Is The Chevy Small Block the Best Engine Ever Made

Smokes

Smokes

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I can't think of another motor that has been used for 50 yrs and has more customizable features too it.

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You can get a crate motor and throw it in just about any car ever made.
 
I don’t know if that makes it the best; just the most popular.
 
Smokes said:
I can't think of another motor that has been used for 50 yrs and has more customizable features too it.

F135961384.gif


You can get a crate motor and throw it in just about any car ever made.
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Is that the 5.7L?
 
Of course. I've owned four of them. They've all been beast

1993 LT1 5.7 - Only knock on this one is the shitty distributor/wire/water pump setup
2001 LS1 5.7 - bullet proof
2007 LS4 5.3 - Front wheel drive. Oil switch issues, but otherwise solid. Trans was trash though, underbuilt for the amount of torque.
2011 L99 6.2 - So far so great
 
If not the best, certainly one of.

Currently GM LS engines for large displacement and Honda K engines for small displacement are the hot ticket.
 
TeTe said:
Of course. I've owned four of them. They've all been beast

1993 LT1 5.7 - Only knock on this one is the shitty distributor/wire/water pump setup
2001 LS1 5.7 - bullet proof
2007 LS4 5.3 - Front wheel drive. Oil switch issues, but otherwise solid. Trans was trash though, underbuilt for the amount of torque.
2011 L99 6.2 - So far so great
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lol there you are. Didn’t see you..
 
AGGAMEMNON66 said:
lol there you are. Didn’t see you..
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I still find it interesting that when GM went to the LS engine they started spacing the exhaust ports/manifolds evenly apart like a big block. You used to be able to quickly tell the difference just by looking for the spacing. Then they started making larger displacement engines in small block form like the newer Z06 Corvette 7.0

Your Chevelle is a big block right? Can't remember.
 
TeTe said:
Of course. I've owned four of them. They've all been beast

1993 LT1 5.7 - Only knock on this one is the shitty distributor/wire/water pump setup
2001 LS1 5.7 - bullet proof
2007 LS4 5.3 - Front wheel drive. Oil switch issues, but otherwise solid. Trans was trash though, underbuilt for the amount of torque.
2011 L99 6.2 - So far so great
Click to expand...
I know all about the LS1s and i assure you, it has a horrible, horrible fucking defect.

The starter bolts into the aluminum block. Guess what happens after a few years? The shit cracks out of the block leaving you with 3 options that i personally pondered:

1. Find a mobile welder and have them come weld that chip back on...only for it to crack again.

2. Buy a new block. Great fucking choice this is...and the damn thing will eventually crack off again.

Then my brother found the 3rd option...

3. Google LS1 starter bridge. Its overpriced, but it saved my Trans Am and it was cheaper than options 1 and 2.

I loved my ls1, but i no longer have it due to an accident. Never wanted to get another one just because of the hassle.
 
TrueBias said:
The starter bolts into the aluminum block. Guess what happens after a few years? The shit cracks out of the block leaving you with 3 options that i personally pondered:

I loved my ls1, but i no longer have it due to an accident. Never wanted to get another one just because of the hassle.
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Sorry to hear this happened to you. I worked at a Chevy dealer for three years while this engine was being sold (2000-2002) and have never come across this issue. Not saying it hasn't happened, but I don't think it's a real common issue.
 
TeTe said:
Sorry to hear this happened to you. I worked at a Chevy dealer for three years while this engine was being sold (2000-2002) and have never come across this issue. Not saying it hasn't happened, but I don't think it's a real common issue.
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Not as common as people griping about the skip shift feature, sure, but it seemed to be more common as the engines got older.

Some guy made this starter bridge...and i cant upload the image from my phone. God damn, i can never figure that shit out.

Anyway, he made this starter bridge thing and its simply a bar or iron. Costs maybe <$400 and i remember finding this within a forum. Everyone ripped this guy because of his pricing, meanwhile inwas thinking, this could save my block. I even called the guy and i said i wasnt gonna install it, a shop would. He said they could call him with any questions. Hes the only one i think made them at that time.

Shop did put it in and they said this should permanently solve the issue, "but my god was it a bitch to get it in there."
 
My friend built an ls swap rx7

Ls engine swaps were epic for a while ive been out the game.

Always like the h22a Honda prelude/euro r swap I had.

Also the VQ engine on my Nissan Frontier is a monster.
 
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