Other overlooked big-blocks that can really rock.....

In the race for "Gotta have the biggest and baddest" sometimes people overlook diamonds in the rough. I talked in the last post about some great engines that make great power but are often overlooked because the buff magazines are always featuring these 500+ inch, 600+ hp monsters. Those are definitely cool if you can afford one, but a lot of us can't write a check for 15 grand for an engine!  Besides the usual supects-454 Chevy, 455 BOP's, 440 Mopars,460 Fords, and the 400 ( give or take a bit; 383,389,390, and 396 are close enough to 400 ) inchers I mentioned in the last post, there's a few more that enterprsing hot rodders overlook in their quest for power. # 1. 421 / 428 Pontiac. I love 421s and 428s. They have the best of both worlds-they rev up like a 389 / 400 and have the massive torque of a 455. The downside is the 421 was only produced from 1962-66, and the 428 from '67-69. If you have one already in the car or can buy one for a reasonable price their the only way to fly. I like them better than 455s, for the reasons I just cited. And you can always put a custom 428 crank into a 400 block and ( with a .030 overbore ) have 433 inches of stompin' Poncho power.  # 2. 413 / 426 Chrysler. A lot of people don't know it, but Chrysler made a 426 inch V8 that WASN'T a Hemi in the early '60s. And until the 440 was introduced in 1967 a lot of the "Big" cars-i.e.-Dodge Polaras and Monacos, Chrysler Imperials, Plymouth Furys, big station wagons, etc-had 413s under the hood. They are an "RB" engine-so anything that fits a 440-heads, intakes, cams etc will fit these. The downside is they've been out of production since 1966 so their kinda rare, but dynamite if you can find one.  # 3. 425 Oldsmobile. Anything that fits a 400 or 455 will fit these, so they can really rock with the right parts. The only downside is they were only produced from 1965-67. ( The 455 debuted in '68 ). However-they were used in all the "big" cars-88s,98s, wagons, and Toronados so theres more out there than you might think. # 4. 430 Buick. Same deal here-they were only used from 1966-69, but they were used in almost every model. Stock or modified, anything 430 cubes is going to have some serious torque. All the go-fast goodies-heads, intakes etc that fit a 400 / 455 fit these, so you can build a beast if you want to.  #5 400C / M Ford. These were used in various Ford cars and trucks from 1971-82 so there's a lot of them out there. They had a reputation as "dogs" because they were saddled with 8:1 compression, a lazy cam, single exhaust, 2bbl carburation, and were put in big, heavy cars and trucks with salt-flats gearing like 2.80:1. However-their "Cleveland" style heads have ports and valves the size of a 427 Chevy; give him some reasonable compression, a good cam, some headers and a 4bbl carb and intake and you'll have a beast. Every year in the "Engine Masters Challenge" theirs someone with a 400 Ford that's pumping out 550+ hp on 91 octane pump gas. Set up right, one of these "Rodney Dangerfields " can make as much power as a 429 or 460 with a lot less expense.  I'm sure some people are going to howl that I didn't mention the 427 Chevy. I didn't for three reasons. One-"Original" 427s were only produced from '66-69 and 'Vette restorers hog them and will pay blood and a first-born child for one. The chance of you finding one at a reasonable price is almost nil. You'd have a better chance of getting struck by lightning on the golf course. If you "Gotta Have" a 427 Chevy-GMPP sells them as crate engines to this day-with 480 hp and 500+ lbs of torque. Or you could find a 454 block and put a 427 crank in it. So the mighty 427 isn't really overlooked, it's basically alive and well. That's why it wasn't on the list. Hope this helps people out.  Mastermind