds tells their friends about my engine I'll show it to them, and I usually get a couple of strangers walk up when I do, just to see what was making all the noise. But otherwise my Galaxie looks way better with the hood closed. I don't want to see a bunch of pictures of my car on the internet looking like ass with the hood up.

 

I think one of the prettiest valve covers ever made were the finned aluminum ones that were used on the early Vettes. If a person used those and a tripower or 2 x 4 intake with some early style air cleaners the motor would look like something we used in the late 50's or 60's. Rams horn manifolds would complete the picture.

Don

 

Nothing wrong w/ SBC- probably the greatest engine ever built.
Some of you keyboard jockeys haven't got a clue about "tradition".
Those of us who were there were hunting the junk yards as early as 1956 looking for good SBC's. By the early 60's, the flathead was a doorstop to be replaced by a more dependable, more powerful, better designed engine that wouldn't overheat.
The problem lies w/ the guys dressing out their SBC's at Pep Boys.
Plenty of ways to make a SBC cool looking.

Oh- and the next time you are at a car show & see all the customs w/ their hoods closed- pretty safe bet there's a Pep Boys dressed SBC crate motor living between the fenders.

 

Win.

 

Or maybe they just got tired of random people looking around their engine compartment and asking stupid questions while they are trying to get drunk with their friends.

 

I used Fentons and a tri-power to hide mine...




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Use a big block chrysler.

 

You think stupid questions are limited to just the SBC?
You could have a Y block, flatty, nailhead or a hemi & people will still ask stupid questions.

 

you asked!

 

Who said that? Not me. I said don't assume every car with a closed hood is pepboys equipped.

 

as stated, keep hood closed or be proud of it. can always make a full engine cover like many of the high bucks rides. if you do run any ugly late model engine with "modern" fuel injection, etc definitely hide it.

 

Phooey.
I've seen Y-block, Ardun, flathead, Olds, and Hemi disguises at least. All are offenses against taste, function, and aesthetics suitable only for the most herd-oriented streetrodders.
Why not get some early Vette hardware or ancient Edelbrock parts and disguise it as a HIGHLY respected engine that became traditional for rods INSTANTLY upon introduction, the engine that is the only legitimate heir to the flathead role in history?

 

Those Cad. valve covers are just sitting over the Chevy covers. Fooled a lot of people.

 

I agree why desguise it?? As long as it doesn't have a tune port on top of it!! I build traditional hot rods with flatheads in them.. Mainly because of there looks, there period correct, and the sound!! My custom 51 Pontiac has a 287 with tri power in it... I like to build with a ford in a ford Chevy in a Chevy but I have nothing against what others are doing!! I think the chuckles strangbird is one of the sickest builds I ever laid my eyes on!! I enjoyed lending a hand to help him out!!! I would build gasser if I found the right car!!

 

i have sen a few differant ideas from ardun covers too hemi , olds, pontiac, and so on ..

 

Go figure - nowadays, it's the guys with the latest iteration Chevy V8 throwing away the really powerful and efficient EFI and computer coil-on-plug ignition, spending money to dumb them down with a carb and distributor and trying to disguise them to look like the Gen I SBC.

jack vines

 

Best disguise I've seen are the ones w/so much chrome on them it blinds you. I'm a "less is more" guy. I like the older style valve covers & an older 3x2 setup on em'.

 

man, you are the coolest guy in town. you know what's boring? people who call Chevrolet motors bellybuttons or boring. so lame they can't even come up with something good to complain about, they have to use the same bitch put out by the other cool guys who hate Chevys.

 

I put Chevy valve covers on my Packard engine.

 

Cool Don. You just described my SBC.

 

Nice!!

The only reason I can see to try to disguise a SBC is if you are trying to make a built 327 look like a low-compression 283. I remember the days when the answer to the question, "whatcha got in there?" was always "a 283".

 

Yes fined sbc valve covers

 

get a set of the Canadian Pontiac valve covers off the 283, and the right Air Cleaner, and dress it up as a Pontiac-not disguising, just say its out of a Canadian 57 Pontiac. Do the same with the 1966 Studebaker 283- engine color and Stickers. Say you pulled the engine out of a 66 Cruiser. Mine was gold. Neither is a disguise per say- they will still be a Chevy with Factory Valve covers, just a little origin fib.

 

Lame!

 

Why in HELL would you disguise it? As stated before, dressed in early garb (or hell, sixties stone stock garb) the small block Chevy is a great looking engine. Dollar for dollar you can make them go faster than any other engine cheaply.

I love my Chrysler 360 in my Plymouth. but every time the Mopar only strokes figure out it's not a Chevy, they get uncomfortably close and want to be best of friends and needlepoint Chrysler emblems. (true story, by the way!)

I've had flatheads several times over, they are low torque, low horsepower, beautiful and often hard to cool on a 115 degree day. I'd put up with another if I was building a period perfect '40s car, but even then I'd hide a five speed so it could get out of it's own way.

I happen to be a banana for Ford Falcon sixes, I have more of those than any other engine in the fleet at the moment, cute, light, hopelessly under carbed, and I'm nuts for working with them, but I love them.

I have built and installed early Hemis in several things over the years for guys, and either they show how much they have involved and my head explodes, or after installation they find out how much it will cost and it never gets done. see the same for early Cad, Nailhead and Rocket engines as well.

Ford small blocks are unquestionably great engines, as long as you get the trans, pulleys, starter, and every God lovin' nut, bolt and washer with the initial purchase. 'Cause God help you if you mix and match anything out side of a two year span on them! They're also sort of dorky lookin' in an open engine compartment in my opinion, and have all sorts of stuff hanging where stuff doesn't belong, like oil pumps where tie rods and steering components should be.

So where does that leave us? Right back at a well detailed, pretty, simple, powerful, affordable small block Chevy.

It also occurs to me that most of the guys that bitch about small block Chevies are the younger guys that have in the last ten years or so been told they aren't supposed to like them...

 

I see no reason to disguise a SBC. It is what it is, and no disguise will change it. Looks lame to see a disguised SBC, and I'd rather people just left them as is. Don't understand why someone wouldn't just put in some other engine if they're embarassed by their SBC.

 

I guess the SBC bashing will never end. As far as I'm concerned, a 327 in NOTHING to be ashamed of...I'll put mine up against most any other mill out there any day.

 

Not sure why there's a need to disguise it. No I don't want to see 2 dozen 350's everywhere I go. Period SBC's dressed era correct are cool. I have a 1957 283 with a fenton 3x2 and Vette valve covers. All vintage stuff. What's wrong with?? I like flatheads and I've had a Y-Block. I think my 283 is cool.




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Running a SBC is nothing to be embarrassed about. Just own it and be proud of it. Trying to hide it is just LAME. The people who are in the know are never fooled and then you look stupid trying to pass something off as something it's not.