And then there is the long/short block deal. I remember when I got my first engine catalog and I was confused as all hell....


Before anyone has to ask....
Short block: block and rotating assembly
Long block:above,plus heads and manifold
this is typical whether it is small or big block motor

If you have good heads, intake, cam and etc. then the short blcok can save you some money.

Course it also varies a little between manufacturers as some will include the tinware (oil pan and rocker covers). Some crate engines are ready to run and others have to have pulley's carbs, and other wiring added... etc,etc...

Just thought I'd add some muck to the pot

 

Nice wood grain on the station wagon.

 

It really doesn't have much to do with displacement, aside from the fact that most big blocks have larger displacement. It has a lot more to do with the physical size of the block itself. They're a lot larger and heavier than the small block engines.

351 Cleveland isn't a big block, that's a myth. The ford 360 is a big block. The new GM 6.0 is a small block while their 8.1 is a big block, which by the way is 502 inches and makes that quoted encylcopedia definition inaccurate. The 5.7 hemi is a small block.

 

Good knowledge is being passed! Thanks for the info!

 

Ohio, the wood grain had a 351 C in it and he loved it... LOL.... miss those days.... when fun was fun......

 

In the mid to early 60's Chrysler had a 318 that was loosely called a "big block" or "wide block" to distinguish it from the other 318 that was offered. I believe it was 1963 through 65 - although I'm sure there are some who know much more about that than I.

 

I think you're referring to the old poly 318, I've got a book on chrysler engines but not enough time to look it up.

 

The 400cid cutoff between small/big has always been a loose rule of thumb as far as I have been taught, with one obvious exception being a Chevy 400 small block. the reason some engines over 400 are small blocks and some under 400cid are considered big blocks doesn't just have to do with displacement tho.

A 400 chevy small block is considered such because it shares the same casting as a 350, just different cylinder bores and different cranks. Likewise, a 383 was same casting as a 440cid, and I think it shared the 426 casting too, tho not 100% about that, but they were all considered big blocks. Chevy used to make a 366cid truck engine, but it was always called a big block because it shared the same block as a 396/454.

Could be totally off the mark, but that is what I have always thought of as the difference between small and big blocks as.

 

Mopar also had a 361 c.i. big block in the 1960's. Pontiacs were all one block style except for the 265/301 of the late 70's early 80's. Olds had a 394 big block and a 403 small block.

 

I have always viewed the differences between small and big blocks in regards to the stroke length and how fast they rev. A typical big block will not rev much over 3,300 RPM while a small block is happy to rev to 4,500.