Tuesday, June 5, 2012
History of Chevrolet
On November 3, 1911, race car driver and automotive engineer Louis Chevrolet co-founded the Chevrolet Motor Car Company in Alaska with William C. Durant(ousted founder of General Motors for 5 years) and investment partners William Little (maker of the Little automobile) and Dr. Edwin R. Campbell (son-in-law of Durant) and in 1912 R. S. McLaughlin GEO of General Motors in Canada.
Durant was ousted from the management of General Motors in 1910 for 5 years. He took over the Flint Wagon Works, incorporating the Mason and Little companies. As head of Buick Motor Company prior to founding GM, Durant had hired Louis Chevrolet to drive Buicks in promotional races.[2] Durant planned to use Chevrolet's reputation as a racer as the foundation for his new automobile company.
Actual design work for the first Chevy, the costly Series C Classic Six, was drawn up by Etienne Planche, following instructions from Louis. The first C prototype was ready months before Chevrolet was actually incorporated.
Chevrolet first used the "bowtie emblem"[3] logo in 1913. It may have been designed from wallpaper Durant once saw in a French hotel. More recent research by historian Ken Kaufmann presents a case that the logo is based on a logo for "Coalettes".[4] Others claim that the design was a stylized Swiss cross, in honor of the homeland of Chevrolet's parents.[5]
sources: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chevrolet
sources: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chevrolet
Monday, June 4, 2012
SBC motors
| Chevrolet Small-Block V8 engine | |
|---|---|
| Manufacturer: | General Motors |
| Production: | 1955–2003 |
| Successors: | GM LT engine, GM LS engine |
| Type: | small-block V8 |
| 265 | |
| Production: | 1955–1957 |
| Displacement: | 265 cu in (4.3 L) |
| Power: | 162 hp (121 kW)-240 hp (179 kW) |
| Bore and Stroke: | 3.750 × 3.00 in (95.2 × 76.2 mm) |
| 283 | |
| Production: | 1957–1967 |
| Displacement: | 283 cu in (4.6 L) |
| Power: | 195 hp (145 kW)-315 hp (235 kW) |
| Bore and Stroke: | 3.875 × 3.00 in (98.4 × 76.2 mm) |
| 327 | |
| Production: | 1962–1969 |
| Displacement: | 327 cu in (5.4 L) |
| Power: | 235 hp (175 kW)-375 hp (280 kW) |
| Bore and Stroke: | 4.000 × 3.25 in (101.6 × 82.5 mm) |
| 350 | |
| Production: | 1967–2003 |
| Displacement: | 350 cu in (5.7 L) |
| Power: | 145 hp (108 kW)-370 hp (276 kW) |
| Bore and Stroke: | 4.000 × 3.48 in (101.6 × 88.4 mm) |
| 302 | |
| Production: | 1967–1969 |
| Displacement: | 302 cu in (4.9 L) |
| Power: | 290 hp (216 kW) |
| Bore and Stroke: | 4.000 × 3.00 in (101.6 × 76.2 mm) |
| 307 | |
| Production: | 1968–1973 |
| Displacement: | 307 cu in (5.0 L) |
| Power: | 115 hp (86 kW)-200 hp (149 kW) |
| Bore and Stroke: | 3.875 × 3.25 in (98.4 × 82.5 mm) |
| 400 | |
| Production: | 1970–1981 |
| Displacement: | 400 cu in (6.6 L) |
| Power: | 150 hp (112 kW)-265 hp (198 kW) |
| Bore and Stroke: | 4.125 × 3.75 in (104.8 × 95.2 mm) |
| 262 | |
| Production: | 1975–1976 |
| Displacement: | 262 cu in (4.3 L) |
| Power: | 110 hp (82 kW) |
| Bore and Stroke: | 3.670 × 3.10 in (93.2 × 78.7 mm) |
| 305 | |
| Production: | 1976–2000 |
| Displacement: | 305 cu in (5.0 L) |
| Power: | 130 hp (97 kW)-250 hp (186 kW) |
| Bore and Stroke: | 3.736 × 3.48 in (94.9 × 88.4 mm) |
BBC W series Chevy motors
The first ever production big block V8 Chevrolet engine was the "W" series, released in 1958 for passenger car and truck use. This engine was an Overhead valve design, with offset valves and unique scalloped rocker covers, giving it a distinctive appearance. The "W" series was produced from 1958 to 1965, with three displacements offered: 348 cubic inches (5.7 L), available from 1958 to 1961 in cars and through 1964 in trucks; 409 cubic inches (6.7 L), available from 1961 to 1965; and 427 cubic inches (7.0 L), available only in 1963.
As was the norm at the time, the "W" engine was of cast iron construction. The block had 4.84-inch (123 mm) bore centers, two-bolt main bearing caps, a "side oiling" lubrication system (main oil gallery located low on the driver's side of the crankcase) with full flow oil filter, and interchangeable cylinder heads. Heads used on the high performance 409 and 427 engines had larger ports and valves than those used on the 348 and the base 409 passenger car and truck engines, but externally were identical to the standard units. One minor difference between the 348 and 409/427 was the location of the engine oil dipstick: it was on the driver's side on the former and passenger's side on the latter. No satisfactory explanation was ever offered for why this change was made. However, it did provide a fairly reliable way to differentiate between the smaller and larger versions of the engine.
