This Months Hot Rod Top 20 Motors of All time

HRM f'n rules, PERIOD.
Don't forget, Freiburger saved Rod and Custom from extinction when he was there, created Hot Rod Deluxe, and is about as down to earth as you can get. All that with being a 4wd nut and Mopar lunatic. He is like most of us--if it has gears, belts, or chains...let's take it apart and play with it!
Anybody that can't afford $10 a year for some car oriented entertainment should not be able to afford to be online.
So sign off if it bugs you that much!!!

 

Actually what makes a horse race are two horses that are closely matched. Otherwise its not a race at all.

The problem with the whole deal is that the people rating the engines new nothing or very little about what they were rating. granted they would have been racing in different classes but anyone who rated the performance level of the SBC over say an Olds 394 never climbed into an Olds powered gas class henry J.

The availabilty ad cost of used SBC parts makes them an easy build in the whole scheme of things but to compair the SBC potential wise to say an SOHC FE or even a Boss 302 for that matter just shows how small the experience of the reasdership is.

I would have to go to the bathroom to check but I don't think that the boss 302 was even mentioned, I think that the boss 351 was mentioned. I don't recall the Clevland Hampster being mentioned either. The 400M and such but they just were never the engine that the 351 was.

I am just throwing this out for arguements sake mind you. Just food for thought.

A subscription is 10 dollars a year? Whoda thunk.

 

I didn't read every reply, so if this was said already, my bad.

The only miscue with making a list is that there's no way to take yourself out of the topic. I would have believed the Nailhead would have been closer to the front, and also think the 1st gen Caddy might make the list too. But thinking about it, it's not really far off, considering their parameters and the current times. There's a whole generation of folks coming into "our" world that probably didn't even know rodders ever thought of using Cad motors. SBC as the top of the list? Be brutally honest and tell us if you're really surprised or upset with that. Be as objective as you can, and what else would take that spot?

 

Ryan,
I agree with number 2 whole heartedly and your example. I wish that the articles on feature cars were more complete though.

And on number 1 I think you need my help. I guarantee I will look across the cell at you and say maaan that was a rush.

 

Long live the SBC!

 

I thought the list seemed fitting. After all, it was READERS votes. The 350 Chevy is found in everything, making it less interesting. But who cares, it has lots of potential in todays market. Cheap, fast, effecient.

I like how they divided the engines up into groups. A chevy small block is...well....a Chevy small block be it 265 or 400. And you can't clump all "Hemis" together. The old style 392's are not like the 426's.

 

no respect at all for the OHV caddy--331/365/390.

 

So let's start a poll and rank them as we see them

I definitely see the ranking coming out different than the readers of HRM

 

I have been an HR subscriber for the last 6-7 years, after a very long break. It's priced right and I like the mag, especially the dare to be different cars and the dyno tuning articles. But as a reader, they never sent me a survey. Anyone else get one? I'm guessing it was some sort of web site deal. And you know how screwed up web site submissions can be, eh?

Had they asked me, my vote would have been for the engine that most changed the world when it first came out, and then kept being developed into the lightest, most compact, most fuel efficient, highest tech, most HP per CI engine of not only yesterday, but today, too. That would be the SBC, eh? Most of the other "trad" motors we know and love just faded away, too heavy / slow to keep up no matter how they were hopped up and / or dropped from production as they had reached the end of their development. And if not the SBC, I would have probably voted for another post WWII, OHV engine. Gary

 

Actually, HRM did not compile this list. It was voted on by the readers. Various criteria were supposedly included: historical significance (SBC is right up there, replacing the flathead), cost to build (again, can't beat an SBC), performance potential, looks, ease of maintenance, etc etc

The Chevy haters (you know that group that tries to be different by ALL having flat black cars, red wheels, bomber seats, lakes headers and flatheads) are all chanting in unison as we speak.

 

Someone told them I had a 401, that alone dropped it over 10 places..........

Doc.

 

How does a dude that runs around with an atty at his side end up in jail? Damn bro, you like a challenge....

 

Lost in all this whining is the article on Duttweiler's 2077 horsepower, 347 ci SBC. Fastest V8 on the planet at 462 mph. That's impressive. I didn't even read the 20 best V8 article.

 

You have to give credit to General Motors. Just like McDonald Hamburgers, they produced an engine that is cheap, easy, and accessible which people enjoy every day. However, does McDonalds really have the best hamburger???

 

Apparently they do....

Traditional rodding is a very small part of the big wide world of Hot Rodding.

 

They have the best hamburger for the money, just like Chevy has/had the best engine for the money. Let's face it, the vast majority of hot rodders did not have unlimited funds to build thier cars, so most of them ( myself included ) went for the best bang for the available buck.