While the original big blocks were somewhat tame with 325 horsepower and mild hydraulic lifter camshafts, it wasn’t long before mechanical flat tappet cams pushed the power envelope up, along with the displacement.
The big block Chevy version of that whole muscle car movement involved some very serious engines starting with the 1965 original canted valve head 396 and 427, and into the early 1970s with the 454. Summit Racing also has muscle car camshafts for small block Chevys, along with muscle car camshafts for Ford, Mopar, Oldsmobile, and Pontiac. It was a time of big block Chevy engines that combined high compression with four speeds and deep gears to offer the muscle car market exactly what it was craving for-more power and impressive acceleration.
There was a time when big block Chevy engines with solid lifter camshafts clattered their way down the boulevards and highways of America.
