OK,sojourners what in your humble opinion was the best gas V-8 ever? Even though I’m not a Chevy man,my vote goes to the SB Chevy-Kevin
Of the old pushrod 2-valve motors, the Chrysler 273-318-340 gets the nod. From a strictly performance standpoint, the 327 Chevy had the right stuff…
Today, Fords “modular” OHC V8 engines have no equal. They deliver a long, trouble-free life, get surprising mileage and can be built to very high performance levels if desired…
I’d vote for the Ford OHC V8s as well. We seldom get a post with problems on this engine. They seem to soldier on in police cars and taxis for hundreds of thouisands of miles.
350 Chevy.
While it may not be the “best”, it’s sure got the popular vote with aftermarket performance parts and whatnot.
I will agree with Caddyman with the Chrysler 273 and the Chevy 327 yet I will add the Chevy 283 and the Chrysler 383. The old Ford 289 was not a bad engine either.
Then again, they were not huge performers but they ran just about forever; the VW air cooled engines.
Are the modulars really that good? I didnt know that.I may be off base here-I actually like the FE series better then I like the 385 series.Kevin( seriously the small block chevy has had the right stuff from day one-I have owned Y-block Fords and they really didnt impress me)
I think there were alot of great v8 engines out there but my 302 cougar v8 was my favorite, even after I put it into a ranchero.
I may appear to be waffling on this, but I can’t pin one particular engine down.
Being a Mopar nut, the 318/383/440 series engines were fantastic but on the Ford side of things how does one beat the small block Fords (289, 302, 351) because they’re been around in one form or the other forever.
I’ve got the Ford 4.6 DOHC in my Lincoln and at just a shade under a quarter million miles the engine has never been into and still uses no noticeable amount of oil at all between changes.
Same goes for the small block Chevys. Fantastic motors and the 350 has to be the most used and abused engine on earth. The engines are usually cheap to obtain and performance parts for Chevys are generally much cheaper than Ford or Mopar stuff.
I don’t think there’s a car running at the local race track here that doesn’t have a 350 Chevy in it.
I read somewhere where a Ford mechanic claimed that the 4.6L had the lowest in-warranty problem record of any engine in production. That is not the whole story, but it is a start.
Car and Driver recently picked the Mustang over the new Camaro and Challenger, another plus for the Ford modular V8 over the Chevy small block. If we’re talking ‘most important V8 ever’, it’s the Chevy, no doubt.
I agree with you that there were a lot of great V-8 engines. The Buick “nail head” V-8 was certainly durable. I had a 1954 Buick Special with the 264 cubic inch version of this engine. The car had a standard transmission and would really move for this time. The Century model in 1954 had a 322 cubic inch V-8 and was called the “banker’s hot rod”.
Pontiac’s V-8 by 1957 was developed to the point where it would really move. The 1957 Pontiac was a real “sleeper”. Later versions of this engine in the early 1960’s won a lot of stock car races.
Also, the Studebaker V-8 that went from 221 cubic inches in 1951 to 289 cubic inches in the early 1960’s when equipped with a supercharger was a very good engine. Some writers claimed that this engine was as fast in the Studebaker Hawk as was the big Packard V-8 in the original version.
Finally, let’s don’t forget the V-8 that American Motors installed in the special edition 1957 Rambler which it called the Rebel. There were only 1500 of these 1957 Rambler Rebels manufactured and about the only car that could beat it was a Corvette.
I’m partial to the early-60’s Buick aluminum V8’s.
IMHO, They have an excellent combination of power, fuel economy, and durability. I have the 4.6L in my Mustang and it’s proven quite durable. My brother has the 4.6L in his 2001 F-150 and he’s pleased with it, it tows his boat (small, 20 feet or so) without any problems. My mom and stepdad have 1997 F-150 with the 4.6L that I’ve driven on numerous occasion, it’s a little lacking in the high end power, but it’s more than accpetable for general hauling and light towing. My grandfather has had 3 or 4 Crown Vics with the 4.6L and has not had any trouble. In stock form it beats the pants off the later 302s.
I’ve always called it The Little Engine That Could.
GM’s LS7. It consistently eats everything for breakfast on the ALMS circuit. They’re so good, it’s hard to find competition for them. GT2 is crowded because no one wants to take the C6R on.
I don’t have favorites concerning anything auto related since comparing is all about apples and oranges (you can’t compare a Doris with a Pinto). But, imoo I have to give the nod to the Chevy 350. It went in old C-50 dump trucks, little old ladies Sunday going to church car and it also goes into practically any street rod.
I’m very partial to GM’s small block engines of the 60’s. 327 is my all time favorite.
I think all of the “big three’s” small-block V8s were pretty good. Never had a problem with the Chevy 350, Chrysler 360, or Ford 302s I owned. I personally give a nod to the Chrysler motors because I never had one even develop a lifter tick. The big-block GM motors that were put in Olds and Cadillacs in the 70s were pretty well indestructible as well, and torque monsters. The 500cid motors were amazingly durable and still are desirable to this day—with upgraded valve trains they can’t be beat. Most of the old V8s are ancient, proven, simple, durable technology that have had the bugs worked out and are nearly as reliable as an anvil.