GM V-8 engine families

Not sure, but thinkin the 283 small block goes back to '55 and was rated at 1HP per cubic inch. And has been many since.

The production big block (Mark IV) was first introduced in the '65 Corvette, rated at 425HP, and became available in other passenger cars in '66. The reason Chevy came out with the Mark IV was so that the Corvette could compete with the likes of the 406 Ford and 413 Chrysler line. The deal on that is that those small block Corvettes (327s) were gettin blown away by those the monster motors from Ford and Chrysler, and the Corvette types wanted Chevy to drop 409's into Corvettes. The Corvettes had a 55:45 front to rear end wieght ratios for handling. If had put that elephant (409) into one, front to rear wieght ration and handling would go right out the window. The current big block Chevy (Mark I 348's and 409's) wouldn't work.

In 62', Chevy released the Mark II 427 big block (never hit the production line), but ended up in Junior Johnson's NASCAR Chevy and blew everything off the track, until NASCAR pulled the plug on it (wasn't a production motor). But, if were take a look at that Mark II, would see that it looked very similar to today's Mark IV ('65 on), where intake manifold had heat passages under the plenum, etc.

Chevy had plans for the current big block Chevy (Mark IV), and when released in the '65 Vette, gave a 60:40 front to rear wieght ratio, which meant handling was still respectable, and would blow those Wedge Chryslers and Shotgun Fords away.

I'm older, fatter, and perhaps less wise today, and I drive Cummins Dodges, but when it comes to Chevy motors, I live and breath Smokey Yunick and Bill Jenkins.

Wanna build a screamer smallblock? Lets talk .030 over '70 400 with a welded up 350 crank in a Camaro - will flip you over the driver's seat into the trunk when dump the clutch and hammer the throttle.

Here's one: What one year since the Corvette was released in '53 that it did not exixt from then until now? In the current parts manuals, or if talk to the duds that currently work in the Chevy garages, will find it from '53 on, but if look through the old AC/Delco parts manuals from that time, was one year was a "Stingray" listed, but no Corvette, thanks to Ralph Nader's war on the Covair (hint).

In the late '70s GM spelled NOVA:

N ova (Chevy)
O mega (Olds)
V entura (Pontiac)
A pollo (Buick)

Were all the same chassis, but different motors, cosmetics. That's when began watering down stuff and really crossing engines and stuff.

The muscle car that Chevy had plans for was the Corvair, but Nader and his Raders put the cabosh on the Corvair, so last year was '67. Take a look at the '67 and see how much resembles the Stingray of '68. Was no way after putting that much money and R+R in that thing that Chevy was gonna put "Corvair" on it, and watch it go down the drain with the "unsafe" stigma attached to it. In '68 both the Corvette and Corvair disappeared, the Stingray appeared, was renamed the Corvette Stingray in '69.

Locate some old Chevy literature from then, especially AC Delco parts books. Not the newer ones of today, but from back then.

You got me on the Z28 though. Were screamers back then.

• Corvette Web Site

As far as '83s being available, or not available to the public, I wouldn't know. I'm not a real big fan of Corvettes, just some of the inovations, and the 60:40 front to rear weight ratio was the driving force behind the Mark IV, which I love.

As far as the L88 goes, was available in '68, but used closed chamber aluminum heads. In '69, combustion chambers were changed to open. The open chamber was a vast improvement in design over the closed, but still no match in design for the Chrysler Hemi "head" - not motor, "head". And in '69, Ford came close to the Chrysler Hemi head with the head they used on the 429 SCJ, just wasn't dished out enough, but valve placement was right on the money. Don't remember the compression ratios of the L88s, but believe were in the 11's for closed, 12s for open. Neither was a slouch, nor was the ZL1 all aluminum 427, developed to save weight in the Corvettes on road courses. There was also an all aluminum 454, either the LS5 or LS7, don't recall which, but was intended for the same purpose. The real monster street motor that chevy produced wasn't even available in the Corvette though, the year was '70, and it came in the Chevelle as a cast iron block, aluminum head 454 (LS6), and was rated conservatively at 460 or 465 HP, although am sure it was much more. In '71 (at least), the LS6 was still availble, but de-tuned for smog. In '70, although still strong runners, the hoodline of the Corvette was dropped an inch or so, so the intake manifold on the 454, was also lowered because of the hoodline, decreasing available space for the plenum, basically de-tuning the motor. In '70, chevy's muscle car was the Chevelle, not the Vette, and chevy never produced a stronger muscle car before or after that LS6 Chevelle, no matter what any Corvette type thinks, says, or writes.

