Feb 26 , 2024
Big Block Engines: Performance and Reliability
Big Block Engines: The Ultimate Hot Rod Supremacy
A lot of people think of a big block engine as the ultimate in hot rod supremacy, but many performance engine shops know that not all of these behemoths are going into a light-bodied car chassis. There is certainly no replacement for displacement when it comes time to beat off the challengers to your throne of street and strip supremacy. The same goes for a lot of heavy hauling trucks and RVs out there.
Reliability Over Raw Performance
Here is a case where reliability trumps overall performance. Sure, you want your big block to run great and torque like two pretzels wrestling, but a lot of that is built directly into the concept of a large displacement engine in the first place.
What is most important here is to have something that fires up in any climate condition and has never met the acquaintance of the second half of the temp gauge. It needs to haul itself, all your crew, your car on a trailer, and every tool and camping convenience you can stuff onboard. It has to do that without the slightest strain up and down the tallest mountain passes, flat out on the longest freeway, and while sitting patiently in rush hour traffic in a hot summer in the city.
Balancing Performance and Torque
Many people thread the needle on this one and have both top-end performance and low-end torque. This is one of the most difficult builds imaginable since the two criteria are, to some degree, mutually exclusive. That is where all those big engines come into their own, however. You can paper over a lot of compromises with plenty of cubic inches. You won’t win at the track, and you won’t grab the blue ribbon in a tug-of-war, but you’ll have a vehicle that is an all-around performer if it is designed and built by someone who knows what they are doing.
Customized Solutions from Smeding Performance
Smeding Performance will work with you to craft the perfect replacement big block for your hauling rig or RV. Start with the same all-new block and internals they use on all their builds, then add a set of heads and a properly dyno-tested cam profile to fit your order specifications exactly. Match this up with their unstoppable 3-year unlimited mileage warranty, and your worries about hauling all your stuff to the track in the middle of the summer will be over.