SBCs, Ryan's editorial and an old farts perspective.

I'm a young guy. I had an old straight eight Buick mill (not a flathead, but I won't hold it against you... ), and I liked it. Yeah it was expensive. 3k on a stock rebuild, but the fool thing looked sweet. That's why I would want one. Nothing quite like popping that hood and seeing almost four feet of motor gleaming back at you. Was it fast? Hell no. I drive a late model corvette now (SBC), and it's fast, but is it more fun than my old Roadmaster was? Not most days. Is it easier to drive? Yep. But then again, I'm a young feller, and my knees ain't shit yet. I've got strong enough arms to muscle around a two-ton barge with no power steering. In the end, I ain't got money, and for how much I miss that ole Buick, not much common sense either. That's why I love the straight eight and want another.

 

i've never understood the "scew sbc's" metality. if you dont want one in your car than dont use one, but dont knock someone elses ride because they do.

 

Yes it was in Palmdale. At about 50th Street East. It looked like all the good old pictures of street racing with a flag start, cars lining the road to light the strip with headlights and a stripe at the quarter mile. Sometimes there'd be a couple of hundred people out there. This was before the cops had helicopters and when they'd show up we'd run like jack rabbits and very few people got caught. This was from about 1959 until I left the AV in '65. Sometimes cars would come up from the San Fernando valley or San Gabriel valley to try to knock off the fast guy of the time. That was Tim Riley. If he's still up there, I'd like to know it. His Olds powered '29 RPU had a Paxton blower from a '57 Ford with a homemade plenum on a 371 Rocket and was the fastest car in the AV at the time. Thanks, I got a big ol' grin from remembering this story.

 

Yes, we are. I sure got in a lot of trouble in that '38. Richard Slatter, Tom Hinckle, Steve Sharp, Jesse Hendricks and me had the fathers of a lot of the girls in Palmdale wanting our BLOOD in those days.

 

Wow this weird. Today I was driving around thinking about how the SBC was indeed the workhorse when it cam eout. It replaced it all on the strip! Straight six, flathead etc.
And YES it is traditional!

 

Hell yeah! The same thing applies to BBC stuff now a days as far as race parts go. If you want to race it's hard to beat the deals available on BBC stuff. Any old time drag racer will tell you that there's no substitute for cubic inches.

 

no replacement for displacement, i think how it goes.

 

I think one of the greatest things about the versatility of the SBC is the appearance. From 55 to recent blocks, You can bolt on an older style valve cover, any traditional based induction system and with a few details your late model block has the appearance of the old stand by SBC. I know there are appearance differences through the years but when admiring a car from a distance a SBC is a SBC now just as it was 50 years ago.

 

I sometimes get verbally beat up for my choice of engine in my 1935 sedan. I didn't want something different when I started out but it just kinda got that way. I wanted something I could drive the wheels off of without worrying about it grenading on me. I looked at all sorts of greasy piles before I stumbled upon two broken but identical motors, and the price was right (zero $). After a year or two of fiddling around I got one good motor out of the pile of pieces I had so I installed it and sorta finished the car two days before VLV last year. It was QC'd on the way to Vegas. Now I get accused by my associates at the donut shop of having a helicopter motor in my car...which is okay by me...it runs every day, gets over 20 mpg and will run 100 mph 1/4 mile up at Palmdale (with the spare tire still in place). This car was still built in the traditional manner...by me....no 1 800 BUBBLE PACK, no trailer to some other guy's shop. I'm telling you right now that the latest SBC rendition will replace the current "belly button" motor in years to come....I have proof of it.

 

The SBC is like that that song you love on the Top 40 radio. It's really a great song, and in time, may even live up to the test of time...but when you hear it every hour on the hour, you wanna shoot the radio!!!!

The SBC has lived up to the test of time, and all the reasons people run em (unbelievable power, cost effectiveness, great looks, availablity of parts, reliability...) are all true. And maybe the rebellious side of many of us comes out when some one says that the SBC is the best mill, we'll look em dead in the eyes, and spitefully run a MoPar, Olds, or flatty just to try to prove em wrong.

 

Not to dissagree with anyone but the "FAST ONE" WAS AND IS the ultimate in nostalgia......read that Tradition for lack of a better term.

The 265 had to seem like a breath of fresh air after a couple decades of the flatheads evolution,and demise.
The reason hot rodders were quick to switch has to be obvious.
They were quick- chimpanzee simple and durable,as well as affordable after a few years in production.

Also it was this ICON of motors that started the HORSEPOWER RACE in the big three auto landscape.
Remember when they started adding 2 four barrels/tripowers on the T birds and Mopar cars?

Chevrolets eveolution was just the spark that set the precedent for other speed oriented designers at the big three.
They also were surely inspired themselves, by the competition from the other brands,as they were always tweaking and adding more power increasing add ons to the engines.

I feel the reason we and others sometimes relate the SBC as a bad thing in some more recent times is a result of the period when they reached their own low.

That would in my opinion be the mid to late seventies and early eighties.
Some 350 CU IN motors produced as little as 180 HP in that time.

