Best Big 3 Big Block (try sayin' that 10 times fast....)

[slimer90210]

ok, so what do you think is the best GM/FoMoCo/Mopar big block engine??

 

[Gil]

Actually. Each of the "Big Three" have an awesome Big-Block.
For Chevy, it's the 427 Tri-power, though the 396 gets honorable mention.
For Mopar, the 426 Hemi with 2-4bbls is the hot ticket. Though honorable mention goes to the 383, as it makes a good bit of power, and is damn near indestructable.
For Ford, it's a bit more complicated. The 427 Side-Oiler is the Hot one. But it's so rare that it almost doesn't count. The 428 and 429 CJ's and SCJ's were more prevalent and were awesome motors. The 390 gets a bad rap as the "boat anchor" of the bunch. But make no mistake, the 390 was hot from the factory, and yank off the Autolite Carb, and replace it with a Holley, and you seriously upped the ante.
Of the others mentioned The 455-SD was a motor to be reckoned with. But it was only a really hot number for 1970-1972. In 1973, GM took the chutzpah out of the motor due to the Fuel Crisis. It went from being a 400HP motor to being rated at just over 200. The torque was still there but It just wasn't the same.
I won't comment on the Caddie, as it never really had a lot of aftermarket "go-fast" support, you just kind of had to get a car that had a "good-'un" in it.
As for the 502 and 572 Chevy, they don't count for me, as those are not motors with OEM numbers that can be ordered from the factory.

 

[Cano]

I think that Cadillac never made a 512, it was a 472, THEN a 500 ci, and that was the limit. those motors are torque pigs, literally, and can be made to run pretty str0ng by changing the 500ci cylinder heads for ones off a 472, wich are saller in cc displacement, and wich, alone, raises static compression ratio to a screaming 12.5:1!!!!!!! yeah, it never had any aftermarket support, but now there are several companies that are releasing some hot stuff for that thing. it hauls, believe me.
as for everything else, Gil has summmed it up already. there is nothing much left to say, really, just that I think that in the ford department, the 429 chotgun beat the 428, maybe by a small feat, but only because of its efficience in high performance output, not counting its maintnance problems =/
I agree on everything else that gil says. the 427 was THE big block from chevy (and not eve that one came close to ford and mopar in that time), the 426 HEMI is the hot one from chrysler, and the pontiac and olds and buick are really the only choice. good thread, tough. goitta love big blocks. in the last option, you shouldnt have said j/k (:

Cano

 

[slimer90210]

I know caddy made a 512, my uncle's el dorado has one, but thankyou for reminding pe of their other displacments

 

[slimer90210]

Originally posted by slimer90210
I know caddy made a 512, my uncle's caddy has one, but thankyou for reminding me of their other displacments