Displacement doesn't define big vs small block. The physical size of the motors is what makes that decision. The larger dimensions of the big block allow for much higher displacements.
Yes & bigger heads with bigger valves. There are a lot of small displacement big blocks if ya look in the 60's. 326 Pontiac, 350 Pontiac, 331 hemi, 354 hemi, 348 Chevy, 352 Ford, etc
YEP, a 400 style block, I built a DART block 4.125 bore, 4inch stroke crank is a 427. A .030 over 4.155 with 4in stroke crank is a 434.Mine all forged ,balanced ,Wiseco pistons , manley rods. AFR CNC heads .650 lift Howards roller cam and valve train. And yes they are potent. 81 malibu wagon.
@@CharlesHowgate Got one on the stand ready for a fox , 351w 4 inch stroke forged crank ,forged rods and pistons .Aluminum heads, and Ford MotorsportsE303 cam ..060 over math says 414 ci. I am the go to stroker guy in my area. Alreay ran in, when you pick em up. Hook up the gas ,distributior ,and go.
@@xXSlickNickXx757 4.125 bore x 4 in. Stroke crank = 427 .030 over 4.155x 4 in stroke crank = 434. The beauty of these #s ,is it is very close to what we call a square motor. Bore and stroke ,the same or very close. Another great square motor ,,,572. 4.50 stroke 4.50 bore.
The first Chevy big block made (1958) was 348 cubic inches. So generally there was some minor overlap in size between small blocks and big blocks for a duration of time.
348, 366 (dump truck junk), 396, 402 (starts out a 396), 409, 427, 454. Standard deck big block is a 9.8 deck height. Tall deck you can find in heavier trucks. Tall deck comes in at 10.200. Aftermarket you can get bigger but then bore spacing comes into play.
Hmm that would be 366 and 427. 348 and 409 are first gen big blocks. And just so you're aware the 366 and 427 tall decks do just fine in normal vehicles blow the tires off with no issues. Oh yeah torque will get you down the track.
Something else to mention, the big block has offset valves (meaning it has different pushrod lengths for intake and exhaust). while the small block has all the valves in a row (all pushrods same length). AND on a small block the middle cylinders on each bank have the exhaust ports next to each other. While the big block's exhaust ports are evenly spaced like a Ford V8.
Yes canted valves are slightly aimed at the center of the cylinder for better breathing. Ford 429 460 400 351 M & 351 Cleveland had canted valves also.
@@theoneracer2716 he was talking about the big block Chevy pushrods not Ford. I'm not sure if big Chevy pushrods are equal length or not. My comment wasn't about Ford push rods it was just stating the Ford engines that have canted valves. Read slowly & let it sink in before calling people dumb.
They came in 70s GMC pick ups and Camper vans too as well as a bunch of fleet vehicles but the best ones I've ever put together came outta early 70s Caprices.. Fastest time I ever got at Gainesville was actually with a sb400 out a 71Caprice brougham and I souped it up and dropped it down in a 71 Ventura 2 with a 73 Nova front clip.. Built straight out the junkyard 😅 turned out being one of my best cars
There are some FORD small blocks (252 to 427cid) that have more displacement than some FORD big blocks (332 to 428). It has more to do with bore spacing and deck height.
I believe the difference in terms was more about the internal cooling routes and exhaust header locations. Look at your small block, and I bet the 2 middle exhaust ports are MUCH closer together than the exhaust holes on the big block.
They also made a 366 tall desk big block from 1955-1996 and you could get a: 348, 351, and of course the 396 as well as the 366BBC. When it comes to Small Blocks you could get a 400 SBC.
In racing, one makes a lot of low end torque but sacrifices some rpm while another sacrifices some torque for higher rpms, ones a good car engine, another is a good truck engine
The way I tell the difference between Big Block and small Block Chevys are the exhaust manifold. If the exhaust ports are equally spaced out from each other, it’s a big block and if the 2 middle exhaust ports are crammed together it’s a small block. Long story short the reason this is so is because the valve trans are different between BBC & SBC. This also works with the V6 engines as well as the V8s.
Big blocks especially if you include ford and mopar generally begin around 350 cubic inches but there is alot of crossover up past 420 cubes with stroker kits
@@Jon-k8z that's why I said generally. Mopar also made a 354 firedome (early hemi) that was a big block and 366 big block. The 340 ta blocks can be bored and stroked to 420" maybe more making them small blocks which is why I said alot of crossover and the complexity just increases from there
Don't forget the 400 sbc and their stroker variants. I'm a Ford guy, but out of all old school chevy small blocks the 400sbc is king. A 434 with a good cam and afr heads can produce 800 plus horsepower, and this is a small block we're talking about.
