small block

PCH, Engines Not Found In Nature Edition: LS1 BMW or 1JZGTE Volvo?

The Lamborghini Jarama sprinkled a little olive oil on the Maserati Quattroporte and ate it like a little gnocchi (in spite of the Maser's vast bulk) in yesterday's Choose Your Eternity poll, triumphing in a near-unprecedented 80-20 ass-whupping. Apparently the Maserati was just too easy for our voters, and we totally understand. That's the reason we're going with a couple of projects featuring crazy international engine swaps today, because there's nothing as cool as a car that will be a tire-roasting deathtrap, yet never worth even ~~a quarter~~ half of the money you ~~squander~~ invest in it!
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5:20 PM on Thu Jun 26 2008
By Murilee Martin
4,390 views, 62 comments

Latest by donkeyassman: i want both more »

choose your eternity

PCH, Chevy-Powered Porsche Edition: 911 or 924?

After all the excitement over the Gay Deep Throated Angry Demon 914rrari this morning, the chorus of demons here in the Hell Garage has begun chanting "Small-Block Porsche! Small-Block Porsche!" It's always best to obey the Hell Garage Demons, lest you find yourself driving a silver 4-year-old Camry or some other ~~reliable~~ boring transporation appliance. You go with one of today's choices and you'll be able to laugh smugly at those sellouts who took the easy road... the days will drag by for them, each a gray replica of the one that preceded it, while you roar around town in your V8-ized Porsche!
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5:20 PM on Mon Apr 21 2008
By Murilee Martin
3,124 views, 72 comments

Latest by n/a: All I needed was to see a small block sitting on a rug in the 911/12's engine bay. Wow! That is SOOO cool! You have nothing to do but start from scratch with an impossible marriage...DA BEST! more »

engine of the day

Engine of the Day: Chrysler LA Series

How about an engine family that included V6, V8, and V10 variants and is still being manufactured today after more than 40 years? Starting with the 273-cube V8 in 1964 (itself a descendant of the mid-50s-vintage A series engine) and proceeding through vast numbers of 318s and 360s (and let us not forget the screamin' 340 Six-Pack pictured above), the LA design ended up as the basis of the 488 and 505 V10s used in Vipers and SRT-10s. While the Slant Six has pretty well established itself as the top contender for the All-Time Most Bulletproof Detroit Engine Award, its 318 stablemate makes a strong bid for second place. [Allpar]

10:20 AM on Tue Apr 15 2008
By Murilee Martin
1,390 views, 33 comments

Latest by Galaxie500: I had a 1979 Ram Charger with a 318 4bbl, in CA no less...The V8's would take abuse and still do 150,00 - 200,00 easy, leaking oil and everything else. Only other problem was having to pull the intake manifold more »

classic ad watch

1955 Chevrolet: The Newest New Car In America!

Most 1950s car ads are full of gibberish and nonsensical feature names, so it's understandable that we tend to tune out most of the hype and focus on the great styling when we see such ads today. However, the 1955 Chevrolet really was an important milestone for Detroit, with the first of millions of cheap, reliable small-block Chevrolet V8s and a profile that even non-car geeks can recognize today. Here's a series of what appear to be dealer promo ads for the '55- quick, in addition to "Motoramic™" and "Glide Ride™," how many trademarked features can you name from these ads?

11:00 AM on Thu Mar 20 2008
By Murilee Martin
2,056 views, 35 comments

Latest by n/a: Well that 1955 Chevrolet looks somewhat like a Checker. Does look like a nice car. Notice that the first ad mentioned saving gas and now fifty years later look what is happening. more »

found on ebay

314 HP Small Block 350 Is The Cheap Way To Power Your Day

It's so easy to bag on the tried and true GM small block 350. Tech lovers will chide it for the decades old architecture. They'll point to its pushrods as a vestige of another era now that we live in a world of overhead cams and variable valve timing. When it comes to bang for the buck though, critics don't have a leg to stand on. Because the design has been around for so long, tinkers and grease monkeys have had decades to squeeze amazing power from its eight cylinder block.

