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First Chevy V-8

TripleB

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Without looking it up on the internet guess the year of the first time Chevy put a V-8 in a car?

No help from Boatfreaks that have seen this question
 

RichL

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Sometime between now and then.
 

brownsuger

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Great question.... Wish my dad was still here, he was a certified chevy mechanic way back in the day. These type of questions where right in his wheel house....
 

pronstar

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1950


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TripleB

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My guess was 1955 and the 265 but 1918 was the year for Chevy but Cadillac put a V-8 in a car in 1914
 

mash on it

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1916 or 1917.
I don't think it made it to production.

The small block Chevy, was developed and put into production in 18 months. For the 1955 model year.
If I remember right, 133 million small blocks were made between 1955 and 1999 for production vehicles. Crate engines still available. Same basic geometry since the original 265.

"When the last small block [Chevy] fires for the last time, it will be a modified one"
-John Michelsen.

Dan'l
 

sonicss31

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HydroSkreamin

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what was the difference between the 1955 265 and the 1956 265 ?????

About 1 year 😏

The first V8’s in the teens were pretty short lived, I think they were only in production for 2 years. They were plagued with cooling/cracking issues.

Think of how many people’s lives were touched by the SBC through daily use, mechanics, aftermarket products, etc. I made my living off them for a few years and have built more than I care to count.

The displacements offered from the factory were:

262
265
267
283
302
305
307
327
350
400

There are popular “mix ‘n match” combos like 372/377 (400 block/350 crank, stock bore/0.030” over), 377/383 (350 block/400 crank, stock bore/0.030” over), but crafty engine builders have put together all sorts of combos.

We had a customer with a mini-rod tractor puller that wanted to pull with a V8 in a class meant for 3.8L Buick engines (231 CID). The 267 block bore was 3.500”, and the 265 crank was 3.000”, so with some main bearing spacers, we had us a V8 231 that revved and made power. Different sounding engine for sure, and was a successful competitor against the Buicks.

First car engine I ever took apart was a 283 when I was 11. It was a challenge from my uncle and grandpa. My grandpa kept his tools in the trunk of a’52 Chrysler Saratoga parked right next to this 283, and with the help of a cheater bar, life was never the same after that day.
 

TripleB

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Just an FYI, one of the engines you listed was a “mix and match”, I believe the 302 was a 327 block with a 283 crank so GM could run the trans am series which limited cubic inches to 305 max
 

HydroSkreamin

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Just an FYI, one of the engines you listed was a “mix and match”, I believe the 302 was a 327 block with a 283 crank so GM could run the trans am series which limited cubic inches to 305 max

Yessir, you are correct, but it’s included because it was factory-offered.

350 and 327 share same bore, 283, 302, and 327 share same stroke. There’s small main and large main 327’s. Still way more compatibility than any Ford engine family 🙄

The other cool thing with Chevys is the bellhousing is the same or minus one bolt from the Stovebolt 6 thru LS. This includes Stovebolt 6, later 6, V6, small block V8, big block V8, LS, 8.1, and maybe Chevy II 4-cyl. That’s impressive to me.
 
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Wedgy

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Yessir, you are correct, but it’s included because it was factory-offered.

350 and 327 share same bore, 283, 302, and 327 share same stroke. There’s small main and large main 327’s. Still way more compatibility than any Ford engine family 🙄

The other cool thing with Chevys is the bellhousing is the same or minus one bolt from the Stovebolt 6 thru LS. This includes Stovebolt 6, later 6, V6, small block V8, big block V8, LS, 8.1, and maybe Chevy II 4-cyl. That’s impressive to me.
Grew up with GM. Did a 250 6 swap into my 65 Impala, a 327 swap for a fried 292, into a 70 C10 shorty. New clutch for the truck, both swaps bolted right up. Days passed. Still
20200824_164155.jpg
wish I'd known to hang on to the 59 Impala 2dr.

Guess this Motor!
 

lbhsbz

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Just an FYI, one of the engines you listed was a “mix and match”, I believe the 302 was a 327 block with a 283 crank so GM could run the trans am series which limited cubic inches to 305 max
The Z28 302 was aluminum
 

Wedgy

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2bbl Rochester. We call that a clue.
Chevy's workhorse V6 to this day.
 
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