Saw the predecessor to that, a 221 in a pick n pull. Would have grabbed it if nothing more than novelty and history. Quite rare indeed. The small 3.5" bore really limits head and valve choice.
Well there was the 260 SBF with a 3.8" bore. When they tested 1/4 mile times between the SBF Cobra and a 7 liter, the SBF was actually quicker. Revealed later was the fact that the SBF engine Cobra was actually a 260 with Shelby majic applied. The problem with the 427 street cars of the day was the bias ply tires and the 427 torque, 480 lb/ft and possibly more. That is what they admitted to. Kind of like the admitted to 425 HP. In a similar vein the 426 Hemi was factory rated at 425 HP, but on one of the Saturday morning HP shows they interviewed one of the Chrysler engineers. He stated they could take any engine off the assembly line to dyno and get 500HP gross. Now some engines would have all parts tolerances stack up just right like a blueprinted engine. Those would produce 25+ HP more.
Agreed. Snappy street performance is one thing while race is another catagory.
Bore size definitely not ideal but big enough for more power than most would build with a 273 probably with majority of 340/360, to me rpm be the most limiting factor, since most seem to want peak power in the 5000-6500 rpm range so about 1:1-1.3:1 hp per cid. 270-370 ish HP
Because they are High Performance. If you have never had one, you won't understand. You can't make sense of it by theoretical numbers. People never sold them. Barracudas would sit and not be for sale because it had the Commando drive train and people just loved those cars for the way they drove, sounded, and handled. If you put all the good stuff in any small block, they will all run great. It does not matter whether it is a 273, 318, 340, or 360. I've had them all and built them all. Had my pick of all, and the ones in my basement are 273s, 340s, 383s, and one 440 with A-Body mounting bosses. Build what you have, it really does not matter.
When was it NASCAR had a compact class one year. Chevy showed up with the 4 carb Corvair and Ford brought a 140 cube Falcon. They got spanked by the 170 cube Valiants with the marine intended Hyper Pac. A slightly hotter cam and bigger Holley 4 barrel and they lapped Daytona at I think it was 128 MPH. Those 61 and 62 Valiants were not exactly aerodynamic. With the short deck height the 170 is lighter than the 225, and could rev. The General and Blue Oval squad did not stand a chance, especially giving up about 30 CID. The Corvair got a larger engine with the 65 redesign. Somewhere along there Ford increased the six from 140 cubes to 170. The Ford had a real problem as the intake was a log cast into the head.
I would not even bother with the low gear set. Everything else sounds perfect.
With a little converter you probably won't need it.
My Dad had a cousin that ordered a 65 Chevy 2. He ordered chrome trim delete, so just the bumpers and door handles had chrome. This was back when you could sit with the salesman and check boxes. The L79 was not on the option list, but he got it written in. After the factory rejected it 4 times, they finally built it. Came with wheels that looked like those on a 6 cylinder car, just wider, and the little hub caps. Only give away was the dual exhaust. A real sleeper.
