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INTRODUCTION

Most folks feel they don’t need an introduction to small-block Chevy V-8 engines. So many people have grown up driving, building, or racing one, that the engine seems very familiar. The most-popular and best-designed automotive engine is still around after six decades of service. More than 60 million small-blocks have been produced and millions of words have been written about how to build them.

In the late 1980s, the small-block changed. And it did one more time in the mid-1990s. The Generation I family of motors we know so well has been joined by the Generation II branch of the family, followed by the Vortec line of motors that branched off with more changes. Over the years, interchanges between these engine generations has gotten a little more complicated.

Old ideas about what works and what doesn’t need to be updated. Computer-controlled ignitions, transmissions, and various forms of electronic fuel injection were new in the 1990s, and technology continues to advance the performance that the small-block Chevy is capable of producing.

Though a small-block hasn’t been bolted into a production-built Chevrolet in more than two decades, Chevrolet Performance continues to develop improved components for the SBC as well as crate engines. If fact, several small-block crates make more power than any production version did, even from the muscle car heyday! Plus, these engines deliver good idle quality, low maintenance, less noise, and better fuel economy! It is a delicate balancing act that is not easy to do. The company continues to improve the parts available for Gen I– and Gen II–based engines with new blocks, heads, roller cams, aluminum intakes, and other parts to continue to push the performance envelope that was first defined in 1955.

Meanwhile, those of you into older car restoration, racing, or rodding can still find everything you need to build a stock 250-hp cruiser small-block or a 1,200-hp turbo-charged motor set on kill. Between Chevrolet Performance and a healthy, enthusiast-driven aftermarket, almost anything you could want for a small-block Chevy is available; oil pan to throttle body or flexplate to water pumps, everything is available!

This book contains information on all of the small-block motors made from 1955 through 1996. It covers Gen I, Gen II, and the Vortec small-block engines introduced in 1996 so you can identify the parts you have and the parts you need to assemble a smooth-running, great-performing powerplant.