Who developed the small block motor?

[Gama-Goat]

My best buddy says Arkus Duntov, I say Ed Cole was most responsible.
What is your opinion?

[YoMommasTA]

aliens,its what they really found at the roswell crash site

[Wulfe13]

I thought Duntov created the Big Block....

[YoMommasTA]

Chevy Engine Timeline

1952: GM begins development work on the small block Chevy V8. Ed Cole, Chevy's new chief engineer, designs a new high revving, low cost, lightweight engine that uses the latest casting techniques, stamped steel rocker arms, pushrod valvetrain oiling, crossflow cylinder heads and a one-piece intake manifold. The goal is to create an engine that will outperform Ford.

1954: October 28, the all-new 265 cubic inch "small block" V8 is introduced in the redesigned 1955 model year Chevrolet. With a two-barrel carburetor, the engine develops 162 gross horsepower.

1955: The new small block V8 powers the 1955 Chevrolet Indy 500 pace car, and starts to win stock car races across the country. With optional "Power Pack" four-barrel carburetor and dual exhaust, power output is up to 180 hp.

1956: The small block V8 sets a new production car record at Pikes Peak hill climb, and a new "flying mile" speed record at Daytona with Zora Arkus-Duntov at the wheel. Dual four-barrel carburetors on an aluminum intake manifold are offered as a performance option, and boost output to 225 hp.

1957: The 265 is discontinued and is replaced with a larger, more powerful 283 cubic inch version of the small block V8. Bore size is increased from 3.75 to 3.875 inches. Stroke remains the same at 3.00 inches. The 283 remains in production for 10 more years. Rochester mechanical fuel injection also is offered, bringing the engine's power output up to 283 hp (GM's first production engine to achieve 1 hp/per cubic inch). Chevy wins NASCAR championship.

1961: The 283 reaches its maximum horsepower rating of 315 hp with improved cylinder heads.

1962: New 327 cubic inch version of small block is introduced, and remains in production until 1969. The 327 has larger 4.00 inch bores and a longer 3.25 inch stroke. "Ramjet" fuel-injected version is rated at 360 hp.

1964: Cylinder head improvements and hotter camshaft raise 327 "L84" version with fuel injection to 375 hp (highest gross horsepower rating ever for a production small block). First small block with Holley four barrel carburetor also offered.


High performance "L79" 327 introduced rated at 350 hp.


New high revving, high performance 302 cubic inch version of small block is offered in new Camaro Z28 (same bore as 327 but same stroke as 283). The 302 is rated at 290 hp. New 350 cubic inch version also debuts that will remain in production until 1992 and become Chevy's most popular small block. The 350 has the same bore size as the 327 but a longer 3.48 inch stroke crankshaft.


A 307 cubic inch "economy" engine is introduced (same stroke as 327 and same bores as a 283). The 307 remains in production until 1973. A 302 Camaro Z28 wins the Trans Am championship.

1969: The short-lived high performance 302 in the Camaro Z28 is discontinued, replaced by the larger 350. The 327 is also discontinued.

1970: 350 "LT1" debuts in Camaro and Corvette and is rated at 370 hp. Also new this year is a 400 cubic inch version of the small block with siamese cylinders. The 400 has 4.125 inch bores and a 3.75 inch stroke. The 400 remains in production for the next 10 years.

1971: Unleaded gasoline is introduced, and engines are "detuned" for emissions. Gross horsepower ratings drop.

1973: Exhaust Gas Recirculation (EGR) added to engines to reduce oxides of nitrogen emissions.

1975: A downsized 262 cubic inch small block with 3.67 inch bores and 3.10 inch stroke is introduced for improved fuel economy and emissions. Engine is most underpowered small block in history (only 110 hp) and is a flop. The engine is discontinued the following year. Catalytic converter added to exhaust to reduce emissions.

1976: 305 cubic inch "emissions" engine is introduced with 3.74 inch bores and 3.48 inch stroke. This engine becomes base V8 for Chevrolet and remains in production for 20 years.

