LS Junkyard engines are all the rage the past couple years, but there are tons of other wrecking yard finds to be had and used in your hot rod, muscle car, or truck. For those of you out there that like man motors, aka big blocks, here is a video that might help you decide on which big block you should be grabbing from the wrecking yard to start your next engine build. I can tell you that for my own Square Body project I’ve been debating on whether to build the Gen 4 big block that is under the hood, or starting with a later model version for my ultimate tow rig big block build. This video from our dude Richard Holdener just might be one of them that helps us make the call on that one.
In this video he is running two big blocks with exactly the same modifications. Because these engines come fuel injected from the factory, one with TBI and one with MPFI, they both got Weiand dual plane intakes, Holley 750 carbs, an MSD Distributor, and Hooker long tube headers. They were run with no accessories, but cooling duties were handled by a Meziere water pump.
Watch, learn, and let us know what you think in the comments section below.
Gen V peanut ports very easy to enlarge. The valves and bowls are big already so you only have to open up the runners. The iron does not seem as hard as other heads I have done so the cutting goes quickly. The real problem with the Gen V is the low compression caused by the pistons being so deep in the hole. They don’t leak oil like the older big blocks and the serpentine belt system is nice too.