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12:30 PM on Fri Mar 14 2008
By Ben Wojdyla
2,839 views, 64 comments

Latest by Hello_Newman: Ok if anyone is wondering, that auction is written in the design style referred to as "ransom note". Just because you're a mechanic doesn't mean they can't run a spell checker. I want to know more about the Polish intake more »

found on ebay

The Real Speed Racer: Modified Fiat X/19

Many, many moons ago my band practiced next to a garage filled with speed freaks. Three dudes, who shall remain nameless, sat inside all day, every day, chain smoking, blowing lines and building stuff. One day I showed up for practice and my formerly 600 watt bass amp now pumped out 6,000 watts. Sure, it sounded like a lawnmower attacking a raccoon, but that wasn't necessarily bad for my band's sound. They also made a remote control ashtray out of zip-line toys and last I heard they were working on a "force field." Then the DEA showed up and raided the hell out of the garage and there was some sort of stabbing in Florida. But pay no mind. Even if those boys had freebased an entire '56 Harley gas tank full of Modesto's finest, they would have never been able to top this masterpiece.

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10:45 AM on Wed Dec 19 2007
By Jonny Lieberman
8,474 views, 41 comments

Latest by n/a: Adventures waiting just AAAHHEEAADDD....GO SPEED,,,,,, oh nevermind more »

sema

SEMA 2007: Mother's Propane and Propane Accessories

We know what you're thinking. Another Chevelle at SEMA. Wait now. This Chevelle kicks out 1000 horsepower without a blower, the bottle, or burning one drop of gasoline. How? Propane! The small block Chevy under the hood huffs down the same stuff folks use to heat up their Hamburger Helper. Since propane packs a 100+ octane rating, using high compression pistons is not an issue. We had a chance to hear this beast run at Mother's over the summer and it sounded much better than mean. This is the Chevrolet Hank Hill would use to show Boomhauer and his Mopar the tail lights. Press release after the jump. More »

11:45 AM on Mon Oct 29 2007
By Mike Bumbeck
2,370 views, 10 comments

Latest by TonyD: I used to run propane vans for a biz I used to have. Another interesting thing about them was if you ran out of coolant (they always ran out of coolant for some reason) the intake would freeze solid and more »

engine

Workhorse Engine of the Day: Small-Block Chevrolet

Let's face it: an engine that was in front-line service for 50 years, with more than ninety million built, reliable, cheap to build, and easy to modify for performance... well, do we even need to mention the small-block Chevy in this series, given that we all know it pretty much sets the Workhorse Engine standard? Sure we do! Yes, yes, we admit it had an oil-leakage problem (mostly solved by the valve-cover/rear main seal redesign of '87), but oil's cheap! So here's how we'll honor our old friend: GM made so many variations of the SBC that we now have the opportunity to name our favorite and most disappointing small-blocks on this fine Thursday afternoon. Myself, I dig the smaller-displacement powerhouses, so I'm torn between the the 385-horse L84 327 of '64 and the high-revving/zero-torque 302 of '67-'69 for my favorite; as for my least favorite, it's hard to sink lower than the late-70s/early-80s 267, equipped with suck-o-matic computer Q-Jet and general air of Malaise. And you? [Wikipedia]

3:30 PM on Thu Oct 11 2007
By Murilee Martin
7,986 views, 42 comments

Latest by n/a: @geeteeoh: I know I'm a little late to this party, but... I admire the LS1 for making things more simple as engine management became more sophisticated. Coil-per-plug ignition controlled by the ECU simplifies the physical components, while adding more sophistication more »

photography

Hold Still, Valves! Adventures In Pinhole Photography

I enjoy shooting properly focused and exposed I-5 photos with a nice SLR, but sometimes you just get tired of stuff like sharpness and non-infinite depth-of-field in your photographs, know what I'm saying? Sure you do. That's when you reach for your homemade pinhole camera, put it in a box of small-block Chevy valves and springs, and take a 45-minute exposure. The cool thing about a pinhole camera is that you can shoot objects 1/4" from the "lens," which is fun with car parts.

1:30 PM on Fri Oct 5 2007
By Murilee Martin
1,507 views, 20 comments

Latest by etang: Very cool! How late does the Salvation Army store stay open? more »

engines

500-Horse Camaro? The General's Next Small Block V8 to Get Direct-Injection

According to Ward's Auto, an experimental 6.2-liter, direct-injection V8 producing upward of 500 hp could be factored into the next Chevrolet Camaro equation. The engine would coincide with the Gen V version of the small-block V8, based on GM's existing all-aluminum Gen IV (L92), which powers the Cadillac Escalade, GMC Yukon Denali and Hummer H2. According to Wards, the prototype powerplant resides in the engine bay of an Escalade being tested at GM's proving grounds. One GM engineer says it's developing "well north" of 450 horsepower, a 10 percent increase in low-end torque and three percent to six percent better fuel economy. That from the new injection system, which features eight high-pressure injectors that squirt fuel directly into the side of the combustion chamber at 2,250 pounds per square inch. [Ward's Auto via Motive]

