INCHING UP ON PERFORMANCE: Big Blocks versus Small Blocks
April 27, 2017
Posted by Barrett-Jackson
Written by independent automotive journalist Steve Magnante
Game-changer: the arrival of the 396 Turbo-Jet (like this one from a 1966 Chevrolet Chevelle SS Convertible that sold at the 2016 Scottsdale Auction) really launched the big block versus small block rivalry.
The big block/small block nomenclature goes back to Chevrolet’s 1955 launch of the 265 V8, like the one powering this Bel Air that sold at the 2008 Las Vegas Auction.
Don’t be fooled. A small-block V8 can be bigger than a big-block V8, and more powerful, too. How’s that again? It all comes down to the fact that cubic inch displacement is a direct function of cylinder bore and piston stroke, not whether an engine is based on a 396 (big block) or an externally smaller 350 (small block). Thanks to the modern proliferation of so-called stroker kits, the world is full of Ford 302 small blocks (for example) packing 427 cubes that’ll run rings around “real” FE series 427 big-block Fords.
The whole big block/small block nomenclature game goes back to the 1950s and early ’60s. In particular, Chevrolet’s 1955 launch of the 265 V8. Though a great engine, as Bel Airs gave way to Impalas and curb weights crested the two-ton mark, conditions called for a bigger engine family. Thus was born the 348 “W” series of 1958 – which eventually grew into the 409 the Beach Boys sang about. But it was the 1965 arrival of the 396 Turbo-Jet that really launched the big block versus small block rivalry.
Chrysler’s 1964 273 small block (like this one from a 1964 Plymouth Valiant sold at the 2013 Scottsdale Auction) grew into the legendary 318, 340 and 360 engine lines.
Similar tales of displacement growth took place at Ford and Chrysler, giving us the Ford 221, 260, 289, 302, 351 and 400 small-block family, and several distinct big-block varieties with displacements ranging from 332 to 462 cubes. Chrysler also played the game. Its 1964 LA series 273 small block grew into the legendary 318, 340 and 360 engine lines, offering alternatives to the 350, 361, 383, 400, 413, 426 and 440 cubic-inch wedge-head big blocks.
By contrast, certain other Detroit automakers didn’t play the two-tier engine architecture game. Either their cars were too hefty for a less powerful small block (Cadillac, Buick, Oldsmobile, Pontiac and Packard), or they simply lacked the funds to manufacture more than one V8 family (AMC, Studebaker). These engine families were designed to be flexible enough to deliver a wide range of displacements from the same basic package.
This explains American V8 engines like the Pontiac (287 through 455), Buick (350 through 455), Oldsmobile (330 through 455), Studebaker (233-304) and AMC (290 through 390). Sure, a few used deck height manipulation to boost displacement, but you don’t hear anybody describing them as big or small blocks.
So remember, it doesn’t take a big block to beat a big block. Don’t trust that fender emblem!
For a look at some of the vehicle crossing the block at our upcoming Northeast Auction, click HERE for the Preview Docket.