At what cubic inch does an engine go from a small block to a big block

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Cubes really don't have anything to do with the relationship of the outer dimensions of the engine block. For instance, Oldsmobile used the same block for cubic inches ranging from 260 to 455. A Chevy small block is physically smaller, and the valve arrangement is different than it's 396-454 big brother.  

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Normally 350 and below. The only exception to this that I know of is the GM 400. There was a small block version and a big block version of the 400.  

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There is no Cubic Inch dependance on whether an engine is a small or big block platform. For instance, The 2006 Corvette Z06 will be the first year that Chevy has made a 427 as a small block engine, and it puts out 7 liters and 500HP.  

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Depends on the manufacturer of the engine.  

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This may not be the correct answer for current engines, but if I remember correctly from my auto mech tech school books in the early 80's this is the difference. A small block engine has the "bottom" of the block even with the centerline of the crankshaft. A big block engine casting actually extends below the crank. Bottom refers to the lowest point of the cylinder block casting where the oil pan attaches.  

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Big block/small block originated from Chevrolet, they also used 'mouse,(small block)-and'rat''(big block)'55-up gm v-8's range from Chevy 265-455cubic inches, and Cadillac 500cubic inches the 'largest "small' block from 'general motors is the 'small block 400' (prone to casting cracks, esp. heads) as they went to the 396,427,454 Chevy, GM, 472, 500cid (GM, Cadillac), they re-designed the blocks internally, to handle the great amounts of torque and hp being produced. Other car manufacturers followed suit with the increasing physical sizes of the engine blocks, as they were in a 'horsepower war' at this point. With many motors, you can tell just by looking at them, others you cannot, such as Pontiac...the smallest Pontiac v-8,-301 cubic inch v-8, is the absolute same physical size as the 'largest' Pontiac 455 cubic inch. I do not recall 'crankshaft journal diameter' having any effect on whether a motor is a small, or big block. There are large journal 327's, for instance-that crank 'throw counterweights' protrude below c/line-And the Chevy 327 is a 'bonafide' 'small block 'mouse'. But great input-maybe there is some correlation between the 2, but who knows?...Maybe another Infinitive-Confidential Detroit secret? To see a 'real' 'small, small, small block go to conley engines.com. You will absolutely have to own one, if you are a 'gearhead', like me.
Actually, the Cadillac 368, 425, 472, and 500 cid engines were all big blocks with the same black being used. The difference was smaller 2 had same bore different stroke, while lager 2 had same stroke different bore. Most parts were interchangeable. Small/Big block reference was to the engines stroke. Short strokes were small blocks and long strokes were big blocks.
ANSWER ,, .in the mid 50's most car makers were producing engines that would later become known as big blocks . in 1955, Chevrolet came along with a 265 cid v8 engine that was called a small block because it had a closer bore spacing arrangement than did Ford or Chrylser ,this allowed the block to be smaller.the engine was cheaper and lighter than the so called big blocks so Ford and Chrysler began producing there own small blocks for there smaller cubic inch displacement engines as well.the small blocks grew in displacement in later years to around 400 cubic inch's,all three automakers made large displacement small block engines at some point..they continued to produce the big blocks for there 400+ CID engines because they were much stronger blocks and they could be cooled better.so to summerize it is not the cubic inch's of a engine that determines whether or not it is a big block but the bore spacing,some small blocks were 351 cubic inch's while some big blocks were only 312 cubic inch's.


Answer: As was already mentioned, it is usually the physical size of a block that determines the difference between a small and big block. Simply put, a big block is bigger physically than it's small block counterpart. Depending on whom you talk to though, there is an exception to this rule... Some people will call all blocks that have four bolt main bearing caps big blocks. Four bolt main bearing caps were usually reserved for the higher output engines. So, going by this, there can be a 350 small block, and a 350 big block, as this particular engine was manufactured with both two and four bolt main bearing cap designs. The outer dimension of the blocks are the same though.

Answer: A small block is anything under a 360 cubic inch (5.9L), with the exception of a 400, which was made small block and big block, although there are many custom motors made, the biggest small block ive ever heard of was a 468 small block, but of course it was custom










Cubic inches have nothing to do with Big Vs Small Blocks.
The designation is as much about heads as blocks.


Small block no matter the size use small block cylinder heads, you can get a 454 small block in a crate these days. Big blocks use the porcupine style valve arrangement, small blocks do not.


Id rather have a 396 big block than a 406 small block because the Big block has better breathing cylinder heads.


"Block wise" Historically a Small Block is a V block and a Big Block is a Y block with different diameter main bearing sizes and different style of main cap bolts that bolt from the sides as well as the bottom.
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