Chryslers first big block was 350 CID They also had 361 and 383 Big Blocks. GM built a 400 small block SBC. Displacement has nothing to do with it. Its all about bore spacing, deck height and stroke
@@xF3ARxLinkXyes the v8 305 is a small block and the 305 v6 is a big block, and the 478 is only a V6 big block. Dude just google it, Gm V6 big blocks. And you will see you don’t know what you are even talking about
@@Caleb_S26 here you go bud, Buddy is most commonly used as an informal word for a friend. Buddy is often used as a form of address (as in Hey, buddy, I haven't seen you in a while!) or a term of endearment (an affectionate way of referring to someone). It is sometimes shortened to bud.
There are also 400 small blocks.... And new LS can be as much as 7 liter. In a package that weighs half as much as an iron head big block. I love big blocks, but with iron heads its going to weigh a shit ton.
No it has nothing to do with displacement it refers to the bore spacing back in the day nowadays with how many custom blocks and I guess decades of OEM block options out there the difference between big block and small doesn't really mean anything
And a 389 Pontiac 394 Oldsmobile 366 Chevy industrial block etc etc etc theres a lot of gm big blocks under 400 cubic inches… plus moose& ford have several too… it’s stroke& valve train profiles etc that make a good engine or bad one though.. no matter who produces it..😂
Can't really go off of displacement. 396 is big block and 400 is small block. I think the most obvious difference is a big block is big and a small block is small. They even have 454 small blocks in the aftermarket.
Well what would you consider Pontiac engines? They went all the to 455CI, but no such thing as a big block. From my knowledge, Pontiac is the only engine that was like this.
@user-yo3sz8xe2s the very first B/RB block was introduced in 1958 in the Plymouth Fury, it was a dual Quad 350 CID known as the "B" engine and is the basis for all B/RB displacements. Without the 350 "B" engine the 361, 383, 400, 413, 426 and 440 wedge engines would not exist.
Sorry, but this was not a very good explanation . Big blocks and small blocks are two basic V8 engines that always have the same external size, bolt patterns etc. Both come in a variety of displacements. Mostly any part from a small block will fit any other small block, heads are interchangeable etc… same goes for big blocks. They are two families basically.
A 396 is actually a big block. 400, shall we call it a 396? But they just round it off to the nearest 10. Se the same way a Chevy 350 is actually a 348.
Well technically 400 cubic inches can also be a small block so can a 440 so that’s not the difference, the difference is literally right in the name don’t over think it guy
Wait wait wait… so a “big” block is BIGGER THAN A SMALL BLOCK??
no just weighs more lol. Yes it is physically bigger. Imagine that
Nooo Wayyyy!!??!!..... 😮
Sorcerery
How could u not figure out that a small block is smaller than a big block.... Smfh....
Societies getting scary huh😂😂😂 have you ever seen the movie Idiocracy
I’m pretty sure it actually based of bore spacing and deck height.
Correct
I was always told anything bigger then 6L is a big block to keep things simple for the non educated 🤷♂️
@@windytokes since there are custom small blocks that are 500+ cubic inches, and factory small blocks that are 6.5L (400ci), that doesn’t make sense
@@windytokes this is wrong. A ls3 that is 6.2 liters is not a big block.
Back in the day it was literally a difference in the block and heads itself that determined big block vs small block.
Displacement doesn't define big vs small block. The physical size of the motors is what makes that decision. The larger dimensions of the big block allow for much higher displacements.
Yes & bigger heads with bigger valves. There are a lot of small displacement big blocks if ya look in the 60's. 326 Pontiac, 350 Pontiac, 331 hemi, 354 hemi, 348 Chevy, 352 Ford, etc
@@Jon-k8z and large small blocks such as the 400 sbc (and if you wanna talk customs a 400 sbc, bored with a big crank can be a 427 small block)
Well, also theres some smaller displacement big blocks such as the 366ci
I have a small block 396 too
Industrial applications would blow this guys mind
Theres even a 352 small block from ford
I meant big block my bad
Yep there is one in my dump truck
Dont forget the 400ci small block chevy. Can create a killer race engine. 427+ cubic inch small.block
YEP, a 400 style block, I built a DART block 4.125 bore, 4inch stroke crank is a 427. A .030 over 4.155 with 4in stroke crank is a 434.Mine all forged ,balanced ,Wiseco pistons , manley rods. AFR CNC heads .650 lift Howards roller cam and valve train. And yes they are potent. 81 malibu wagon.
You can also get down in a 351w sb stroked out to 408. Tq monster.
