Sbc intake manifold series#

Sbc intake manifold series#

Though not offered in GM vehicles since 2003, the 350 series is still in production at a GM subsidiary in Springfield, MO under the company's 'GM Genuine Parts' brand, and is also manufactured as an industrial and marine engine by GM Powertrain under the ' Vortec' name.ģ.750 in. Installed in everything from station wagons to sports cars, in commercial vehicles, and even in boats and (in highly modified form) airplanes, it is the most widely used small-block of all time. But it was the 350 cu in (5.7 L) series that became the best known Chevrolet small-block. From 1954 to 1974, the small-block engine was known as the 'Turbo-Fire' or 'High Torque' V8. A high-performance 327 cu in (5.4 L) variant followed, turning out as much as 375 hp (280 kW) (SAE gross power, not SAE net power or the current SAE certified power values) and raising horsepower per cubic inch to 1.15 hp (0.86 kW). The 283 was adopted by other Chevrolets, replacing the 265 V8s. Fitted with the optional Rochester mechanical fuel injection (FI), it was one of the first production engines to make 1 hp (0.7 kW) per 1 cu in (16 cm 3). It quickly gained popularity among stock car racers, nicknamed the ' Mighty Mouse', for the then-popular cartoon character, later abbreviated to 'Mouse'.

The first generation of Chevrolet small-blocks began with the 1955 Chevrolet 265 cu in (4.3L) V8 offered in the Corvette and Bel Air. Īll Chevrolet small-block engines shared the same firing order that is 1-8-4-3-6-5-7-2 until the introduction of the 5.5 L LT6 engine for the 2023 Corvette Z06, which has a firing order of 1-4-3-8-7-5-2 due to its use of a flat plane crank. (Source: The Flint Journal, February 17, 2008). In February 2008 a Wisconsin businessman reported that his 1991 Chevrolet C1500 pickup had logged over 1 million miles without any major repairs to its small block V8 engine. The small-block family line was honored as one of the 10 Best Engines of the 20th Century by automotive magazine Ward's AutoWorld. In all, over 100,000,000 small-blocks have been built in carbureted and fuel injected forms since 1955 as of November 29, 2011.

įinally superseded by the Generation III LS in 1997 and discontinued in 2003, the engine is still made by a GM subsidiary in Springfield, MO as a crate engine for replacement and hot rodding purposes. Over the years, every GM division in America, except Saturn and Geo, used it and its descendants in their vehicles.

Introduced as a performance engine in 1967, the 350 went on to be employed in both high- and low-output variants across the entire Chevrolet product line.Īlthough all of Chevrolet's siblings of the period ( Buick, Cadillac, Oldsmobile, Pontiac, and Holden) designed their own V8s, it was the Chevrolet 305 and 350 cu in (5.0 and 5.7 L) small-block that became the GM corporate standard. Among the intermediate displacements were the 283 cu in (4.6 L), 327 cu in (5.4 L), and numerous 350 cu in (5.7 L) versions. Production of the original small-block began in late 1954 for the 1955 model year, with a displacement of 265 cu in (4.3 L), growing over time to 400 cu in (6.6 L) by 1970. Later generation engines have only the rod bearings, transmission-to-block bolt pattern and bore spacing in common with the Generation I and II engines. The Generation II engine is largely an improved version of the Generation I, having many interchangeable parts and dimensions. Generation I and Generation II LT engines are distinct from subsequent LS-based small-block engines. The engine block and cylinder heads were cast at Saginaw Metal Casting Operations in Saginaw, Michigan. Engineer Ed Cole is credited with leading the design for this engine. Referred to as a 'small-block' for its size relative to the physically much larger Chevrolet big-block engines, the small block family spanned from 262 cu in (4.3 L) to 400 cu in (6.6 L) in displacement. The Chevrolet small-block engine is a series of gasoline-powered, V-8 automobile engines, produced by the Chevrolet division of General Motors between 19, using the same basic engine block.