>
> > What they *should* have done was
> > standardized on the Olds 350 for the "small block" and the Caddy
429/472
> > for the "big block" cor****ate engines (in my fantasy world, that
is...)
>
> The 472 (or Olds 455 for that matter) would have been an outstanding
> heavy-duty truck engine. FAR and away better than the Chevy 454.
>
> As for a hi-performance GM engine, I might have to put myself in the
> Buick camp, although Pontiac is close too. Being a Mopar guy, I like the
> long rod length, big bore/short stroke architecture of the Buick. Its
> the most "Mopar-like" of all the GM engines in those regards, although
> the Olds is more like a big Mopar in block rigidity. The Buick's light
> weight is nice too (a Buick 455 weighs about the same or less than a
> Chevy 350.) But GM never fully addressed its problems- bad oiling system
> and a tendency for too much block-flex partly BECAUSE its so light. But
> the aftermarket did a good job with both, so it COULD have been done at
> the factory.
The hot setup for years was to build a gas motor out of the Olds 350
diesel block. Good machine shops could even turn the piston tops down
and shorten the center-to-center distance on the rods enough to make a
livable CR with common heads.
It's easy to put a BOP or Cadillac engine in any GMC/Chev pickup.
That said-the Chevy when properly rebuilt was the best of the GM
engines because the "good guy" parts were easily available. Most
rodders never read the Chevy power manuals that TOLD you the hot setup
GM spent millions to find and instead bought a lot of aftermarket
dog****.
The Chevy Power book said to groove the oil pump base plate just so,
reinforce this, deburr that, braze this other. Did people? Mostly no.
Notice the SB and BB Chev and Corvair can easily be set up reverse
rotation. Change cam and distributor gears.
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