@@CharlesHowgate Got one on the stand ready for a fox , 351w 4 inch stroke forged crank ,forged rods and pistons .Aluminum heads, and Ford MotorsportsE303 cam ..060 over math says 414 ci. I am the go to stroker guy in my area. Alreay ran in, when you pick em up. Hook up the gas ,distributior ,and go.
@@xXSlickNickXx757 4.125 bore x 4 in. Stroke crank = 427 .030 over 4.155x 4 in stroke crank = 434. The beauty of these #s ,is it is very close to what we call a square motor. Bore and stroke ,the same or very close. Another great square motor ,,,572. 4.50 stroke 4.50 bore.
The first Chevy big block made (1958) was 348 cubic inches. So generally there was some minor overlap in size between small blocks and big blocks for a duration of time.
348, 366 (dump truck junk), 396, 402 (starts out a 396), 409, 427, 454. Standard deck big block is a 9.8 deck height. Tall deck you can find in heavier trucks. Tall deck comes in at 10.200. Aftermarket you can get bigger but then bore spacing comes into play.
then you have the small blpcks above 400. 427 454 and whatever strokes you can make with those.
Ive seen mean 366 bb when built correctly, just no one knows how anymore
348 and 409 bbc are completely different engines than 396 bbc.
@@antarcticmoongiant2691 they are still big blocks, because of the deck height and the design of block itself
Hmm that would be 366 and 427. 348 and 409 are first gen big blocks. And just so you're aware the 366 and 427 tall decks do just fine in normal vehicles blow the tires off with no issues. Oh yeah torque will get you down the track.
Something else to mention, the big block has offset valves (meaning it has different pushrod lengths for intake and exhaust). while the small block has all the valves in a row (all pushrods same length). AND on a small block the middle cylinders on each bank have the exhaust ports next to each other. While the big block's exhaust ports are evenly spaced like a Ford V8.
Those are the major differences and he didn't even mention them
Yes canted valves are slightly aimed at the center of the cylinder for better breathing. Ford 429 460 400 351 M & 351 Cleveland had canted valves also.
Ur basically wrong most all fords have same length pushrods..you people be dumb!
@@theoneracer2716 he was talking about the big block Chevy pushrods not Ford. I'm not sure if big Chevy pushrods are equal length or not. My comment wasn't about Ford push rods it was just stating the Ford engines that have canted valves. Read slowly & let it sink in before calling people dumb.
Also known as porcupine heads
The difference between big block and small block have to do with the bore and stroke Pontiac made a 455 cubic inch but it was a small block
I had 400 small block in a1975 Caprice.
They came in 70s GMC pick ups and Camper vans too as well as a bunch of fleet vehicles but the best ones I've ever put together came outta early 70s Caprices.. Fastest time I ever got at Gainesville was actually with a sb400 out a 71Caprice brougham and I souped it up and dropped it down in a 71 Ventura 2 with a 73 Nova front clip.. Built straight out the junkyard 😅 turned out being one of my best cars
Manufactured 1970 to 1980
I have a mid to late 70s 400sbc in my 3rd gen camaro. 408 stroker.
We have one in our 1972 impala. Completely rebuilt it from the ground up, and it makes 500hp and 520 lb-ft of torque. Amazing engines.
C'mon guys, he's doing his best here. Give him a little credit for putting it in layman's terms.
There are some FORD small blocks (252 to 427cid) that have more displacement than some FORD big blocks (332 to 428).
It has more to do with bore spacing and deck height.
Ford had a 221 cubic inch Windsor V8.
Yep I’m the 60s ford had a 352 big block and they make crazy torque. Real truck motor forsure
390 made way more torque than a 352. A 390 has 3.78" of stroke
And 332
I believe the difference in terms was more about the internal cooling routes and exhaust header locations. Look at your small block, and I bet the 2 middle exhaust ports are MUCH closer together than the exhaust holes on the big block.
I was always under the impression that big blocks had a deck height of over 10 inches, and small blocks were less than 10 inches.
I can’t wait for it to go into the car😂
Architecture, size, dimensions. Chevy had a small block 400 as well. Pontiac had 400/455 but those werent big blocks.
They say they are big blocks anything over 400ci is a big block
Yes there's a few things he left out, but for a one minute time limit give the dude some damn credit and smash that like button!
How you explain the gm 305 6 cylender
One of my engine builder friends builds 449 and 472 ci sbc's for dirt modifieds.
They also made a 366 tall desk big block from 1955-1996 and you could get a: 348, 351, and of course the 396 as well as the 366BBC. When it comes to Small Blocks you could get a 400 SBC.
