Chevrolet celebrates 50 years of smallblocks

[Aurora40]

General Motors Celebrates 50 Years of the Small-Block V-8

GM-Powered Cars Showcased at Goodwood Festival of Speed

DETROIT - The GM small-block V-8 was introduced on the 1955 Chevrolet and became one of the most successful production and racing engines ever made. In celebration of the small-block V-8’s 50 th anniversary, a wide array of cars powered by the legendary engine are participating in the Goodwood Festival of Speed on June 24-26, 2005 in Chichester, England. The range of vehicles running up the hill includes a 1955 NASCAR Chevrolet, Vauxhall’s “Baby Bertha” tin-top racer and the 2006 Chevrolet Corvette C6 convertible.

“General Motors’ participation in the Goodwood Festival of Speed is a fitting opportunity to showcase 50 years of the GM small-block V-8,” said Scot Keller , staff director, GM Corporate Brand Communications. “The same proven design powers many 2005 GM trucks, sport utility vehicles, sedans and the Corvette.”

The following GM-powered cars (those indicated by bold type are GM small-block V-8s) will participate in the 2005 Festival of Speed:

* 1950/56 HWM –Chevrolet “The Stovebolt Special”
* 1955 Chevrolet Bel Air convertible
* 1955 NASCAR Chevrolet
* 1958 Lister-Chevrolet “Knobbly”
* 1958 Sadler-Chevrolet Mk3
* 1958 Bocar-Chevrolet XP-5
* 1960 Chevrolet Impala convertible
* 1963 Chevrolet Corvette Sting Ray
* 1964 Gordon Keeble GK1
* 1965 McLaren-Chevrolet M1B
* 1970 March-Chevrolet 707
* 1971 Lola-Chevrolet T222
* 1972 Chevrolet Camaro Z28 IROC
* 1974 Vauxhall Firenza “Baby Bertha”
* 1977 Chevrolet Nova
* 1992 Pontiac TransAm
* 2006 Chevrolet Corvette convertible

The small-block crate engine is the world’s most popular choice for street rods and amateur racers. More information on GM Performance Parts crate engines is available by visiting:

www.gmgoodwrench.com/PartsAccessories/GMPerformanceParts.html

General Motors Corp. (NYSE: GM), the world’s largest automaker, has been the global industry sales leader since 1931. Founded in 1908, GM today employs about 324,000 people around the world. It has manufacturing operations in 32 countries and its vehicles are sold in 200 countries . In 2004, GM sold nearly 9 million cars and trucks globally, up 4 percent and the second-highest total in the company’s history. GM’s global headquarters are at the GM Renaissance Center in Detroit . More information on GM can be found at www.gm.com.

You can read this and more info at: media.gm.com/events/05goodwood/index.html

[Aurora40]

Some history of the Chevy smallblock:

Gen IV V-8 Marks 50 Years of Small-Block Performance

Pontiac , Mich. – Compact, powerful and packed with innovative technology – it is an accurate description of the modern GM small-block V-8. Those words also were used to describe the original small-block when it debuted in 1955.

Recently, GM introduced the Gen IV small-block V-8, almost exactly 50 years after the first small-block’s debut. It is available in V-8-equipped models of the 2005 Chevrolet TrailBlazer EXT, GMC Envoy XL, GMC Envoy XUV, Pontiac Grand Prix GXP and in the upcoming 2006 Chevrolet Monte Carlo and Impala. All versions will offer fuel-saving Displacement on Demand (DOD) technology.

“The new Gen IV engine is the best example yet of the continuous refinement in performance and efficiency that has been part of the small-block’s legacy since day one,” said Dan Nicholson, chief engineer for GM small-block engines. “The small-block V-8 not only is a viable and relevant engine in today’s market, but technology such as Displacement on Demand demonstrates its adaptability in the face of evolving marketplace expectations.”

DOD has the capability of disabling the combustion process of half the engine’s cylinders in certain driving conditions, enabling fuel savings of up to 8 percent. The process is instantaneous and virtually imperceptible, and the engine delivers horsepower and torque bands comparable to previous non-DOD small-block engines.

A 6.0-liter V-8 version of the Gen IV engine without DOD is available in the 2005 Chevrolet Corvette. Most recently, a 505 (SAE certified) horsepower 7.0-liter version was announced for the 2006 Corvette ZO6.

GM Powertrain estimates that by the end of the 2005 model year, more than 90 million small-block-based engines will have been produced since the original engine’s 1955 introduction.

