THE LITTLE MOUSE ON THE SHELF

The Gen 1 small-block Chevy enjoys a rather healthy service life, first introduced 70 years ago in 1955 and available in passenger cars and trucks until it was phased out in 1990.

- MIKE GALIMI

In that time, millions of engines were produced, and the aftermarket created an abundance of parts and pieces to make it more reliable and powerful. We've covered this engine thousands of times over the years. But here we are, building another one on the pages of HOT ROD. One might ask why? The answer is simple: Manufacturers continue to bring new products to the market, and the latest to do so is Summit Racing Equipment. They drew inspiration from their Pro LS platform and built an advanced version of the original small-block Chevy platform.

This project began with a brainstorming session during last year's SEMA Show as Summit began expanding its in-house-branded product line. One of their new offerings is a small-block Chevy engine block, dubbed SPC. It's chock-full of features like four-bolt mains, priority main oiling, offered in 350 and 400 versions, and a host of other features. The block was a conversation starter, and we connected with Summit Racing's Brian Nutter as we jumped down the rabbit hole to bring another SBC build to these pages. The goal: build the engine with off-the-shelf parts that anyone can buy. In fact, we published the full rundown of parts on HotRod.com so you can build this exact engine.

HOT ROD is in the midst of moving, so we're currently without a shop at HQ. That meant we needed to bring in some manpower to help with this adventure. Our first call was to our buddy Carlo Catalanotto. He has quite a list of accolades in the street-legal drag racing world and volunteered to act as the project manager for this build. He recommended TPS Motorsports, where owner and head builder Tim Palmisano handled all aspects of machine work and engine building. This made the assembly process quicker and easier, mostly because magazine projects are always grossly behind schedule.