Petition for him to flip the fly traps around so in looks better
👇🏻
Is a ford FE 390 a big block??
No its a FE block Ford never classified them as big blocks
It is the bore spacing, the length between each cylinder center. Deck height doesn't really determine big block or small block
A big block is 396 and more
How about the 383, 390?
In racing, one makes a lot of low end torque but sacrifices some rpm while another sacrifices some torque for higher rpms, ones a good car engine, another is a good truck engine
496 big block Chevy and the small block 350 Chevy can fit the same TURBO TH400 AND overdrive 4 speed transmission
That's just the bell housing they did that on purpose for being able to have any combo you desired
That's why I love Chevy. Dodge you have to have a different transmission if you have a small block and want to change it to big block. Ford also
Qhat about a 351 Cleveland ford
The way I tell the difference between Big Block and small Block Chevys are the exhaust manifold. If the exhaust ports are equally spaced out from each other, it’s a big block and if the 2 middle exhaust ports are crammed together it’s a small block. Long story short the reason this is so is because the valve trans are different between BBC & SBC. This also works with the V6 engines as well as the V8s.
Who woulda guessed that the difference between a big block and a small block is their size?
Big blocks especially if you include ford and mopar generally begin around 350 cubic inches but there is alot of crossover up past 420 cubes with stroker kits
A Mopar 360 is a small block
@@Jon-k8z that's why I said generally. Mopar also made a 354 firedome (early hemi) that was a big block and 366 big block. The 340 ta blocks can be bored and stroked to 420" maybe more making them small blocks which is why I said alot of crossover and the complexity just increases from there
What about the 348?
Good video bro
You just took me back to 1985 auto tech class.
What about the 350 bigblock?
Don't forget the 400 sbc and their stroker variants. I'm a Ford guy, but out of all old school chevy small blocks the 400sbc is king. A 434 with a good cam and afr heads can produce 800 plus horsepower, and this is a small block we're talking about.
Yea with 20 grand into the engine
@user-yo3sz8xe2s no it doesn't cost that much for a stroker kit and headers.
@@fnafplayer6447 for 800 plus reliable horsepower you're gonna spend quite a bit more than ya would on a street engine build - on any engine.
Unless you run motors like Pontiacs
the biggest difference is offset valves on the big block In the small box has siamese exhaust runners in the middle
Chryslers first big block was 350 CID
They also had 361 and 383 Big Blocks.
GM built a 400 small block SBC.
Displacement has nothing to do with it.
Its all about bore spacing, deck height and stroke
What about the 400 small block Chevy?
Mouse motor is a small block, a rat motor is a big block
Laughs in 351 Cleveland!
What about the 400 SBC and the 396 bbc??? Or how about a 348 w block?
Chevy made a 348 big block back in the 50s and 60s
Yea my dad had one in a 59 Biscayne with 3 deuces & 3 speed manual on the floor. He only got beat once. They were the predecessor to the 409
Don’t forget about the high displacement small blocks. There are small block 427s and even 454s.
Congrats on 600 vids
Well the main difference is one is big and one is small😂
200 lbs . Bigger is better . . Not always crazy technology has made that not so much . But the rumbel of a big block ROCKS
They actually made a lot of the variations of the big block, even 305 V6’s, think they made a 478 v6 big block to that was used in work trucks
305 aren't v6, they are v8s
A 478 is a big block as well not a v6
@@xF3ARxLinkX no its very much a v6, google it…
@@xF3ARxLinkX yup they made a v8 small block and a V6 big block of the 305, i owned two of them. Dude just google it. Gm v6 big blocks…
@@xF3ARxLinkXyes the v8 305 is a small block and the 305 v6 is a big block, and the 478 is only a V6 big block. Dude just google it, Gm V6 big blocks. And you will see you don’t know what you are even talking about
390 ford big block left the chat
Talking about a chevy bud
@@privateryan555 I’m not your bud, friend
@@Caleb_S26 here you go bud,
Buddy is most commonly used as an informal word for a friend. Buddy is often used as a form of address (as in Hey, buddy, I haven't seen you in a while!) or a term of endearment (an affectionate way of referring to someone). It is sometimes shortened to bud.
@@Caleb_S26 so when you say friend you indeed are referring to me as a buddy(bud)
There are also 400 small blocks....
And new LS can be as much as 7 liter. In a package that weighs half as much as an iron head big block.
I love big blocks, but with iron heads its going to weigh a shit ton.
Pontiac 350??
It’s not the cubes it’s the physical size of the block itself that determines if it’s a “small” or “big “ block
What about crankshaft and journal size. That's a major difference.
