Vintage, Pre-1980

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Introduction

Chevrolet's small-block V8 is a famous automobile engine. Nicknamed "mouse motor" for its compact dimensions compared to other V8 engines of the time, production began in 1955 with the 265 in³ (4.3 L) engine used to bring performance credentials to the Corvette. The displacement changed over the years, eventually reaching 400 in³ (6.6 L), but none caught on like the 350 in³ (5.7 L) small-block. This engine is still in production today at General Motors Toluca Mexico plant (primarily for the GM over-the-counter Goodwrench powerplants), but is no longer offered in current model year vehicles since the year 2004. Its production numbers were impressive, with more than 90,000,000 built.

From 1955-74, the small-block engine was known as the "Turbo-Fire V8".

Although Buick, Cadillac, Oldsmobile, and Pontiac also designed V8 engines (see list of GM engines), it was Chevrolet's 350 in³ small-block that became the GM corporate standard. Over the years, every American General Motors division used the Chevrolet small-block, and its descendents (see GM LT engine and GM LS engine) continue as the company's mainstream V8 design today.

The small-block was on the Ward's 10 Best Engines of the 20th Century list.

Major Versions

Generation 1

The original design of the small block remained remarkably unchanged for its production run, which began in 1955 and ended, in passenger vehicles, in 2003. The engine is still being built today for many aftermarket applications, both to replace worn-out older engines and also by many builders as high-performance applications. There were, however many minor changes made to the engine over the years; these changes are listed below.

• 1955 - The first year of introduction in 265 in³ only. As was fairly common for the time, no provision for an oil filter was included in the engine design.
• 1956 - Oil filtration was introduced, using a sock style filter in a canister.
• 1962 - The block's cylinder wall casting was revised to allow four inch bores. Previously, only certain years of the 283 engine (1958-1962) could be bored safely to four inches.
• 1968 - The main journal diameter was increased to 2.45 in from 2.30 in and the connecting rod journal diameter was increased to 2.10 in from 2.00 in. In addition, the canister/sock style oil filter was now converted to use spin on filters. The oil fill location was moved from a tube on the timing cover to a cap on either side valve cover.
• 1986 - The troublesome leaky valve cover surfaces were changed such that cylinder head mounting lip was raised and the bolt location was moved from 4 bolts on the perimeter, to 4 bolts down the centerline of the valve cover (this design debuted on the Corvette in 1984, and Chevrolet 4.3L the year before). The troublesome rear main seal was changed from a 2-piece rope design to a 1-piece design that used a mounting appliance to hold it in place. This necessitated a change in the flywheel/flexplate bolt pattern as well. Also changed were the mounting angles of the center 2 bolts on each side of the intake manifold and the lifter bosses were increased in height to accept roller lifters.
• 1996 - This was the last change for the Generation I engine, and continued through the end of the production run in 2003; all 1997-2003 Generation I engines were Vortec truck engines. The cylinder heads were redesigned using improved ports and combustion chambers similar to those in the Generation II LT1. This change resulted in significant power increases.

Read more at Wikipedia.org