12 hours ago
This Engine Powered More Cars Than Any Other
GM's 3800 still has a huge following to this day, as it was a workhorse for the brand. For more than 30 years, starting in 1975, this reliable V6 powerplant was shoehorned under the hood of more than 25 million vehicles. That includes products ranging from boring sedans up to a turbocharged 20th Anniversary Pontiac Trans Am. While that's impressive, another GM engine handily beats the 3.8-liter V6 as the most produced engine of all time. Yep, it's the small-block Chevrolet.
Chevy originally released the small-block in a 265 cubic inch displacement called "Turbo Fire" to power 1955 model year Corvettes and Bel Airs. Although its 180 horsepower output in top tune is lackluster by modern standards, it was a full 30 horsepower more than the outgoing "Blue Flame" inline-six Corvette engine. The small-block Chevy was produced with many different combinations of bore and stroke over its six decade lifespan, all the way up to a 400 cubic inch displacement for trucks and vans. Ironically, a 400 cubic inch small-block is actually larger than some so-called big-blocks, such as Chrysler's 383 or Chevy's own 396.
However, the most well known iteration of the small-block is the 350, or 5.7-liter in metric terms. If you've been in the car hobby for any reasonable amount of time, the chances are that you've interacted with a 350-powered vehicle on some level. In fact, some sources call it "America's favorite V8."
Read more: These V6 Engines Put The LS1 V8 To Shame
By 1997, the writing was on the wall for the venerable small-block Chevy. That's the year when the first LS-based V8 engine debuted in the brand-new fifth-generation Corvette C5, sarcastically reviewed here by Mr. Regular. There's a bit of friendly debate among enthusiasts as to whether LS motors are truly considered part of the small-block Chevy family or a separate entity. Besides obvious differences like the lack of a conventional distributor, the LS even has a different firing order than its predecessors. For the record, General Motors says that the LS is a continuation of the small-block lineup. However, the fact remains that the LS shares very little in common with the first- and second-generation small-block V8, which was fully phased out of production vehicles by the end of 2002.
More than 100 million small-block Chevys engines have been produced so far, plus it continues to be offered to this day in "crate engine" form. Like its sibling, the 3.8-liter V6, the small-block Chevy powered a wide array of vehicles from GM's assembly line. That includes Corvettes, Camaros, pickup trucks, and grocery-getter sedans and wagons. What's more, many of those engines went on to live a second life after their original host vehicles went to the crusher. Small-block Chevys have been swapped into all manner of vehicles including Jeeps and Ford hot rods from the 1930s, heck, there's even a Chevy-powered 1970 Porsche 911. In part, that's because of the tremendous aftermarket support and the seemingly limitless supply of repair and upgrade parts available. With over 100 million examples floating around, we wouldn't expect any less.
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