No it has nothing to do with displacement it refers to the bore spacing back in the day nowadays with how many custom blocks and I guess decades of OEM block options out there the difference between big block and small doesn't really mean anything
I’m dumbfounded!! You mean to tell me that one is big and the other is small?!?!?
Earth shattering news😮
Wasn't one of the 351s from Ford considered a big block too
Ford never had big blocks they are FE blocks
And a 389 Pontiac 394 Oldsmobile 366 Chevy industrial block etc etc etc theres a lot of gm big blocks under 400 cubic inches… plus moose& ford have several too… it’s stroke& valve train profiles etc that make a good engine or bad one though.. no matter who produces it..😂
Can't really go off of displacement. 396 is big block and 400 is small block. I think the most obvious difference is a big block is big and a small block is small. They even have 454 small blocks in the aftermarket.
so there's no 350 Big Block?
Well what would you consider Pontiac engines? They went all the to 455CI, but no such thing as a big block. From my knowledge, Pontiac is the only engine that was like this.
Buick and oldsmobiles.
How about the 383
I think there's more to it than this, but some of the things possible in the big block can only happen in a larger block.
.
There is also the small bore mark 4 big block that is only 366 cubic inches,
My small block is 427 CI displacement.
Explain the Small Block 400
Gee I don't know, maybe size?
IF ITS A CHEVY YOUR ALREADY A WINNER. THERE R MORE RACE PARTS FOR A GREAT CHEVY. BY A MILLION MOTORS N YOULL ALWAYS BE HAPPIER
Can you make a video making at to put in your car
Some big blocks came with a steel crank instead of a cast crank.
Also a small block exhaust ports are not evenly spaced and a big block are.
That engine weighs as much as my motorcycle god damn
Don’t forget about dodge 383 big block and ford 390 big block.
You forgot about the 348 bbc. Lol. You should probablydo some research on GM engines before posting "facts" big fella
he forgot about so many its not funny. Whats he going to name them all?
Dont forget the small block 454
427
keep it going
@@JoeKyser he was trying to say anything under 400ci was a small block. The 348ci is a destroked version of the legendary 409ci.
He did say typically 400 you motor heads. Calm down
But there's a 400 small block ..heads can be big on both HEAD ANGLE / HEAD DEGREE IS WHERE THE BIGGEST DIFFERENCE IS
350 Olds. 389 Pontiac. 383 Chrysler just to name a few
A few what
@@Jon-k8z big blocks under 400ci
350 and 361 Chrysler as well
@@notablynova never heard of a 350 Chrysler - I've heard of a 354 hemi
@user-yo3sz8xe2s the very first B/RB block was introduced in 1958 in the Plymouth Fury, it was a dual Quad 350 CID known as the "B" engine and is the basis for all B/RB displacements.
Without the 350 "B" engine the 361, 383, 400, 413, 426 and 440 wedge engines would not exist.
396 is actually 402 cu in in stock form though
Chevy had a 400 small block too
Yea I got a 6.0 ls aka 364ci and it's a small block
That’s now how you differ the 2 motors 🤣🤣🤣
But is 383 magnum a big block
One's big, One's small. Who'da thunk?
A block without the heads is called a short block
GMC medium truck c7500 has 366 (6 litre) big block
One exception, meanwhile the comments section is literally 20 different exceptions. Work on your own cars and study history kids. 🤦🏼♂️
The 396 is actually 402ci.
That didn't happen until the fall of 1969, the 1970 model year.
Some Chevy trucks were badged 400 but it was actually the 396/402 engine. This is how the term "400 big block" came into being.
In the 60s there was a 363 big block
Dont tell him about the tall deck 366 it's a truck motor but still a big block. It's bore spacing and deck height mostly
No replacement for displacement
It's the heads big blocks have bigger valves & ports
Don't forget the 350 small block and the 350 big block
Pontiac doesn't have a big block or a small block and is 301-455 cubic inches from factory. Same block only difference is bore and stroke.
Sorry, but this was not a very good explanation . Big blocks and small blocks are two basic V8 engines that always have the same external size, bolt patterns etc. Both come in a variety of displacements. Mostly any part from a small block will fit any other small block, heads are interchangeable etc… same goes for big blocks. They are two families basically.
GM has a 400 small block. Ford does family. What do I know. I'm a Diesel mechanic with old hot rods
I got the 396
He totally dismissed the 348 396 and the the 400
A 396 is actually a big block. 400, shall we call it a 396? But they just round it off to the nearest 10. Se the same way a Chevy 350 is actually a 348.
Well technically 400 cubic inches can also be a small block so can a 440 so that’s not the difference, the difference is literally right in the name don’t over think it guy