ps374

Is it safe to assume that base Corvette engines from 56 to 65 said "Chevrolet "on them because they were exactly the same as those engines used in Chevrolet passenger cars, and that optional Corvette engines received finned valve covers with "Corvette" written on them because they were exclusive to Corvette?

Bluestripe67

I believe the following to be correct per Noland Adam's Tech Guide.
1963-1966 base engine, 250HP, 300HP had stamped steel valve covers with a rectangle on the top for the appropriate HP decal.
1967 base engine had the old style stamped steel valve cover with the word "Cheverolet" imbossed on top and no decal.
1963-1967 Small Block Special Performance engines had the finned aluminum valve covers with a decal on the outboard side. Dennis

1955 copper

Lets not for get the 55 , the only ones NOT having clips for the temperature wire and the only SB covers that were chromed.

MikeM

It would probably be safe for you to assume that because there would be no repercussions for you if you were wrong. Which you are. Wrong.

ps374

Mike Im not afraid of being wrong because I often am. I just trying to know if anyone knows the reasoning why the higher motors have Corvette on the valve covers and the lower have Chevrolet. It really gets confusing when you look at the Bel Air with the Fuelie engine. The value covers dont say Corvette on them but Chevrolet?

BarryK

the lower HP motors valve covers don't really say "Chevrolet" on them, they are bare stamped steel covers but simply have a sticker/decal with the info such as HP, Chevrolet, whatever.
The higher powered SHP motors had the aluminum finned covers that has "Corvette" on them.
Probably no real reasoning at all except for marketing. The Corvette was a relatively expensive car and especially if someone spent the extra bucks on an upgraded SHP motor this was a way to get a little extra motor "bling" with the nicer, fancier covers.

The Bel Air, even a fuelie Bel Air, was nothing but a basic passenger car at the time.
A sports car owner, especially one like a Corvette at the time probably had his hood open a lot showing off the motor at the local drive-in, or burger joint, or local dragstrip so why not fancy up the motor more to market the Corvette. How often do passenger car hoods get opened just to show off their motors?

MikeM

Maybe I misunderstood your question. I thought this was the issue:

" because they were exactly the same as those engines used in Chevrolet passenger cars,"

You can compare engine build codes on the front engine pad, pass car vs Corvette. If any of the codes are the same in the same model year, you can safely assume they are identical builds. If not, they're different in some way. Otherwise, it could be explained that Chevrolet wanted to show brand identity.

Ironcross

The first Corvette engines were available in the passenger cars and even some trucks until about 1958 or 59. That included the Dual Quad and FI engines. Cameo pickups were available with the Quads or FI engines and I believe they all used the Vette covers.............But exactly, I dont positively remember as they were so infrequent

sub006

And around 1959 Chevy changed from staggered to parallel valve cover bolt holes and matching threaded holes in small block cylinder heads.

56early

From 1956 thru 1961 the base valve covers had the Chevrolet script present , they weren't plain with the rectangular box , those were introduced with the 327's in 1962 up until 1966 The 67's were back to the chevrolet script on small block base motors. I'm sure the introduction of the finned valve covers in 56 were one of Chevy's way of competing with the Ford T- Bird.

56early

passenger car base motors were usually six cyinders, optional low hp v8's were two barrels . where as the vette from 1956 on was not available with a 6 cylinder, and the introduction of the two barrel to corvette wasn't until 1967 but as we all know they used 3 of them. The base vette motor and some other higher horse engines were available in the chevrolet passenger car line they were configured the same way the vette engine was just prefixed differently for the application they were put in. All corvette small blocks from the era in question were cast and bulit in Flint Michigan. So yes a 210 hp vette engine and a 210 hp belair engine were the same just stamped differently. Same pistons , same heads, same cam , etc......

1960Vette

For what it is worth, there were other subtle differences between the passenger car and Corvette engines at assembly. The front mount for the Corvette engine (thru '62) was installed under the water pump, which required an internal spacer the same thickness as the mount be installed on the crank snout to position the harmonic balancer for belt alignment. So, as soon as that spacer was installed it became a Corvette engine. So, when the engines got "buttoned up" there was a difference between the Vette & passenger car engines from an application standpoint. As they went down the line, the differences became greater because of valve covers, air cleaners, generators, exhaust manifolds, ignition shielding, etc. After '62, I have no idea if there are any differences other than cosmetic. To the best of my knowledge, no passenger car got the finned aluminum valve covers, even tho it might be built to the same specs as the Vette motor. '57 FI (283 HP) in a Vette would have finned covers and steel covers in a passenger car, although basically the same engine with a different air cleaners. The 2x4 carb (270 HP) motor in a Vette would have finned covers and steel covers in the passenger car.

56early

The subtle differences don't apply to performance values between the passenger and vette . Sure I never saw a passenger chevy with Ignition shielding, or for that matter a tach drive generator , but I have seen 870 blocks , 461 heads , and so on in passenger cars . The internal configuration is the same. The oil pan , balancer spacer on pre 63's and so on are unique to corvette. The early Chevy II's were unique blocks the rest basically the same. Question: Does a 1958 corvette block have provisions for side motor mounts? If so why, if it's unique to corvette? Didn't chevrolet mount the motor from the water pump and rear trans mount? Why have the side mount bosses on a uniquely corvette block? Of coarse there are uniquely corvette parts on a corvette motor but for the most part they are just a chevy engine.long block can be used in passenger and vette.

MikeM

I think the specifics of the original question have somehow been overlooked?

56early

The specifics of the original question may have been answered. Vettes are Chevy's!! Most of your original matching #'s engines people think they have are nothing more than a period correct passenger restamps.

JohnZ

They had to give the customer something extra when he spent the money for an optional performance engine, and the finned valve covers were it. Corvette-unique parts like the finned valve covers were expensive on a per-piece basis due to their low volume, so they didn't come on the base car.

The basic engines were very similar between the Corvette and passenger cars, but engine plant-installed parts unique to the Corvette application made all Corvette engines different, and they had their own suffix codes as a result.

AZDoug

Sounds like something that came from the marketing department.

An L79 is the same motor in a 1967 Corvette as in a 1967 Nova. The Nova gets stamped steel covers, the Corvette gets fancy finned covers.

Give the SHP Corvette motors more bling to A) make the buyer want a SHP motor as compared to a boring looking base motor, B) simply looking at it says it is a SHP motor, C) make the buyer think he got his moneys worth out of his extra $$ for an SHP motor, D) differentiate that same old L79 motor as a Corvette motor to make it better than the one in the pedestrian Nova.

Remember, people that bought Corvettes were vain.

Doug

56early

John, Weren't all suffix codes on the engines unique to the models they were being installed in? It wasn't, corvette had one code and all the rest of the lines had one other common one. My point is a 300 hp 327 for instance is configured internally the same way no matter what model it's being installed in. So when replacing a long block what ever the suffix reads doesn't mean it won't fit, work, or be of no use to the car receiving it.

JohnZ

Suffixes were occasionally shared across car lines (like Chevelle-Camaro-Nova from '68-up), but in most cases the suffix was unique to the carline application due to engine plant-installed parts like oil pans, exhaust manifolds, bellhousings, water pumps, and distributors being different between applications.

Except for Special High Performance applications, the block and innards were pretty much the same across car lines for a particular horsepower level.

56early

Thanks John , Jim