I think you're mistaken on that. All Chevy big blocks and small blocks I've seen have the distributor in the back. The way to tell the difference (if you can't tell by eye-balling the dimensions) is the big blocks have 7 bolts holding the valve covers whereas small blocks only have 4.

As for the topic at hand, I believe it was a term Chevy started waaaaay back in the 60s when GM actually made more than one motor.

This is an occasional topic on the Viper forums. I avoid confrontation by simply referring to it as a "big cube motor". Nobody with any brains would dispute 488cid as being big cubes.

 

You know what a picture says 1000 words...


GG I win =D

 

I have no idea what the "official rules" are regarding this, in my experience, I have never seen anything larger than 360 cubes (Stock bore and stroke)refered to as a small block except the chevy 400. I'm with Scott on this one.
If I say I'm builing a big block 302, people will think I'm retarded the same way they would if I said I was building a small block 427.

 

there are no rules when it comes to CI!!!

its the width/hight of the block itself.

just like the small block 427 (LS7) the block is the same as an LS1 but its bore/stroke is increased. now you can have a big block 427, its going to have the same bore/stroke but the block itself will be much larger.

 

^ Makes sense

 

width and weight have nothing to do with it either, as far as im concerned its just an easy way to lump motors into family. Fords modular motors are fucking huge, bigger than any old school big block, but they arent considered big blocks.

 

True, due to the sohc and dohc config...

 

So if you had two classes to go race in and one was called small block and the other big block where or how would you draw a cubic inch line or something else to be fair ?

 

again, I'm with you... less than 400 CID= Small block

 

Anything with vtec is a small block.