2:15 PM on Tue Sep 4 2007
By Mike Spinelli
2,242 views, 24 comments

Latest by n/a: @ZeGerman: Chrysler already started the "horsepower war" some time ago by introducing the Dodge Viper. Chevrolet and Ford have been playing catch-up ever since. As an example, how many sedans does Chevy make that produce in excess of 400 bhp? Now, ask more »

engine swap

Engine Swap of the Day: Junkman's Small-Block-Powered 356

The other day, Junkman mentioned his Chevy 400-powered '57 Porsche 356. Well, one thing led to another, and we invited him to send in some photos for us to share. See, when most guys claim online to have some outrageous engine/car combo ("Dude, I got a '72 Kadett with Detroit Diesel Series 60!") you take the claim with numerous grains of salt. However, when one of our commenters makes such a claim... well, we believe it, because our commenters are just that good More »

3:30 PM on Fri Aug 31 2007
By Murilee Martin
10,432 views, 53 comments

Latest by n/a: It looks like the unholy progeny of a Taurus Sedan and a TVR Cerbera (or possibly ANY Marcos). I'll take 2. more »

but what about a straight eight buick?

Va-ROOM! Blown Small-Block Chevy Ring!

Say you want to show the world your love for that oil-leaking, pennies-per-horsepower wonder, the Chevrolet small-block. What better way than a huge chunk of sterling silver shaped like an 8-71-blown small-block Chevy on your finger? The artist behind this fine piece of jewelry has made rings for Dale Earnhardt, so you know he's serious (though not as serious as the charges against you if you slug some Ford lover with this thing in a bar fight). More »

4:30 PM on Mon Jul 9 2007
By Murilee Martin
1,054 views, 6 comments

Latest by Turboner: @lascauxcaveman: With or without a ten litre hat? Seriously, this thing is kind of cool. I actually had my mother, who is an artist in the world of "Tole and decorative" painting, paint the lettering on my Edelbrock sig series more »

but can you fit a small block in it?

Simcamino: Très Belle!

This seems to be a '61 Simca Aronde with a custom truck bed installed, which gets an enthusiastic Jalopnik Stamp-o-Approval™. The only drawback is that you have to go to France to get it, but that's a small price to pay to become the only Simcamino owner in your town! Currently sitting at a 3,000 Euro bid price, but high rollers with 3900 Euros can push the Achat Immédiat detonator and enter the special realm of Simcaminohood with no delay. – Murilee Martin More »

12:30 PM on Wed Jun 27 2007
By Murilee Martin
339 views, 6 comments

Latest by undercoverfrog: Just one more thing...the feminine version of "intentant" in a religious connotation means "Mother Superior" but "car" is a feminine word in French so any version will be feminine...Ed D is correct it basically means "Boss Lady" or "Headmistress" -Kris more »

classic ad watch

My Mother Was Imagination; My Father, Molten Metal

"In me is power. Churning power, turning power, burning power, in eight busy breathing cylinders! I am Chevrolet's new Turbo-Fire V8, an engine that keeps car wheels rolling!" Judging by the scenery-chewing hyperdramatic delivery of the narrator (coupled with war-movie background music) in this ad for Chevy's new-for-1955 overhead-valve 265, you'd think that GM felt their new engine design would turn out to be somewhat successful for them in the long run. – Murilee Martin More »

10:30 AM on Tue May 8 2007
By Murilee Martin
275 views, 6 comments

retro

Jet Ace! Ramjet Fuel Injection For The '57 Chevy

The fuel-injected 283, which could be had as a (very expensive) option in the 1957 Chevrolet, definitely ranks pretty high on the list of Coolest Small-Block Chevy Engines, what with its then-awesome one-horse-per-cube power output. Here's a science-class-style GM infomercial, complete with gargly 16mm sound and helpful diagrams, that 'splains just how the Ramjet FI system does its thing. It's like having a ghost engineer controlling the fuel-air mix! – Murilee Martin More »

4:39 PM on Tue Apr 17 2007
By Murilee Martin
1,321 views, 10 comments

Jalopnik

Seriously Cool Stash Of Saddam-Era Cars Found In Baghdad Underground Garage

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