Plant bids farewell to big block

[Blue_Tires]

Amid whistles and applause from onlookers, Willie Ray Jr. hoisted the final L18 made at General Motors’ Town of Tonawanda engine plant off the production line and onto a metal cart.

The moment was filled with meaning for the plant’s past, present and possibly its future.

It was the last of the “big block” V-8 engines made by the plant, a legacy dating to 1958 and a local connection under the hood of some renowned GM cars.

The end of the L18 on Friday also puts 150 hourly workers on layoff, bringing to 298 the total number of workers on layoff from the Tonawanda plant.

Along with their words of respect for the big block engines’ long history and regrets over layoffs, plant and union leaders said they are determined to secure a new engine line that would bring back workers.

“We’re all working very, very hard to make this the place for GM’s next engine,” said Steve Finch, plant manager.

Retirees and workers gathered to mark the occasion and share memories. On the cakes served to the guests, blue-colored inscriptions noted the plant’s remarkable output of big-block engines — 5 million of them — over the course of a half century.

http://www.buffalonews.com/home/story/899075.html

[beevul]

1. Sad in some ways, but inevitable...

I still have a 396 factory chrome valve cover kicking around somewhere...with a "tonawanda team 1" sticker still on it, from one of my '68 chevelles (wish I still had it).

R.I.P BBC. /salute

[Blue_Tires]

2. yeah, but they are getting so much power out of smaller displacements

that it really isn't an issue...

[beevul]

3. Horsepower, yes.

Torque?

Not even close, for the most part, assuming that by "smaller displacements" you mean 4 cylinders.

Even the GNX and syclones didn't make big block type torque - at least not the big blocks of thier heyday.


I have yet to see a small displacement engine mass produced that could come anywhere near what the ls-6 454/l-88 427 made for torque. Of course they do get MUCH better fuel economy.

The forced induction corvette of new, I'm told, makes 638 horsepower, and gobs of torque. But thats also 427 cubes, even if its not a big-block.

[Blue_Tires]

4. by 'smaller' I mean under 6 liters for V8s

The current Corvette ZR-1 is supercharged, but the displacement is only 6.2L...

Corvette racing is going to enter this ALMS season running a 5.5L V8 (since they moved down a division to GT2), down from 6.0L from the previous year, and 7.0L from a couple of years earlier... It's widely assumed that this is the testbed for the next family of global GM small-block V8s, just how the C5R was the R+D for the 7.0L in the current Z06...Corvette racing is happy to run a 5.5L, even though iirc, the rules say they can go as high as 5.9L in displacement...

Ford's new 5.0L for the Mustang is supposedly going to put out 412HP/390TQ, and can be configured for a higher-torque tune for truck duty...BMW's next M5 is going to drop the 5.0L V10 for a probable 4.5L turbo V8, and the list goes on...Engineering advancements and forced induction can make up the difference in pure cubic inches...

[beevul]

5. I suppose, to a degree.

Still, theres nothing quite like the grunt of a big block. I mean...510 pounds per foot or more, bone stock, without forced induction, on the old ls-6/ls-7 and l-88 and zl-1...is far less sophisticated than the new stuff to be sure...But the brute force of it without waiting on a turbo or SC to make its power...the brute force of it...was something to behold...


Of course, nobodys going to be getting 28 mpg with one though iether.


I have nothing against the new stuff, in fact, if I had my choice, I'd be using an lsx motor for my sy-"clone"...but its still cheaper to go the old route for now. I take your point though, and I'd add that the gap is being bridged a little more every year, both in power and in affordability.



I guess I'm just a bit nostalgic...I had a lot of good times with a big block a couple feet in front of me. And I do miss it.