


The block got a one-piece rear main seal for leak prevention. The big block Chevy (BBC) became the Generation V big block. The 396 swiftly led to what already existed in terms of displacement-the 427, which led to the 402 and 454 in 1970.Īt the cusp of the 1990s, GM not only changed the name “Mark” to “Generation,” it also changed the engine. There was also the lesser-known 366 back in the day, which was a low-revving truck engine designed to make good low-end torque. It never got off the ground andīefore you is Chevrolet’s Mark IV big block, which was introduced in 1965 with 396 cubic inches. Tooling, however, GM said no to this one. The Mark III would have been a Packard design and (And, yes, you could actually order one from Chevrolet.)Īnd Mark IIS “Mystery Motors” displacing 409ci and 427ci (the latter was the Most of you who love the Bowtie understand the origins of Chevrolet’s powerful big blocks, which began in 1958 with the W-Series Mark I at 348ci, followed by the legendary 409 in 1961-and later the super rare RPO 427ci Z11 in 1963. It also loves high-revving horsepower, giving you the best of both worlds. That is why we have decided to refresh and update this piece to keep you informed about the best ways of gaining horsepower from your Chevy small block 350.You’ve got to love the Chevy big block for its raw ability to make aggressive amounts of bone-crushing torque without breaking a sweat. UPDATED June 9, 2023: The classic 350 has been one of the most common small block engines to build into any project car or truck for decades. So let's jump in and discover 15 must-do steps to gain horsepower from your classic Chevy 350, so the car in the garage can finally get the recognition it deserves on the streets and the strip. Even if that does not hit home, the 350 is the most dependable, durable, and buildable engine American carmakers have ever produced.

If that seems like a far stretch, go back through some of the history associated with the best American sports car ever created, the Chevy Corvette. The truth is that even though the big block monsters of the past did have power and massive amounts of torque, nothing else could compete with a well-built Chevrolet small-block classic 350. Of course, some people still shy away from a small block engine, living with the idea that there is no replacement for displacement. There are so many ways to add horsepower to a classic 350 that it has been used in everything from daily drivers to track racing machines.
