There have been many drastic changes to the automobile in
the more than 100 years they have been around. One element in the automotive
world that has stood the test of time is the Chevrolet small-block engine. The
Chevy small-block was first introduced in 1955 and continues to be produced
over 55 years later. We wanted to share an article from
Corvette Online called, “
Mighty
Chevy Small-Block, A Survivor of More Than 50 Years,” with our readers,
which shares the history of Chevrolet’s small-block.
The Chevy small-block engine is one of the most widely known and
used engines across the board when it comes to performance cars, racers and
even family sedans. But did you know that the small-block has truly stood the
test of time? First introduced to the Chevy lineup in 1955, the small V8 engine
continues to be produced today, and as we found out from The
Globe and Mail, the
history behind the iconic engine is quite an extensive one.
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| The Chevrolet Small-Block Engine |
Although Chevrolet created their first V8, a 55-horsepower 288ci.
engine, of which only 3,000 were made, in 1917, the Chevy small-block didn’t
really get its start until four decades later. In wasn’t until 1952 with the
arrival of Ed Cole as Chevy’s chief engineer that the iconic engine came to be.
Fresh from supervising the creation of
Cadillac’s new V8 engine, Cole pulled the plug on Chevrolet’s new V8 design
after seeing the plans. Instead of working with what Chevy already had in the
works, Cole assembled a team of GM engineers to create his vision of a
lightweight, compact and powerful V8 engine. The result was the overhead valve
V8 introduced in the 1955 Chevys and still produced today for marine and
industrial use, as well as in “crate engine” varieties .
Cole and the GM engineering dream team were able
to create an engine block at the heart of the V8 that was more compact than any
other engine. Thanks to new casting techniques, the new engine was strong but
small, measuring only 21.75 inches long and nine inches tall. The engine was
also more cost-effective to make and weighed less than other engines at just
531 pounds (the Chevy “Stovebolt” six engine weighed 41 pounds more than the
fully dressed newly-created V8 at the time).
The newly-designed V8 featured a new oil
metering system that used hollow pushrods and lubricated new lightweight
stamped steel rocker arms. These rocker arms not only allowed the engine to
achieve high RPMs, they were also cheap to make. To help the engine to reach
high RPM without damaging the engine, the V8 had wedge combustion chambers, as
well as a forged steel crank and connecting rods. The engine also came equipped
with a one-piece intake casting complete with a cooling water outlet,
distributor mount, oil filter, exhaust heat riser, and lifter valley covers.
The compact engine block eventually became known
as the small-block after the “big-block” engine was introduced in 1958, giving
any engine built on the compact platform the Chevy small-block nickname.
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| The Chevy small-block was featured in classic muscle cars... |
The first small-block V8 offered in the ‘55
Chevys had a displacement of 265ci. This engine was capable of producing 162hp.
Compare this to the first Corvette Stovebolt engines that produced only 150hp,
and there is a noticeable difference.
In 1957, the small-block grew to 283ci. and was
one of the first engines to produce over one horsepower per cubic inch with the
help of Rochester fuel injection. The 283ci. engine also won the NASCAR
championship in 1957, but was banned the following year.
Many small-block varieties followed, including
the 327ci. V8 in 1962, the 302ci. and 350ci. V8s used in Trans Am racing, the
307ci. and 400ci. V8s in 1970, a 305ci. in 1976, and a 110-horsepower 265ci. V8
produced shortly in the mid 1970s. The small 265ci. engine had the lowest
horsepower rating of all the small-blocks.
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| ... And in today's performance vehicles |
The small-block is still being
produced today in Mexico, Canada and the United States. With its
fourth-generation engines, Chevy recently celebrated their one-millionth small-block build with the most powerful
variety to date, the 638-horsepower LS9 V8.
Plans for
a fifth-generation small-block engine are currently in
the works for Chevrolet and we look forward to seeing just how powerful the
beloved small-block platform can get.
If you have any questions about the latest Chevy small-block
engine or which of
our
vehicles have them, feel free to
Contact Us here and we’ll be
happy to field all of your questions.
Graff Chevrolet is proud to serve the auto dealership needs
of cities such as Bay City, Midland, Saginaw, Mount Pleasant, Essexville,
Pinconning, Coleman, Sanford, Carrollton, Frankenmuth, St. Charles, Birch Run,
and Zilwaukee. We provide exceptional customer service, a warm and friendly
environment, auto financing options to fit your budget, and an inventory of
great new and used cars, trucks, SUV’s, and crossovers. Our ASE certified
technicians at the Graff Chevrolet Service Center service and repair all makes
and models both foreign and domestic. Call us at (989) 684-4411 or
stop in at 3636 Wilder Road, Bay City, MI, 48706 and check out
our great GM inventory selection.
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