Compact design

Contemporary demands for efficiency and performance refinements were the very design drivers that guided the original small-block’s development 50 years ago. It started in the early ’50s with the planned replacement of Chevy’s sturdy, straight-six engine – a large, heavy powerplant commonly called the Stovebolt Six.

Although a new V-8 was on the drawing table when Chief Engineer Ed Cole transferred from Cadillac to Chevrolet in 1952, he soon dismissed the original design and challenged his engineers to develop a more compact engine that would be easier to manufacture. The overhead valve design had been a staple of the Stovebolt engine and, to some at GM, one of the Chevrolet cars’ selling points. Retaining that trait was agreeable with Cole, whose previous assignment was the design of Cadillac’s OHV V-8.

When completed, the new V-8 engine had a minimalist design to take advantage of streamlined production techniques. Innovations like green-sand casting, which allowed the block to be cast upside down and dramatically reduce the number of casting cores, as well as lightweight stamped-steel rocker arms that allowed a much higher rpm range, were state-of-the-art.

The new small-block’s cylinder heads were another important step forward. Their cross-flow port design and wedge-shape combustion chambers were very

efficient and, when combined with the high rpm capability of the valvetrain, gave the new V-8 a broad performance band. Also, the engine’s quintet of head bolts around each cylinder provided superior cylinder head sealing. Other innovations included:

* Hollow pushrods that carried oil to the cylinder heads
* A single-piece intake manifold that combined the water outlet, exhaust heat riser, distributor mounting and lifter valley cover in a single component
* Internal lubrication that eliminated the need for external oil lines, greatly reducing the chance for leaks
* Compact size that required less iron to produce the engine and less water to cool it during operation.

The internal oiling system was a breakthrough not found on many other automotive engines at the time, especially in Chevrolet’s low-price field.

And although it was a seemingly inconsequential specification at the time, the new small-block engine also was designed with 4.4-inch bore centers – the distance from the center of one cylinder to the next. The design contributed to the engine’s compact size, but the dimension has come to symbolize the balanced harmony of the small-block. It was the dimension around which the all-new Gen III small-block was designed in 1997.

“The long history of the small-block is one of the reasons the new generation of engines is so powerful and efficient,” said Nicholson. “GM has almost 50 years of experience with its valve-in-head design, and that has provided immeasurable detail for keeping the small-block a viable, relevant engine for today and the future.”

A legacy of power and adaptability

With 3.75-inch bores and a 3.00-inch stroke, the first small-block displaced just 265 cubic inches (4.35 liters). Drawing its breath through a two-barrel carburetor, the base version produced 162 horsepower (gross); with a four-barrel, the engine was rated at 195 (gross) in the Corvette. Better still, it weighed nearly 50 pounds less than the old Stovebolt Six.

From that auspicious beginning, the small-block was at the forefront of technology. A fuel-injected version of the engine was available from 1957 through the mid-’60s, and as the horsepower wars of the late ’60s raged, the small-block proved to be powerful ammunition for Chevrolet.

In the 2006 Corvette Z06, the LS7 small-block grows to 7.0-liters or 427 cubic inches. With 505 horsepower and 470 lb.-ft. of torque, the LS7 is the largest and most powerful production small-block ever built. In less glamorous, but perhaps more important roles, small-blocks serve as quiet servants in untold millions of family cars and work trucks.

The small-block’s versatility also found a place in countless applications probably never considered by its designers. Everything from industrial equipment to marine applications of all sizes has used the GM small-block as standard equipment. It has become a staple of auto racing circuits of all types, too, and some industrious builders even have squeezed the engine into custom motorcycles.

When marketplace demands required more efficiency, the small-block was downsized to accommodate. But as engineers found new and better ways to extract power from the venerable engine, the small-block’s displacement and power increased while meeting – or exceeding – federal requirements for fuel efficiency and lower emissions.

In 1978 engineers developed a V-6 engine from the original small-block’s architecture. Called the “three-quarters small-block” at the time, the engine lives on today in many GM trucks as the Vortec 4300 V-6.

In the early ’90s, the Gen II small-block was introduced in high-performance cars including the Corvette and Pontiac Firebird Trans Am. Known as the LT1 and, later, the LT4, the Gen II featured new, low-friction internal components and reverse-flow cooling to enable the most powerful small-blocks since the heyday of the muscle car era. Some Gen II features, including the low-profile, high-flow intake manifold, previewed technology that would be incorporated into the all-new Gen III.