But I like to think out of all bad eventually seeps some good........enter the 400 CU IN SBC.

Therein lay the resurection of the chevy engine as we know it today...It was the inspiration for hobbyists to take that motor and combine it with it's predecessors' parts to start a new age of horsepower in a non OEM framework.

Last but not least lets not overlook the true GENIUS of Chevy's design.....the adaptability/interchangeability of over FOURTY years of engines they produced.

Rather than pitch the design and make each few years offerings different as other makes did-they ADDED cu inches and yet left in that feature I mentioned above.

That is most likely the main reason anyone still today prefers the SMALL BLOCK CHEVY.

 

57JoeFoMoPar hits it right on the nail for me. Solid, popular, more bang for the buck? It's the mouse motor, but the cussid things are everywhere! I know there is a reason for this, and I think it's where you are going to challenge yourself. If someone is trying to engineer a certain area other than drivetrain, then why not drop in the most reliable option you have for the engine? On the other hand, others may want to be unique in regard to the motor. The many other types of power displayed on this forum is what drew me in, but certainly the chevy has to be included as hot rod power...

Tim

 

at 12 years old my brother in law gave me a ride in his daily driver 47 ford pick up it had a chevy 265 in it that was put there in late 50s had hurst adapters to ford trans and hurst front mounts his older brother built a Glass T bucket with a double round tube frame in 1960 it origionaly had 4 coil springs for suspension but proved too stiff it also was powered by sbc a 283 the car is still on the road here in Ct. someplace. As built it was bright yellow with tube spaceframe and 4 bars done with tierods.that pick up would fit into the hamb perfictally as nothing was done to it but the sbc and additional guages inside just a well used farm truck outside

 

I'm pushing 63 hard. When I built my first hot rod in the late 50s I used a flathead. But I would have killed to get a SBC.

My roadster runs a 30 year old 350 block. Late heads but otherwise old tech. Built it myself. It is a real hot rod. A traditional hot rod. And if you don't agree I don't care.

 

My '49 olds coupe came stock with a flathead six when I bought it. I tried to pep it up by shaving the head and doing a few other things but that motor just didn't cut it.

I dreamed of putting in a '57 Olds J2 motor and eventually found one that was "rebuilt and only $500 bucks". I ran the car around with no hood I was so proud of that engine. Man that J2 looked bad ass setting in the engine bay. Well it turned out that the motor had some issues. I tried to get by with spending $1600 bucks and a new top end. Still had issues the next year. Now I find out it's gonna cost me $5000 to rebuild.

So I've had the car 7 years through theses issues and haven't driven it anywhere near what I wanted to. Stuck a sbc in it last year and drove the shit out of it for over 5000 miles. Unless you have a ton of money to rebuild one of those vintage engines the right way they're just not to practical if you want to drive your car many miles. Don't get me wrong I love vintage Olds, Caddys, Nailheads and Hemis they're just gonna cost you if you want to actually use them.

It just so happens that the other day I bought a sbc for my '34 ford sedan. It's a '55 265 punched to 283 that all the machine work has been done. It just needs put together. The motor came with a "098" Duntov cam still in the GM wrapper, 283 power pack heads and very early vette script valve covers among other goodies. That stuff combined with the Edlebrock tripower from the early 60's that came with the 34 when I bought it will make one hell of a vintage motor in my opinion.

 

Hate to admit it, but SBC parts are on the road to rarity now too.Chili has a few years on me, but when I was in high school,283s were yanked out and tossed for scrap.Who wanted those when you could have a 327 or 350? Now people are clammoring for them for restorations etc. Circle track guys have used up all the 400s.Chevrolet only makes crate motors now.The aftermarket will probably ensure the survival of the small blk,but it will cost more.I'm sure there are some who are already hording stuff for future sale on Ebay.Time to appreciate what you have now.

Doc

 

I concur, Dr G. Modular Fords, new generation Mopar Hemis and Northstar Caddys are the equivilent of the SBC in the 60s. Clean running, high revving current tech engines of today. Expensive in wrecking yards and generally the province of the well to do.

 

Yea,I think the chevy LS type engines are going to carry the torch.Lots of aftermarket support for it already.Even blocks and heads.Did'nt see this kind of stuff in 62.

Doc

 

"Hot rods" by definition, are indefinable.

Like the old Supreme Court dude said "I know it when I see it."

It's always funny to me when someone tries to that "that ain't no hot rod" because it's got the "wrong" engine, stance, paint, etc.

If the builder says it is -- it is. If you don't like it, well, they may not like yours. We ought to be more like Kris Kristofferson says about musicians, "Let's settle down and steal each others [ideas]"

It reallly irritated me when I was at the Street Rod Nationals one year and was talking to a fabricator about building a 4WD rod. He looked at me like I was trying to spread a disease. When he said "Why would you. . ." I knew he wasn't a hotrodder.

So, if I want to put a 478 GMC 60 degree V-6 (because I remember listening to on at my Granddad's farm) in my Model A truck am I crazy?

Yes, but if I pull it off wouldn't it be cool?

And isn't that what it's all about?

