I was talking to this guy at a body shop the other day and he was asking me what I was planning to put in my 1969 El Camino after I finished the body work. I was thinking about a 572. But this guy thinks that it is in my best interest to get a small block and build it. He said I'll lose horsepower and torque but I'll get more rpm's but if I'm doing the 1/4 I need more horsepower and torque rather than rpm's right?? I just want to hear what you all think of what i should do go with the big block or the small block?

GOT 14 GRAND BUY THE 572. GOT 2 GRAND BUY THE 350.. ITS your choice.

I have a 66 el camino with a sbc.It has hurt alot of big block feelings in its short life.If your building a cruiser stick with a big block.If your building a race gas deal build a nasty big inch small block.I am more impressed with a 426 inch sbc going 9.60's than a 588 inch big block going the same?Maybe its me?I have a 434" sbc that has gone in the high 9's with Nitrous.

69,
It really depends on what you want to do with the car.

If it is going to be a street driven only, look nice / sound good type car, then build your 396. Nobody but yourself needs to know how big it really is, it could just as well be a 498.

If you are going to race it and go fast ... build or buy a big engine ... hp=ET. But ... plan on everything else that goes along with it in the drivetrain costing a lot more too.

In the Elco, the less weight up front, the better as far as traction goes, so the small block is not a bad idea either.

Both big and small blocks have their distinct advantages. Both can be built as mean and nasty and high maintenance as you want. More regular guys have gone faster with big blocks than with small blocks. The 572/620 package is more well thought out than most people realize. Since the horsepower correction factor that Chevrolet uses is more conservative than the hot rod aftermarket, a 572/620 will show more than its GM rated horsepower on virtually all speed shop dynos. The 572/620 is a great no fuss low maintenance modest rpm engine.

All that said, the next engine I build is likely to be a twin turbo LS1/2 just like T.C'r Scotty. There is probably no simpler and reliable or inexpensive way to build a street engine with on demand 1,000 horsepower. http://www.chevelles.com/forums/showthread.php?t=145921

Thomas

It's simple....if you want to smoke the hides, go big block.

If you just want a little tire chirp go small block.

:)

69,


In the Elco, the less weight up front, the better as far as traction goes, so the small block is not a bad idea either.

The Elco actually has better weight distribution than a Chevelle!

If you want to go fast at the track (normally aspirated) and have a motor that can cruise the streets with no problems, I would suggest a big inch big block.
I run a low compression (9.5 to 1) 540" Merlin with a mild cam and feel it offers the best of both worlds. I run mid 10's at the track shifting at 5800 rpm and go through the traps at 6000 rpm (I don't have to buz it to 7000rpm to go fast, so the engine should go longer between freshening up). This is on a 28" tire and 3.73 gears. I cruise it on the street with no problems in any weather ( my old high compression 396 gave me more problems on the street). It handles 93 octane fine, but I like to use race fuel at the track for consistancy and detonation protection.
That being said, there is a downside which was mentioned in an earlier post. Weight. The added weight to the front end will affect handling and traction. More money will have to be spent on suspension components to acheive the performance you want. The small blocks weight helps out alot in this area.
Another option would be a mild small block with a power adder. You would have small weight with big block power.
In the end it's always more expensive to have a dual purpose vehicle no matter which way you go.