The Gen III was introduced as the LS1 5.7-liter engine in the 1997 Corvette, while Vortec versions of the Gen III for trucks were introduced in 1999, with displacements ranging from 4.8 liters to 6.0 liters. The Gen III engine benefited from new technology and production methods, but its design drew upon more than 40 years of research and continuous improvements from the Gen I and Gen II small-blocks.

Continual improvements also drove the development of new efficiencies and power increases in the Gen IV small-block.

Milestones

The legacy of the small-block has left an indelible mark on the global auto industry and American automotive culture. Some of its many noteworthy milestones include:

* 1955: Small-block V-8 introduced in 1955 Chevrolets.
* 1957: Larger bore increased displacement to 283 cubic inches; Ramjet mechanical fuel injection was introduced, bringing horsepower to 283 – one horsepower for every cubic inch.
* 1962: Displacement increased to 327 cubic inches, with Ramjet fuel injected version rated at 360 horsepower.
* 1964: Cylinder head improvements bump the 327’s highest horsepower rating to 375 with fuel injection.
* 1967: Little-known option Z28 released for the Camaro, which includes a high-revving 302-cubic-inch small-block for competition in SCCA Trans Am road racing.
* 1968: A Camaro Z28 wins the Trans Am championship; a 350-cubic-inch (5.7 liters) version of the small-block debuts and would become the quintessential small-block variant.
* 1970: 350-cubic-inch LT1 debuts in Camaro and Corvette and is rated at 370 horsepower; 400-cubic-inch small-block is offered – the largest-displacement small-block built.
* 1975: With fuel economy prevalent in consumers’ minds, a more efficient 262-cubic-inch small-block is introduced.
* 1978: V-6 engine based on small-block design introduced; it would become the Vortec V-6 truck engine more than a decade later.
* 1980: Last year for the 400 small-block.
* 1982: Fuel injection reintroduced with the Cross-Fire injection system on Corvette and the redesigned Camaro Z28.
* 1985: Tuned port fuel injection replaces Cross-Fire Injection, ushering in the modern era of electronically controlled, port-injected engines.
* 1986: Aluminum cylinder heads debut as standard equipment on Corvette; block changed to accept new single-piece rear main seal.
* 1987: Hydraulic roller lifters introduced.
* 1989: The H.O. 350 “crate engine” is developed, offering a ready-built performance engine from the factory. It would change the way hot rodders approach engine building in the next decade.
* 1992: LT1 engine in the Corvette introduces Gen II small-block design, which features reverse-flow cooling, revised cylinder head design, and crank-triggered optical distributor.
* 1996: Vortec V-8 engines introduced in trucks, featuring cylinder heads with swirl-inducing combustion chamber design to increase power and torque.
* 1997: Gen III 5.7-liter LS1 small-block introduced with all-new Corvette, featuring all-new deep-skirt block casting with six-bolt mains; redesigned cylinder heads with symmetrical ports and combustion chambers; and coil-near-plug ignition system.
* 1999: Gen III-based Vortec V-8 engines introduced in GM trucks; displacements include 4.8 liters, 5.3 liters and 6.0 liters.
* 2005: Gen IV small-block introduced 50 years after the original.
* 2006: 7.0-liter LS7 introduced in Corvette ZO6 – becomes the largest, most powerful small-block ever built.

More than power or displacement, the significance of the small-block has been its adaptability as market demands and technology evolved during the past five decades. Engineers have met every challenge and kept the small-block on the leading edge of performance.

The introduction of the Gen IV engine signals that the small-block’s legacy will extend for decades to come.

General Motors Corp. (NYSE: GM), the world’s largest automaker, has been the global industry sales leader since 1931. Founded in 1908, GM today employs about 324,000 people around the world. It has manufacturing operations in 32 countries and its vehicles are sold in 200 countries . In 2004, GM sold nearly 9 million cars and trucks globally, up 4 percent and the second-highest total in the company’s history. GM’s global headquarters are at the GM Renaissance Center in Detroit . More information on GM can be found at www.gm.com.

From: media.gm.com/events/05goodwood/brands/releases/gen%20IV%20v8.html

[oldsauroraman1]

Wow. Thats a very good listing and most fascinating. Thanks Bob!

[Letitroll98]

Very interesting stuff Aurora40. I've owned and worked on many of these engines including the 283, 327, and 350 cu displacements. I did think the Vortec-V8 was introduced in trucks in the 1995 model year, the article says '96. In '96 it was extended to include full size SUVs, so maybe that's what they mean, the whole line.