1979: 267 cubic inch version of the small block appears for two years (discontinued in 1981). This engine features 3.50 inch bores (the smallest ever used) and a 3.48 inch stroke.

1980: Last year for the 400 small block. Dale Earnhardt wins first of seven NASCAR Winston Cup championships with Chevy small block V8.

1981: Computerized engine controls with oxygen sensors and feedback fuel control carburetion added to reduce emissions.

1982: Cross-Fire electronic fuel injection with dual throttle bodies introduced on the "L83" 305 V8 in the Corvette. Camaro paces the Indy 500 with an aluminum 350 small block V8.

1983: High output "L69" version of small block offered.

1985: Tuned Port fuel injection (TPI) on "L98" 350 small block replaces cross-fire injection (Thank God!) ushering in the modern era of electronically controlled, port-injected engines. Corvette dominates SCCA showroom stock, winning every race for three years straight.

1986: Aluminum cylinder heads appear mid-year on L98 Corvette engines. Small block finally gets new single-piece rear main oil seal (to reduce oil leaks).

1987: Small block gets hydraulic roller lifters to reduce friction.

1989: New high output 350 "crate motor" is introduced by Chevrolet Raceshop for racers who want to drop in a performance motor. The crate motor concept changes the way many hot rodders approach engine building. Darrell Waltrip wins first NASCAR Winston Cup in a small block-powered Lumina.

1992: Second generation (Gen II) "LT1" engine is introduced in the Corvette. The new Gen II small block features reverse-flow cooling, revised cylinder head design, and crank-triggered "Opti-Spark" distributor. Displacement remains at 350 cubic inches.

1994: New 4300 (4.3L) version of LT1 small block introduced. Displacement is 265 cubic inches (same as the original engine) but the bores are slightly smaller at 3.74 inches. This is a Gen II engine with reverse-flow cooling and Opti-Spark ignition.

1996: New 5000 (5.0L) and 5700 (5.7L) Series "Vortec" V8 engines introduced for Chevy trucks. Vortec engines have redesigned cylinder heads with swirl-inducing combustion chamber to increase power and torque. Corvette LT1 gets bigger valves, a hotter cam, 30 more horsepower and is renamed "LT4." GM switches to Dex-Cool coolant in all vehicles.

1997: New Gen III 5.7L "LS1" small block appears in the redesigned C5 Corvette. The LS1 has 3.90 inch bores and a 3.62 inch stroke, and is an entirely new design with an aluminum deep-skirt block with iron cast-in-place cylinder liners, new cylinder heads with symmetrical evenly spaced ports and four bolts per cylinder (versus the previous five per cylinder), aluminum roller rocker arms, plastic intake manifold, coil-near-plug ignition system, and a new firing order (1-8-7-2-6-5-4-3). Reverse-cooling was discontinued in favor of traditional coolant flow. The new LS1 is rated at 340 hp.

1999: Gen III-based Vortec V8 engines introduced in GM trucks. Displacements include 4.8L, 5.3L and 6.0L.

2001: New high performance "LS6" version of LS1 engine in Z06 Corvette delivers 345 hp with redesigned 10.5:1 compression heads and a hotter cam.

2005: LS6 engine in Z06 Corvette how up to 405 hp, and is equipped with titanium exhaust system. The LS1 is replaced by the larger 6.0L "LS2," which Chevy dubbed the "Gen IV" engine. The LS2 is rated at 390 hp. First "displacement on demand" engine offered on Vortec 5300 in 2005 Chevy TrailBlazer EXT and GMC Envoy XL. Delphi-engineered valvetrain deactivates cylinders when not needed to save gas.

2006: New 427 cubic inch (7.0L) "LS7" offered in 2006 model year Corvette Z06. Rated at 500 hp, the engine has larger 4.13 inch bores with thinner press-fit iron cylinder liners, and a 4.00 inch stroke. Compression ratio is 11:1, and the valve angle has been decreased to 12 degrees from 16 degrees for better flow. The engine also uses high lift 1.8:1 ratio rockers

[nightstalker50]

i did