Easy Mike

Where is "somewhere"?

car junkie

This is a good January topic, idle hands = fevered thoughts.

Back in the late 70's and 80's I clearly remember speed shop bench racers constantly talking about BB Fords, one of the counter guys was a Ford fanatic. I however was a BB Chevy guy that quickly glazed over with all the hard to remember variations of BB Fords. B and RB Chrysler engines were commonly referred to as BB's as well. We all knew B,P,O cars used the same basic engine blocks in their cars so the mental image was obviously different. No one discussed Cadillac engines, no one cared. I think AMC was sharing block size but I'm too lazy to look into it right now.

I think It's the valve covers that puts the BB chevy into a different realm of big blocks for some, it did me.

Eljay

I've been a Mopar guy since my first car in '76 (I'm 58) a 70 Charger with a 318, small block LA engine, I wanted a big block so my second car was a 70 'Cuda with a 383 BIG BLOCK. Was called a big block in 76 and still called big block today.

tokim

Must be where you came from, at 63 they were always referred to as small block and big block Ford's Chev's, Mopar, etc.
The distinction with Chevrolet is they did have their own nick names, for big or small block.
And all manufacturers created a good base for performance enhancements..all it took was money, to make them.

7T1vette

SB Chevy = mouse engine
BB Chevy = rat engine
SB Ford ('50s) = Y-block
SB Ford (later) = ?? (Falcon, Fairlaine, Mustang, etc)
BB Ford = FE engine
SB Chrysler = ??
BB Chrysler = Wedge/Hemi

Only the Ford Y-block and FE designations were generated by the manufacturer (I'm sure that all the blocks had internal designations used by manufacturer employees). All other designations were colloquial (common usage); and different terms may have been used in different areas of the country.

Anyone stating that the colloquial terms were specific designations is misinformed.

Priya

Some people referred to the Ford Boss 429 with the nickname "The shotgun" ("385" series -429 & 460, entirely different block than the "FE" series) and the Chrysler 426 Hemi was often referred to with the nickname "The elephant".

ezobens

Oldsmobile also had Big and Small blocks:
260, 330, 350, 403 = Small Block
400, 425, 455 = Big Block

Designs were very similar and some parts are interchangeable but the blocks themselves are not interchangeable. Bores, deck height, intakes and crankshafts are all different.

C3 Stroker

Uh.....you're joking, right?
In a previous life (B.C., before Corvette), I was MOPAR. Two 1968 Roadrunners, 1968 Dart GTS, 1968 Charger, 1968 Barracuda, 1962 Plymouth Savoy.

There are, and there always were Chrysler big and small blocks. They have always been referred to as such. SB Mopars are similar to SB Chevy. Big block Mopars are big blocks (physically bigger, like Rat motors), no interchangeable engine parts, not even distributors.

rloblaw

Since I was a kid, BB/SB has applied to Chev, Ford and Mopar no question. RAT and Mouse, now that is Chev only. The vanity plates for my fathom green L36 project: "RAT A2E"

derekderek

I had a 68 cougar GT eliminator. the orig big block 427 was gone. I went and bought a 67 fairlane GT 390 cuz it had a reasonably correct big block. only diff between the 390 and 427 was the bore. same short stroke Med rise heads. they were both big blocks. if I had put a small block in it, 302 or 351w, it would have been too light in the nose, and devalued it.

69L46vert

Yes, I remember the Chrysler motors being called the "Elephant". Dominant at the drags.
And when chevy came out with the small block it was referred to as the "mouse" because the only thing huge elephants are afraid of is a tiny mouse. The legend of how the mouse was named.

CA-Legal-Vette

Speaking of the small block, its remarkable how similar the Ford engine is to the SBC. Put the distributor hole in the back(where it belongs ) along with the oil gallery plugs and you might mistake the Ford for an SBC with a passing glance.

Jason Staley

I've had both small and big block Oldsmobile engines.

GregX1

In France, where I live, 90% of all cars are 4 cyl.generally 1.600cc to 2.000cc

So they made things simpler: All american V8 are called 'big blocks'

The13Bats

Interesting thread,

But why does it so deeply upset you what guys call engines

I never thought of "rat"or "mouse" being anything except chevy,

I recall guys saying their mopar had an elephant and my first thought was is that lable because its heavy?

Now i know guys bore small block chevies pretty darn big and other makes used the same block across the board,

I did "assume" the 427 ford was bigger block than a ford 289 making one a big and one a small block but i honestly never cared all that much,

I get to say my 69 has a rat and thats good enough for me...

jhopper408

It doesn't upset me. It's just a thing that people used to correct me on. The reason I bought it up, is because I was on a Pontiac forum and the people on their were all saying the same as me. So I posted it here. And when I was young, I bored engine blocks for 2 year's and the boss always corrected me if I called it the wrong way. To him. But most people where I live which is Michigan. Never called BB or SB. Only if it was Chevy. Even when I lived in Tennessee. But it's pretty funny now.
Thanks
John.

The13Bats

I was the same way with a different thing,

For me a "motor" runs on electricity , "engines" run on fuel
But being on forums a few decades hammed it home people interchange the two...

jhopper408

Hahahahaha. Good one. What about a big block 6 . VS a small block 6 . LoL

shenango

I learned the same way, Bats. I spent a lot of years in electrical maintenance and I always repaired or installed a motor but after work in my brother in law's garage I worked on the race car engine.
Jerry

rcread

What about General Motors? American Motors? Ford Motor Company?