(as to age -- I learned to drive a stick in a '48 Ford 3-ton truck with a bored and stroked flathead, 4-speed {unsyncronized!} tranny with 2-speed rear axle and not near enough brakes. )

 

The key word above is "try"

 

I think it's the rebelliousness in some hot rodders that make them want to do something other than the SBC.

In the 50's when hot rodders were making the switch, they did it for the HORSEPOWER... not for the sake of being DIFFERENT... my my how things have changed!

But there are still some guys who realize the potential of the SBC... like to go fast on the cheap, and can dress them up to be presentable and not so bellybuttonish... it's as easy as shopping on e-bay and the swap meets and not in the back of the street rod magazines...

Hey! That's the same way the "for the sake of being different" guys do it! I think we're onto something!

 

If they had stopped making small-blocks in 1965 no one would ever have this discussion because EVERYONE would want one! Just had dinner tonight with a guy that described his latest purchase- a traditional '32. It was going good until he got to the engine and he immediately started appologizing for the TPI small-block. On the flipside I was describing my truck project yesterday to a friend and he go so much more excited when I told him I'm running a period dressed '58 Corvette engine (like it really matters in a car that the engine doesn't show- but we do get so much more excited over "period correct"). Old small-blocks are "cool"- new ones just don't have the same mystique.

 

Its not the SBC people are tired of. Its the lack of effort when someone shoves "just a" EFI 350/TH350 in their car. An engine is and engine, some are cooler then others, but when no thought was put into it, it shows. An engine should be a focal point, even if its not an Ardun flathead or a blown and injected Hemi, its the whole reason for having a hotrod.



and I want more info on this 12,000 rpm chevy too.

 

In my opinion, you should run whatever is practical for YOU and YOU alone! I've always done that. It's not always a matter of choice. It's ALWAYS been a matter of necessity. If I could afford it at the time, I'd go with something better or different; if I couldn't, I stuck with what I COULD do. Always pretty much played the cards I was dealt,& I've always managed to do fairly well. I'll never be a "high roller" Hot Rodder! I could care less about that. My 2 cents only.

 

I for one love small block Chevys. Always have always will.

 

I grew up in a Ford family, my Dad had trouble with a 48 Chevy he had bought, never would own another one! We had all things Ford, farm trucks, Mom drove a Merc, my brother T-birds and is an avid Shelby Mustang collector now. I being the black sheep went with Chevys, funny how they would borrow my car to go get Ford parts. I am not knocking any marque, I love them all. As it turns out I am partial to Mopar powerplants, not necc the whole car, just like the Mopar motors. The SBC has its place in history and us "old guys" who longed to have one way back then had to make do with other things, not because we where "cool" to use other things, they were hard to come by. It was said many years ago that a SBC should have been marketed as a "universal replacement motor" for all marques, after all it has turned into one.

 

What about the CHALLENGE!! I've run a stroked SBC in my Ford for years. There isn't a thing I can do to it that hasn't been covered in the last 50 issues of any car magazine. It's dependable, predictable, and will go as fast as the money I put in it. Most gearheads can listen to it and look at it and pretty much figure out what it's making. I'm with 57JoeFoMoPar, that song is played to death for me. I really miss the look on peoples faces when I beat them in the quarter with my Y-Blocks. I ran them for years, raced them a lot. There's a whole different rush you feel when you see the tach pointing at 7,500 rpm and not one moving part on your engine can be found in a Summit catalog! There's another cool rush when the guy you just beat looks at your engine.....and has NO IDEA what it is! Don't get me wrong, to each his own, and I won't always win, but I'm dropping a 312 Mercury in my A 'cause I miss that thrill.

 

Like I said earlier and Dr G agrees, this is the new SBC torch bearer....in my car.

 

And then there's always the fake olds and flathead valve covers for something really different...

 

Commonality and just plain familiarity are probably some of the things that have helped to breed contempt for the venerable small block. I'll admit that I really don't give them a second glance.
When it comes to my own stuff I have a different attitude though, and I embrace the small block. I cut my teeth working on them, and although I am very familiar with the inner workings I still get excited when I crack one open...or put one back together. I still get excited when the thing runs too, after I've built it. The neat thing about that family of motors is the absolutely huge OEM and aftermarket support/engineering you have access to when your working within the small block framework. There have been so many things tried and tested that you can pretty much set up your combination and know what to expect from it before you start. The finished product can be anything from "plain vanilla" to exotic...or anything in between. They've found their way into most any sort of vehicle in most motorsports, so there are proven combinations for anything. There's a huge advantage in being able to tap into that knowledge base...and you can get the parts you need to make it happen.
I like to race, and the small block has made it possible to make decent horsepower for an affordable price. My stuff is far from exotic, so I never worry about blowing it up. I know it will happen up someday, but when it does I'll just go get what I need and cobble another one together. Jeez the one I run now was made from parts laying on the shelf...2 bolt block, cast large journal crank, and a nice set of small journal rods. I had the rod journals offset ground down to get the rods to fit...and was able to use my parts and stroke it a little too. A plain old solid cam and I'm in the 11's. Been 3 seasons and it's still holding together.

-Scott