Quote:
My point is that posts that *continue* to malign good design like the SBC don't match the
facts...and such comments continue certain folk-lore that simply isn't true.
|
True,
Many people (especially true with Many Porsche owners) look at the more "basic" versions of the small block chevy and think it is not a performance engine, but they should look to the factory performance versions (especially the factory race cars).
The 350 only became available in 1967, and not really a performance piece except for a few 1970 variations (Corvette and Z-28 camaro). Most of the 350's developement was spent during the 70s and 80;s when emissions and smog laws curtailed performance...
Look at the factory offerings of the 327 (up to 375HP (rated) in a stock "show-room" 1965 Corvette (not some one-off race car). These motors also had "factory" red-lines of 6500, but would usually pull much higher RPMs...
Then there was the 302 version used only in the 1967-1969 Camaro Z-28s... These motors were rated at a conservative 295 HP, but in reality were much stronger. These motors were built to be raced, and the stock motors could easily top 7000 RPM in stock, show-room form... Rebuild with a balance job, and I have seen street motors reliably peak at over 8500 RPM, and comfortably cruise for a few hours at 5000RPM+ (and this was with early 80's technology and not alot of money). While these motors were originally intended for racing, they used a combination of stock parts (327 block and 283 crankshaft, I recall).
Even today, the Nascar engines (limited to I believe 358 CID/5.7 liters) with all their Nascar restrictions, are reving to 9500+ RPM for hours on end and producing 750-800 HP...
I understand the desire to keep a Porsche engine in your Porsche, but if one is after true performance (without regard to originality), then overlooking the SBC solely because it is not from Germany or the design is "old" or its an iron lump is just ignorance... If looking for performance, you look for power, weight and most people would also look at cost. If the power is greater with the Chevy, the weight is similar, and the cost is less, why such a problem?
I own some classic Chevys, and I understand what some Porsche owners are thinking (I think). I have seen people put the classic chevy bodies on 4X4 chassis, which I think is a waste of a classic. And I guess I would laugh if I saw an engine swap with what I thought was a inferior engine (I have seen Chevelles and Camaros with big Cadillac V8 engines installed. Althought the performance was better than most Chevy-engined cars, they didn't look as nice, IMO).
I don't know why so many people choose the 350 for a swap into a Porsche. I think the SBC is a great choice, but a shorter stroke SBC with less low-end torque and higher redline would be better suited for most Porsche swaps... the 350 is better suited for a heavier car, and forget the 305 and 307 engines, as those were not performance versions at all.
The small block Chevy remained the same basic engine from 1955-1990s. It wasn't an outdated engine all those years, its design was just superior from the begining and revised accordingly... Chevrolet knew by the 80's that the engine was begining to show its age (which is why the worked on the ZR1/LT5 Corvette engine, and the newer designs of there V8s of the last few years (often reffered to as the LS1 and LS6, etc).
Its nice to have a newer technologically superior engine, but to have such an engine that lasts for 45+ years (and still going strong) in its basic form is a testament of the original design...