If you read any of my pieces on Engines, you’ll know that I enjoy learning all I can about the various makers’ details on their features. I thought that I might start a series that took a year by year approach to what the US automaker build and used in the cars they produced.
So here is the engine line up for the 1971 Chevys.
Of course Chevy had the V8’s in 1971, not yet strangled by smog control, as well as 6 cylinders and 4 cylinders.
All of the 6’s were inline (often referred to as straight 6 – for the pistons all being in a straight line configuration) these were 250 cubic inch displacements – (very similar to the Ford 250, with the exception of the Blue upping the compression to 9.1:1 vs Chevy’s 8.5:1). These were cast iron with hp running about 145 with hydraulic lifter, and normally topped with a Rochester one barrel carb. Any car that had a 6 in it had this engine and it was an option with most any Chevy model.
1971 Chev Inline Six (this one is in a Chevy Nova)
Next up is the 4 cylinder used exclusively in the Vega (remember those?). They were inline 4’s with Over head Cams, aluminum block (not iron) and managed to displace 140 cubic inches. The compression ratio was less than they 6 at 8.0:1 with hydraulic lifters and a one barrel carb.
Vega Four Cylinder
There were 3 basic V8 that year the 350, 400 and the 307.
The 350 cid was cast iron with overhead valves and compression ratio of 8.5:1 with an hp of 245 hp when it was topped with a 2 barrel Rochester carb. These were widely used in the Biscayne, Bel Air, Impala, and Monte Carlo.
The 400 was cast iron as well with matching stats. However due to the larger bore (4.125 vs the 4.00 for the 350) and longer stroke (3.75 inches compare to the 350’s 3.48) it was able to push the hp’s up to 255 (umm..seems like a lot of work for 5 hps) when it was topped with the same 2 barrel carb.
The 307 rounds this out with its cast iron block and over head valves, it to had the compression ratio of 8.5:1 but with a smaller bore and shorter stroke (3.875 and 3.5 inch)it bu down roughly 200 hp. The 307 was used in Chevelle, Malibu, Nova and the Camaro.
Thanks for reading.
Tim
No 454 V8 in 1971? I guess that motor came later. Detroit was using cubic inches to gain back HP lost in smog choking.
As I mentioned before, my Dad’s daily driver was always Buick LeSabres and the family haulers were always stripper Biscayne wagons. I mean stripper Biscaynes: 250 straight 6, manual 3 speed on the column. On our 1968 Biscayne the options were ‘defroster’, and pushbutton AM radio. Anyhow, those 250 straight 6 motors in our Biscaynes needed nothing but a set of plugs/wires/points/condenser a few times to make it to 120K miles.
My Dad actually had a 1970 Buick LeSabre with a ‘special order’ L48 350 (which was the Corvette’s motor at the time). Dual exhaust and Rochester 4 barrel with Turbo 400 auto trans! I wish I had that car today; it was a true sleeper 4 door Buick that could keep up with the Camaros and Mustangs of the day.
I actually was very upset with my dad when he sold it in 1978 for $1000 to a young girl as her first car. I think she totalled it out a few months later.
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