With a little creative tinkering, it's possible to build a REALLY small Chevy V8 that might be interesting to experiment with. I did something similar on the round track back when we were running in a class that required using a 350 CFM Holley 2 barrel carburetor as a hedge against some competitors spending bushels of money. No point in using high-dollar heads and a monster camshaft if the carb won't let the engine breathe! By combining a 305 block with a 3.1" stroke crankshaft, I got a 272 cubic inch engine that would turn about 1,000 RPM faster on that carb than the 355 engines my competitors were running. The tech inspectors couldn't figure out what I was doing, because all the casting numbers they could see on my engine showed I was running a 305, and none of my competitors wanted to pony up the money to do a complete engine teardown.
By taking that concept a step further, plus a little (OK, a LOT) of custom machining, the CID can be reduced further, to 252 cubic inches by destroking a 283 crankshaft to a 2 7/8" stroke, using Honda-sized NASCAR connecting rods, and adapting the 305 main bearing bores to the 283 crankshaft with reducers. With a small Carter 4-barrel, and a roller cam with a rev kit, suddenly we've got an engine that lives very comfortably at a redline of 8,000 RPM, and will give 20+ MPG when driven sensibly. I drove a Porsche 928 with a 255 cubic inch V8 for a while, and that one saw 160 MPH a couple of times, with RPM to spare. No reason the engine I'm building on paper couldn't do something similar with the right transmission and rear axle ratio! Now, anybody want to drive a stovebolt that fast? LOL!
Jerry
