1958 – The Year of the “Big Block.”

Here they are – the Big Block V-8s introduced by Chevrolet, Ford and Plymouth in 1958.
All would grow to over 400 cubic inches in displacement by 1962

For the Muscle Car to happen, all the potential brands had to have an engine capable of over 400 CID.

1958 – A Seminal Year for the Low-Priced Three

There’s really no speculation – 1958 was a seminal year in V-8 development in the US. Seminal = “very important and having a strong influence on later developments”.

Why do we say that? Because this was the year of the introduction into the low-priced three: Chevrolet, Ford and Plymouth, of what we generally call “Big Block V-8s”.  In 1958, Chrysler’s Corporate “B” and later in the year “RB”; Chevrolet’s “W-Series 348”; and Ford’s “332-352 CID FE”. All these engines had been designed with the capability to exceed 400 CID, if warranted. In 1957, the  medium and luxury priced cars already had engines capable of exceeding 350 CID or greater, but at the low-priced level this was not true. In fact, 320 CID had been the design parameters as the absolute limit.

We should remember that the medium and full size brands as defined in the day already had engines capable of nearing or reaching 400 CID. Ford, recognizing their lack, with the Lincoln engine stuck at 368 CID, released the “MEL” big block for  Mercury, Edsel and Lincoln in 1958 with 383, 410 and 430 CID – later it would move to 462 CID!

But with the introduction of the 1958 models, at the low-priced three, engines of similar size that would challenge or augment the higher level cars were finally offered.

Why there was a Desire for These larger engines

The reasons were twofold: Heavier cars were either projected or being introduced this year, and “Torque Talks”.  What we mean by that is that larger engines develop more torque at lower RPMs. And more torque means more pulling power especially at those lower RPMs. The result would be smoother acceleration with less engine work – that had been proven with the luxury brands.  The industry was designing larger, heavier cars across the board, and the public was less concerned about fuel economy.

For 1958, Chevrolet going to a much larger car, and Ford introduced the 4-seat Thunderbird , weighing over 700 lbs over the “Baby Bird” of 1955-57. Plymouths were slowly growing in size, and they were anticipating a 119” cars  to be introduced in 1961. All were expected to add 400 – 500 pounds in weight.

As you can see on the left in both the Chevrolet and the Ford Thunderbird, bigger engines were needed to move that weight. And if you wanted extra performance . . .

The Impact of These Larger Engines versus The Smaller Predecessors

Critical to these changes was the potential for huge increases in power without stressing the engines or increasing the general operating RPM range. Here are some examples:

• Chevrolet: 283 CID V-8 needed hot cams and multiple carbs or fuel injection to reach 270-290 HP.
  RESULT: The Chevrolet 348 CID V-8  developed 250 HP with the tamest of camshafts and carburetors.
• Ford’s 312 CID V-8 needed supercharging to reach 300 HP.
  RESULT: The Ford 352 CID V-8 with a hydraulic cam and single 4-barrel made the same 300 HP effortlessly.
• Plymouth’s 318 CID V-8 made 290 HP in dual 4-barrel hot cam in Fury-V800 trim.
  RESULT: The Corporate 350 CID “B” block V-8 made 305 HP in dual 4-barrel trim. (It was upgraded to 361 CID in 1959 making the same HP in single 4-barrel trim – available at 383 CID in 1959).

Once these new blocks were introduced, the older, smaller engines were reduced to yeoman work and the big boys became the performance engines.

In 1958, Plymouth and Chevrolet added performance packages that added significant horsepower – up to 330. Ford, who took the AMA racing ban seriously, did not tweak the 352 until 1960. In all cases, by 1963. the engines had reached 7 Liters and their horsepower all exceeded 400!

Initial Offering Specs vs. Best in 1963

Chevrolet

For all the Specs on the W-Series Chevrolet V-8, Click HERE.

Ford

NOTE: For all the Specs on the FE Series Ford V-8, Click HERE.

Plymouth

NOTE: For all the Specs on the “B” and “RB” Series V-8s, Click HERE.

Some Additional and Interesting Info

But the stage was set. Now, when the muscle car appeared, by 1965, all brands had a block capable of meeting the 400 CID limitation*, and one that could be expanded to as much as 455 CID. Without the desire for slow turning high torque engines for their larger cars, perhaps the muscle car as we know it, never appears.

* NOTE: The Chevrolet Mark IV 396-454 that powered SS 396 and SS454 muscle cars was an engineering outgrowth of the famous NASCAR “Mystery Engine” , a canted valve version of the famous Z11 427 CID drag race package. Learn More HERE.