A small bit of trivia...See the line going through the "O" in Corvette on the valve covers? The Casting mold at Chevrolet cracked around March of 1966, causing that line in the O...they never fixed it and it became more pronounced over time.
The Casting mold apparently still exists, and someone owns it....That would be a cool JJ entry..."History and pics of the original Corvette valve cover casting mold"
Engine looks great. Just right for the build. Enjoying the tech parts of this thread and all the odd comments you evoke from our quirky crowd!! TEB
What was the reasoning to using a hydraulic throw out bearing as opposed to a slave cylinder? I thought they were fairly frowned upon. As for beer, I'll stick with Steam Whistle, good beer, good story.
People love to bash the small block chevy, but properly dressed they're one of the best looking motors in my opinion.
My little bro bought some of those Corvette covers for his 1969 era yellow '32 coupe, and we noticed the O has a bit of flashing kinda covering the opening. He's trying to make sure all his parts are era appropriate, so the post-1966 date on the cracked-pattern Corvette cover will fit right in with the picked-from-a-Corvette SBC he's using.
MAN I like that a lot. I mean ALOT! I've built this little hotrod in my head maybe a hundred times. And the script damn near mirrors yours line for line right down to those crowning valve covers. Only re-write might be a louvered pancake Vette air cleaner on a 4 barrel (just cause I have one). The triplet 97s are obviously cooler. I hope a video is in the works when this little gem gets mobile. Good job man.
I think most guys that bash the SBC are just guys that haven't been doing this thing long enough to really understand the history of the motor and its significance to hot rodding in general. I mean... whats not to like about a motor that's small, light, cheap, pretty, makes a ton of power and has historical significance to boot? The bashing comes from the fact that they are just so popular... And ignorance always leads to contempt and some folks like to tear down walls made with success. And... I think it's pretty inarguable that the SBC is the most well rounded engine ever produced by anyone... I mean, what can compete? Think about all of the motors ever produced and see if you can come up with anything with such longevity... The flathead Ford (or any Ford really) certainly can't compete. The Porsche Boxster 6 has been around forever, but the turn to water cooling shows you a ceiling. Maybe the Rover/Buick V8? But again... ceiling... I literally can't think of a motor with such longevity. It's crazy to think that the same basic design that came out in 1955 now makes 650 plus horsepower in a 2016 Zo6 corvette...
I have to agree, Dan!! I have four 283 blocks and a lone 327 in my garage. Two of the 283's are complete one for the '46 truck and one waiting in the wings for a similar project to Ryan and Keith's...
Ryan, Love the project. What generator mount did you guys use? That's exactly what I'm looking for for my '32. Thanks in advance. Allan
I JUST STARTED READING THIS THREAD AND AM ONLY ON PAGE 7 AND SAW THIS POST ALL I COULD THINK OF IS THIS.
I really like the look of the pre-70 dressed SBC. And im not even a SBC guy......hell, I even have 5 of em myself. That is one classy lookin engine.
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