As with the 265 and 283 cubic inch small block engines, the "W" engine valve gear consisted of tubular steel push rods operating stud-mounted, stamped steel rocker arms. The push rods also acted as a conduit for oil flow to the valve gear. Due to the relatively low mass of the valve train, mechanical lifter versions of the "W" engine were capable of operating at speeds well beyond 6000 RPM.
Unlike many of its contemporaries, the "W" combustion chamber was in the upper part of the cylinder, not the head, the latter having only tiny recesses for the valves. This arrangement was achieved by combining the use of a cylinder head deck that was not perpendicular to the bore with a crowned piston, a novel concept in American production engines of the day. As the piston approached top dead center, the angle of the crown combined with that of the head deck to form a wedge shaped combustion chamber with a pronounced quench area. The spark plug protruded vertically into this chamber, which tended to cause a rapidly moving flame front during combustion.
The theory behind this sort of arrangement is that maximum brake mean effective pressure is developed at relatively low engine speeds, resulting in an engine with a broad torque curve. With its relatively flat torque characteristics, the "W" engine was well-suited to propelling both trucks and the heavier cars that were in vogue in the USA at the time of the engine's development.
The "W" had a dry weight of approximately 665 pounds (302 kg), depending on intake manifold and carburetion, and was a physically massive engine compared to its small block predecessor.
1970 Chevelle facts
1970 saw the introduction of the most powerful Chevelle SS of all time. Responding to the lifting of GM's ban on engines larger than 400 cid in midsize cars, Chevrolet responded by dropping in a new 454 cubic engine into its Chevelle SS. The entry level 454 was known as the LS5 and packed 360bhp. The top engine choice was the LS6 version with 450bhp. The LS6 had a 800-cfm Holley four barrel on an aluminum manifold, 11.25:1 compression, solid lifters, four-bolt mains, forged steel crank and connecting rods, forged aluminum pistons, and deep-groove accessory pullies. No production engine ever had a higher factory horsepower rating. The standard Chevelle SS 396 continued with its 402 cid engines, although the 325bhp was dropped and the 350bhp version was now standard. Optional on both the 396 and 454 was a new cowl-induction hood, which had a rear facing flapper near the base of the windshield to feed air into the engine. The styling was new with a "vee" front end, functional hood pins, and five-spoke Rallye wheels. This was truly the pinnacle of the Chevelle SS performance.
Production: 53,599
Engines: L34 402 V8 350bhp@5200rpm, 415lb-ft@3400. 402 V8 375bhp@5600rpm, 415lb-ft@3600rpm. LS5 454 V8 360bhp@5400rpm, 500lb-ft@3200rpm. LS6 454 V8 450bhp@5600rpm, 500lb-ft@3600rpm.
Performance: LS6 454/450: 0-60 in 6.1 sec, 1/4 mile in 13.7 sec @ 103mph.
Sources: http://www.musclecarclub.com/musclecars/chevrolet-chevelle/chevrolet-chevelle-history.shtml
History of the 1972 Monte Carlo
A Cadillac-like egg-crate grille similar to the 1971 Chevrolet Caprice and a metal rear trim molding highlighted the changes to the 1972 Monte Carlo, the final year for the first generation design. The SS was dropped, but a new Monte Carlo Custom option appeared as a one-year only offering that included a special suspension and other items previously included with the SS option. Unlike the departed SS package, it was available with any engine on the roster. The Monte Carlo Custom badging was similar to the Impala Custom.
The engines were largely unchanged, but an industry-wide switch to SAE net hp numbers led to a reduction in the rated power of all Chevrolet engines. Chevrolet did not list gross horsepower figures for 1972. Compared to 1971 figures, only the 402 and 454 had a decrease in power. The new ratings for the Monte Carlo were:
- 350 CID (5.7L), two-barrel: 165 hp
- 350 CID (5.7L), four-barrel: 175 hp
- 402 CID (6.6L), four-barrel: 240 hp
- 454 CID (7.4L), four-barrel: 270 hp
In California, which had emissions standards more stringent than federal law, the 4-barrel carbureted 350 was the standard and only available engine. Also, the only transmission offered in California was the Turbo Hydramatic.
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For 1972, the four-speed manual transmission was discontinued from the option list as a line in the Monte Carlo brochure describing its market position as a personal luxury car stated "Sorry, no four-on-the-floor." The standard three-speed manual and optional two-speed Powerglide automatic transmissions were offered only with the base 350 CID two-barrel engine, with the three-speed Turbo Hydramatic also available with this engine and a mandatory option with each of the optional engines.
Mechanically, the most significant change was that variable-ratio power steering became standard equipment for the first time.
Interior trim was relatively unchanged from 1971 other than the availability of all-vinyl upholstery with the standard bench seat in addition to the optional Strato bucket seats. Cloth interiors were also offered with both bench and bucket seats.
Monte Carlo was a very popular seller during the 1972 model year as production increased significantly to 180,819 to set a new record in the final year for the first-generation G-body. Monte Carlo and other Chevrolet models were promoted as part of a new ad campaign in which Chevys in print and broadcast ads were featured at various tourist attractions and sites around the United States under the tagline "Chevrolet: Building a Better Way To See The USA."
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