GM Engine Sizes (was Chevy engines)

[Jim Davies]

On Fri, 6 Nov 1998, Greg Hermann wrote:

> division separate from the car divisions. GMC trucks used to use Poncho
> V-8's in late '50's, too. 

They also used early Buick V8s but, strangely enough, never the Olds which
was the strongest of the bunch.

GMC also had an inline 6 that not a lot of folks
> remember, a fuzz over 300 CID, which was a serious torque monster, and
> extremely durable. Did very well in C-gas and D-dragster type NHRA stuff.

This would be the 248-270-302 family, not to be confused with the later
292 Chevy 6 or the old 707 for that matter.

> Not a lot of people realize that the (later) GMC 307 CID V-6 truck motor
> was a sawed off 409. 

The GMC truck V-6, V-8 and V-12 gas and diesel engines were all 60 degree
blocks and thus shared nothing from the 348-409 engines.

O, P & Cad used the old 4 speed hydramatic
> from its inception in the late '40's till the end. 

1939 was about the first year for single coupling hydros and 1956 was the
last year. Then they "improved" it and it became a dual-coupling hydro in
various forms. The single coupling was also used by Lincoln, Nash, GMC 6x6
army trucks, honey tanks and 4 and 6 wheel armored cars. I still use the
WW2 ordnance tank repair training movie as an introduction to fluid
couplings because I have never found a better sustitute. Lots of action
pictures of the "modern combat vehicle" going through its paces.

> TH 400 came out in '63 or so ???? 

They finally ignored the long standing GM policy of never paying royalties
or licence fees and got B-W to build the 400. They cancel it from
production about every 3 years, then it comes back for various reasons...
 
(Believe Caddy was last to change over
> from a four speed, this may be when they did it.) Chevy used the Power
> glide till later ('65??) 

After they seemed to have sold the last one in about 67 it resurfaced as a
manual shift 2 speed trans in 1968. Who knows, the general could still be
making it for use in coin washing machines or whatever.

I remember seeing lots of GM 4x4s at a logging camp that were factory
equipped with delco high-tower point type distributors years after HEI was
used. Even showed up on the build sheets under the hood. Years ago there
was a LPO order book at some dealers and this is where this kind of stuff
may come from.