If not mistaken, in '68 the 350 was only used in the Corvette, or Stingray, or whatever it was called, but no others passenger cars. I think in those your choice of small blocks were still the 327, or 307 which replaced the 283. The 327 went away for '69.

It's been a long time for me, and have forgotten plenty.

In 1967, the limited-production L88 Corvette was officially rated at 430 horsepower, although some Corvette historians believe that figure was artificially low. Only 20 of the L88 Corvettes were built.

Would have to agree on the Chevelle being a sweet and powerful ride too. And as for the year they only made one Z-28, the year was 1975. Now that is one valuable car!

Don't know how old you are, but do you remember the late 60's Standard oil comercials when they first announced "unleaded gas" in the hey day of the muscle car era? As I recall, even gave a Buick GS away to interest people. That should've been a hint that muscle cars were coming to an end. And maybe wasn't a bad thing if think about it. Shoe-horning Hemis into Darts and Cudas, 428s and 429s into Mustangs, 396s 427s and 454s into Chevys pony cars, then giving the keys to kids like us.

My brother had his '68 375HP 396 Camaro that didn't walk away from Buddy Huffman's 440 six pack Road Runner, it blew the doors oof of it. And then our other neighbor blew my brother's doors off with both his Hemi Road Runner, and then again with his Hemi GTX (that was a nice pair with identical paint jobs). If our other nieghbor Ray got beat with his '69 302 Z28, he put it in his garage and back out in an hour with a built to the hilt 327. The Marshall brothers had their big block Novas and Camaros. Heck, even the widow, Mrs. Gasplin (about 50 at the time) had a '69 station wagon with a 427 and Cragers that would get it, and did. Me? I favored my '68, '69, and '70 ElCaminos and was always swapping in 396s 427s and 454s, but being much younger, did it a few years after them. Just got rid of my last big block item a half year or so ago, gave an L88 manifold to a security guard at the Rt 66 dragstrip in Joliet, and he put it on his two wheel drive 70 Blazer that will pull the front up for quite a distance when he "test and tunes" at the track.

Here's one: Had a buddy that had a '70 402 Chevelle, bored it .030 (.060 over 396), and needed a cam that weekend so that he could run someone on Sunday. Well, he came to me for a cam, and it just so happened that I had a hydraulic Crane just settin still in the box, so I gave it to him as a friend. The cam was for a '68 396 that I had, and had a stiff lift and duration for the street, and it was free to him. He had a lot of money in that motor. Sunday came and went, and Monday I called him to ask how his run made out. He told me that put it all together, dropped it in, fired it up, never gained oil pressure, and spun everything - engine was scrap. A couple days later I realized the problem, and it was my fault. Through '68, the big blocks had a groove cut down the center of the rear cam journal, part of the oiling for the entire motor, first passage off the pump. '69 and newer, chevy got rid of that groove, enlarged the passage to that rear journal, and put a larger hole in the rear cam bearing for lube to it. What that means if you use a cam and bearings from a '68 or older BB in a '69 or newer BB, must solder that rear gallery shut, then re-drill a much smaller 1/16th in hole to restrict the oil flow, otherwise the oil will blow out of the pump through that large passage, large hole in the rear bearing, through that groove in the cam, and never make anywhere else in the motor. I forgot to tell him that, and that expensive build turned into a pile of 412" boat anchor in seconds. To this day, I still haven't told the guy - he'd probably punch me in the face. Ooops, Ha Ha Ha Ha.

Thanks for the memories and good talkin to you. Time to get back to tractors for me.

The 702 cu in V-12 was one of the largest gas motors of it's time.

Non of them did very well on fuel mileage, all were really torque producing motors.

Van

I think you're running GM engine families together with Chevy engine families.

The 307 was an OLDSMOBILE, although it was used in Chevies. To add to the confusion of Chevy engines sized near 305 cubes, don't forget the 302 small block, and the new 4.8 Liter V-8 in current production!

it was not a good engine.. they rebuilt everyone the dealer sold that year exept ours. that is until dad traded it in and the new owner got the overhaul.