How to Rebuild the Big-Block Chevrolet

The big-block Chevy is legendary. Making its debut in Chevy production cars in 1965, it quickly became one of the most respected and feared performance engines on the street.

Even 2-barrel station wagon and pickup-truck motors are sought after today for swaps and performance builds.

This, combined with an active crate-motor program by General Motors with displacements of up to 572 cubic inches, makes big-block Chevy engines the kings of the street.

There comes a time in every engine's life when the engine just doesn't perform as it should anymore. It even happens to legendary engines like the big-block Chevy.

Rebuilding the engine in any used car, much less a classic Chevy, seems like a much more attractive option when you can save a lot of money by doing it yourself.

How to Rebuild the Big-Block Chevy, available from The Motor Bookstore, covers the best techniques for rebuilding classic Chevy big blocks with more than 500 detailed b&w photos and step-by-step instruction.

Subjects covered include the history of the big-block Chevy, preparation and tool requirements, engine removal and teardown, first inspection, parts, machine work and clean-up, final engine assembly, and start-up.

Book Excerpt

SELECTING PARTS

GOT PERFORMANCE? The first step in the plan is figuring out what you are going to do with the car.

• Are you going to drive the car like your grandparents: slow, steady, and not always in the correct lane?
• Are you only interested in using your stump-pulling torque to tow around your sand toys?
• Do you want to add extra power to run down the quarter-mile?
• Are there any twisty open-track excursions in the future?

You need to build your engine to suit your needs. Be realistic about your intent. There are many parts available that work best in specific applications. For instance, you wouldn't put an Edelbrock Victor Jr. intake on a tow vehicle, and you wouldn't typically put 13:1-compresson pistons in your daily driver. It's not a bad idea to overbuild the engine a little bit, but you should stick to a realistic plan. To get the most out of your hard-earned money, read through the chapter to help you make some educated decisions on what parts to buy. The various build types to consider are: stock, towing, street and off-road, road course, and drag strip.

This Workbench Series book is essential not only for enthusiasts looking to rebuild their big-block Chevy, but as a guide for building high-performance engines as well.

Subject: Automotive: Chevrolet Engines: DIY: How-to rebuild a Chevy Big Block motor. ISBN-10: 1613250525 | ISBN-13: 9781613250525 | CarTech SA142P