1-3. Among the millions of carbureted production small-block Chevys, the most impressive must be the 1970 LT1 350ci version. With 11:1 compression, big valve iron heads, a mechanical lifter cam, and a big Holley carburetor, this engine made a raucous 370 hp at 6,000 rpm in the Corvette and 360 hp in the Camaro.

n the performance industry, there are very few products that can claim to have changed the lives of four generations of enthusiastic hot rodders. That’s the impact that the small-block Chevy has had on the automotive performance game. The term “pervasive” does not even begin to explain it all. Along the way, the small-block Chevy has been the powerful backbone of racing sanctioning bodies and made many engine builders and racers more than famous. The small-block’s impact on millions of street performance enthusiasts is immeasurable.

It all started in 1955 with the first year of the small-block Chevy bolted into both the Corvette as well as pedestrian 1955 Chevy sedans and coupes. Some say the small-block saved the Corvette, and likely this is true. The engine with the funny stamped rockers arms wasn’t immediately embraced, but neither did it take long for the automotive industry to recognize its true potential.

The first small-block was a small displacement V-8 of only 265 ci, designed with supervision by engineering director Ed Cole and with a compact, crossflow cylinder head design by Don McPherson. The first iteration featured a two-barrel carburetor and was rated at a modest 162 hp. However, it didn’t take long for those numbers to grow along with its displacement. By 1957 the little Chevy had expanded nearly 20 inches to 283 ci and would blossom to an aggressive 327 ci five years later in 1962. Eventually, of course, it would enlarge to its ubiquitous 350 ci in 1967. The largest of the production engine displacements hit its pinnacle in 1970 with the 400ci engine while still retaining the same bore spacing and deck height as the original 265.

BY Chuck Vranas Images by THE AUTHOR

here’s nothing worse than hitting the road in your high-performance Chevy and being assaulted by excess heat and vibration as you lay down the miles. Between adding an upgraded driveline and high-flow exhaust, the amount of heat generated has a direct connection through the floorpan. This moves straight into your interior and there’s no way the factory jute-style padding will suffice to handle the job. Regardless of whether you’re taking on a full build or simply making updates, it’s a solid idea to think about upgrading your insulation complemented by sound deadening to help tame all that rattle ’n’ roll generated by the road. We’re here to tell you that there’s a simple solution to the problem, one that you won’t even break a sweat over, when installing products direct from the makers of Flatline Barriers.

Regular readers of All Chevy Performance will recognize the 1971 Camaro showcased across our pages, having followed its transformation from that of a bare shell. Over time, we focused on its suspension, brakes, LS driveline, cooling, exhaust, sheetmetal, and wiring. As we head deep into the interior, our initial thought was to give it a more civilized experience by trying to eliminate excess heat and road noise, especially with it packing an aggressive LS underhood. Recently, we followed up at Procision Industries in Taunton, Massachusetts, where shop owner Pat O’Brien was preparing to move forward by taking on this very subject. After reviewing various offerings on the market, he made a decision to contact Classic Industries, one of the distributors for Flatline Barriers.

Custom Stainless Steel Exhaust

BY Ryan Manson Images by the Author

luminized exhaust tubing. While it has its place (motorhomes, rat rods, demolition derby cars, and so on), it’s not under any self-respecting muscle car, street machine, or restomod build. Back when the only option was to drag your car to the local muffler shop, it made sense to have them whip up a dual-exhaust setup out of aluminized tubing. That was simply the way things were. Today, however, with the availability of affordable welding machines and exhaust kits designed for the DIY guy, it’s a lot easier to justify fabricating a custom exhaust system from a more exotic material, like stainless steel.

There are drawbacks, however, to this line of thinking. Many guys don’t have the equipment to fabricate such a system or the ability to do so. But if one can TIG weld, read a tape measure, use a level, and retain a level of basic common sense, fabricating one’s own stainless exhaust system is not such an abstract idea.

1. Wilwood Engineering’s Mike Hamrick (left) and Bob Frantino from Eddie Motorsports prepare to install the Heidts Pro-G subframe under the 1972 Nova.

BY Ron Ceridono Images by Ryan Foss

hen the team at Eddie Motorsports set out to build a 1972 Chevy Nova to display at the SEMA show they knew it had to be something special. To that end, they called on Heidts for a suspension update and Wilwood to supply state-of-the-art brakes.

To compete with the Ford Falcon, Chevrolet introduced the Chevy II in 1962. It was available in three trim levels: the 100 series, 300 series, and Nova 400 series. By 1964 the legendary 283 V-8 was offered and when the 327 V-8 became available the following year the little Chevy became a formidable performer.

For the 1966 model year, a restyled second generation of the Chevy II appeared, then in 1968 the third generation that would continue through 1974 was introduced (in 1969 the Chevy II name was dropped in favor of Chevrolet Nova).

1. The reason we are getting to do this cam test is because of mission creep. When Gibbons Motorsports began planning this big-block engine build it was going to be much milder. But by the time it was done, it had grown significantly in both cubic inches and flow capability. We still tested it with the original cam along with the newer, much bigger cam to see how the differences affected power production, and the results were quite interesting.

BY Jeff Huneycutt Images by the Author

f you’ve been around cars for any length of time, you’ve probably heard the well-worn aphorism “The camshaft is the brain of the engine,” or some version of it.

There is a bit of truth to that since the cam does determine when the valves in the cylinder heads open and close and how quickly, but unlike us smarter individuals—you know, those of us who prefer Chevrolet power over … well, let’s just say another brand—cams really can’t make decisions. Variable valve timing is helpful, but once the cam is stabbed in the engine, duration and valve lift really won’t change. So, the lesson here is not a matter of how advanced the technology may be in your engine, the cam still needs to be ground correctly for your application.