[55chevy]

Tim... Let me clear you up on this 350 Big Block thing. [img]/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/scholar.gif[/img] Chevy NEVER made a 350 BB. The thing that got that myth started was that Pontiac and Buick both had a 350 cubic inch engine that shared the same block/head "physical" size as their 400/455 engines did. Oldsmobile was a different story. Olds actually did have a different block configuration for the big/small. But the heads would bolt up to either as well as other parts. Now Chevrolet was the only one that the big block and small block was a completely different beast. Chevy's small block debuted in 1955 as a 265 cu in. screamer. The chevy small block seemed to grow almost every couple years in cubic inches. 283 in 1957..327 in 1960? about... 350 in 1967... and 400 in 1970 or 71... (oh, and that 67-69 peenee 302 thing) [img]/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif[/img] Chevy's first big block came out in 1958 as the 348 W head engine and fell to the Mark IV 396 (the one you know and love) in 1965 in 409 cubic inch trim. (although some 427 versions of this W head engine were produced in 1963) The 427 Mk IV big block (the one you're familier with as the 396/427/454) came along in 1966 (i'm not even going to hit on the 1963 "mystery motor" porcupine head 427.) And the 427 was produced through 1969 when it was replaced with the 454 for 1970. The 396 was upped to 402 cubic inches for 1970 as well but was still referred to in different applications as either 396 or 400 cubic inches. [img]/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/headbang.gif[/img] [img]/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/headbang.gif[/img] [img]/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/scholar.gif[/img]
so you see.. long story short.. Chevy never made a 350 bb. That was just a comparison to the Buick/Pontiac 350 to the Chevy 350.. Even the Olds 350 is larger in physical size than a Chevy 350 and it is also usually referred to as a "big block". It's all jargen handed down by years and years of shade tree mechanics who don't know what the "F" they are talking about. But I'm sure if you visited any rural junk yard around the US and asked the second monkey in charge you were looking for a 350 big block.. he'd point one out to you. [img]/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif[/img]