Hello, Engines make the car. If you think about it, wouldn't you rather see a 671 SBC than a stock 4 cylinder motor in a Model A coupe, open RPU, T-Bucket, or Willys Coupe? The idea is to get everything in place and tune it well. The sound of the 671 blown SBC motor has no rivals IMHO. I may be partial since that was the first and last modified motor my brother and I built, back when we were getting our first start in drag racing. It may have been the excitement of hearing that SBC motor crank up and make those throaty, powerful sounds in that small backyard. But, when backing it out of the driveway and accelerating down the neighborhood street (it was/is a street legal hot rod) there was no other happier time in our hot rod history. The motor gleamed in that compartment with the hood off for the initial run around the block. But street legal rules means a hood is part of the whole package. B.BALOGH PHOTO Oct 1960 Whether they come from a junkyard or speed shop, there is bound to be a mix and match selection for most parts on a motor or hot rod build. It sounds like a lot of people go to junkyards, but around the OC or even back in the days of junkyards, scrapyards and dismantling centers in the Long Beach/LA areas, not all hot rod/ drag racing parts came from those places. In the late 50s and early 60s, the newish stuff coming out of the speed parts manufacturer’s shops was pretty outstanding. Who wouldn’t like a new manifold or cam made for your SBC motor? No need to go digging around for a reliable part in some scrapyard. The manufacturer’s mechanics and designers did the hard work in the samples they created. When they fit the need, the parts were made for the public hot rodder/ drag racer. The one thing we did find in a local scrap yard was a complete 56 Chevy rear end including Positraction, axles, springs and fittings. Since it was 1959, the rear end was about three years old. The gears looked really good, the Positraction worked well and the overall look was enhanced with a thorough cleaning with a high speed powerful spray. That combo would work well with the LaSalle 3 speed and 671 SBC motor. If you buy something from a speed shop, like a short block, it was probably used, from a scrap yard and cleaned up, honed out and presented as a used block, good for some backyard build starting point. We never wondered if the long block we got from a small speed shop near our house was in a scrapyard before purchasing the block. We were happy to afford a Chevy 283 long block and only needed some things to get it running. So, yes, it was a mix and match situation. Jnaki In our second coming of the 283 SBC motor to a 292 671 Isky Gilmer Blower Drive motor, different parts were a necessity. It wasn’t possible to use all Chevy stuff as the high performance parts (not factory Chevy) worked better for our drag racing needs. Since the factory was not in the job market for go faster parts, one had to use other parts to fit the needs. So, a mix and match set up was selected, Jahns pistons, Reath crank, Howard 8 Cycle Blower Cam, Joe Hunt Vertex Magneto fit the bill, ported & polished heads, as well as another bunch of important parts. We had a 6 carb Edlebrock manifold for the 283, but in rebuilding to a 292, adding blower related motor parts, we ran across some cross branding of parts. The Edlebrock 6 carb manifold would not work on the new 671 top surface, so since Edlebrock did not make a flat 6 carb manifold, we had to get a flat, Weiand 6 carb manifold. The sound of the 6 Strombergs sucking in air, the 671 blower doing its thing, and the powerful sounds of the exhaust made it all worthwhile. When we were somewhat finished, like most hot rod builds or drag racing applications, there was a complete mix and match group of products in the whole build. But, the sound of the 671 SBC motor firing up will forever be burned in our memory banks. It was a first time build that had all of the sounds and power from the various speed parts in the motor.
If your engine wiring looks like a spaghetti factory blew up, don’t bother opening the hood. If the parts of your engine that are not encrusted in grease and oil are badly rusted, again, don’t bother opening the hood. Unless it’s something rare or unusual, most people won’t even give it a passing glance. If you feel opening the hood messes up the lines of a car, I get that too. Chopped51’s Merc is a perfect example, showing it with the hood up would absolutely ruin the flow. But, if an engine compartment is clean and orderly I’d sure like to see it. Whether it’s stone stock or detailed to the max makes no difference. My casual observation from people watching at countless cruise nights and car shows, right or wrong, is that most folks derive their first impression of a vehicle by looking at the engine compartment. They start noticing details that usually leads them to look at the rest of the vehicle. Personally, considerable time and effort went into the engine compartment so my hood is normally up. I will gladly close it for photos if anyone asks.
Valid point about the lines of the car not the same with an open hood. Usually stop and go getting parked at a show, the temp starting to climb a little. So I open it up upon pulling in, then close it halfway through. Most people know what the front of a'57 Chevy looks like anyhow.
When i go to shows i like to look at the cars/ trucks what ever as they are. I take lots of pics at shows etc and when i come to a nice example with its hood up and looking like its broken down i usually walk on. Opened hoods really spoil the lines. Open engine bay, no problem. I don,t really care whats out of sight. JW
Pop the hood, and then every Tom, Dick, and Harry know more about your engine than you do. "it's a 350, a 283, a stroker 383, a Pontiac-Buick-Oldsmobile in a Chevrolet". Keep them guessing, and offer to race them for titles! I am Butch/56sedandelivery.
I love showing the engine in my avatar, its a 425 nailhead with finned goodies and dual quads, however it really takes away from the look of the car to have the hood open. I do have a real short prop rod so people can see the engine if they squint real hard and the car still has a somewhat low look.
Hood UP! Although it ain't a show car I did go to a lot of trouble to hide ALL the wiring in the engine compartment. Its just engine ..........without a bunch of "rat's nest wiring" all around it. Sorta proud of it. 6sally6
Some don't stop with the hood up, its trunk, doors and a wheel off to see the brakes and other whatever stuff. some look like a car wreck!! JW
I used to open the bonnet (hood) on my '54 Holden Panelvan until I found a numbnut scratching the paint off the chassis plate so he could then go home and look up where it was built. After I slammed it shut I told him it was originally built by Holden in a factory, after that it was built in my shed, by me and unless he owned it,piss off.
If you have something cool and different under the hood, that took some skill and knowledge to put together, Nailhead, early Olds, big Poncho, detailed Flattie of any kind, sure. And of course my favorite 427 Ford- but you would know when it starts lol. A justannuddersbc with the obligatory potato cam, lots of chrome gizmos out of the catalog, and some billet widgets from the same catalog, please- leave the hood shut. Always amazes me when someone has a car that obviously has a chunk of change in it, justify the scrub engine because "it's cheap"
You can see cars on the road, but I like seeing the details at shows. It's parked, so might as well open it up.
The Jalopy Journal
