David Vizard's How to Build Max-Performance Chevy Small-Blocks on a Budget (Performance How-To)
David Vizard's How to Build Max-Performance Chevy Small-Blocks on a Budget (Performance How-To) book cover

David Vizard's How to Build Max-Performance Chevy Small-Blocks on a Budget (Performance How-To)

Paperback – May 11, 2009

by
Price
$36.82
Format
Paperback
Pages
160
Publisher
CarTech
Publication Date
ISBN-13
978-1932494846
Dimensions
8.5 x 0.38 x 11 inches
Weight
1.15 pounds

Description

"Get both of these updated titles (How to Rebuild the Small-Block Chevrolet) from CarTech Books, and you'll be dollars ahead on your next engine project." -Corvette Fever, reviewed by Scott Ross, January 2010 ( Corvette Fever 2010-01-01) Over the past five decades, the high-performance small-block Chevy has made history on the street and track. In this all-new edition of How to Build Max-Performance Chevy Small-Blocks on a Budget, David Vizard uses his 50 years of knowledge, wisdom, and practical experience to reveal the latest techniques and the best equipment for producing maximum horsepower on a limited budget. With the information in this book, you can build a small-block Chevy for a fraction of the price of a speed shop engine. In thorough and entertaining fashion, Vizard explains how to select the complementary parts for an optimal package, so your engine runs reliably and meets its performance goals. He examines how to select the optimal crankshaft, connecting rods, and piston combination. The considerations, options, and cost of stock and aftermarket blocks are discussed in detail. In particular, Vizard delves into selecting high-flow heads to suit your power ambitions and internal parts. He also sheds light on the intricacies and operation of camshafts, and easy-to-use charts take the guess-work out of cam selection. In addition, exhaust systems, ignition systems, nitrous oxide, and lubrication systems are covered in detail. A special section on ten real-world engine packages clearly specifies the parts package, cost, and performance outcome. It’s easy to build a maximum-performance small-block Chevy with cubic dollars to spend, but if you’re on a budget, this book gives you the tools to build a 400- to 800-hp engine on an affordable budget. David Vizard is a revered engine builder and acknowledged Chevy big-block engine expert, which is why GM contracted him to develop several engine packages for the Chevy big-block crate program. He has authored more than 30 highly respected engine-building and automotive titles, penned about 4,000 magazine articles, and contributed scores of web articles to popular sites. Often referred to as "Vizard the Wizard," his work is often the subject of blogs and editorial pieces in popular automotive magazines. He currently owns and runs an engine research and development business in Charlotte, North Carolina. Read more

Features & Highlights

  • There's a common thread that connects high-performance enthusiasts; they want horsepower at the most affordable price. Hot rodders have always searched for ways to save money and improve performance, which includes fabricating their own parts, buying prime used parts, searching classifieds, and combing swap meets looking for deals. These high-performance enthusiasts take pride in beating the next guy in a contest of speed while spending a lot less to do it. Renowned engine builder and technical writer David Vizard turns his attention to extracting serious horsepower from small-block Chevy engines while doing it on a budget. Included are details of the desirable factory part numbers, easy do-it-yourself cylinder-head modifications, inexpensive but effective aftermarket parts, the best blocks, rotating assembly (cranks, rods, and pistons), camshaft selection, lubrication, induction, ignition, exhaust systems, and more.
  • This book is an all-new color edition of a previous best seller. It contains the latest engine-building techniques, profiles current technology, and includes today's affordable parts and engines. Vizard performs ten engine builds, which include dyno charts and parts lists. And it's all done at a nominal cost. Don't throw away money on bogus parts and inflated horsepower claims. Get the real scoop with
  • How to Build Max-Performance Chevy Small-Blocks on a Budget
  • today!

Customer Reviews

Rating Breakdown

★★★★★
60%
(331)
★★★★
25%
(138)
★★★
15%
(83)
★★
7%
(39)
★
-7%
(-39)

Most Helpful Reviews

✓ Verified Purchase

The Best Book on the Subject

There's not another small-block Chevy book that does a better job explaining how to build a small-block Chevy and the best products to use under a certain budget. This book gave me no-BS information that made it far easier to select the best KB pistons, Scat crank, and Scat rods for my 350 build-up. There's a huge amount of information and flow data on aftermarket heads from RHS, Dart, Edelbrock and some others. With the all the information, it made it easy to pick out heads with the right chamber size. But what I really liked about the book are the charts and information for picking out a cam. Vizard get into the nitty gritty of cam selection and the charts are awesome. In the charts, you find your application, engine size, and from there you can select the cam. And it gives you some stroker application.
24 people found this helpful
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GREAT book - even if you're someone with years of experience already

Take your time and actually read this book cover to cover instead of just skimming through the content and reading sections that you're particularly interested in. I've found this author to be tremendously knowledgeable when it comes to building horsepower - I've been building engines for 30 years and still learned some things that were real eye openers to me - little tidbits that seem illogical initially, but make perfect sense after thinking it through for a while.
As with his similar book about Chevy Big Blocks, he points out several areas where you can gain 5 or 8 or even 10 horsepower with little or NO cost except for a little elbow grease. Paying attention to all of these could add up to 40 or 50 extra horsepower for free (or close to it)!!
13 people found this helpful
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Great theory book, but not the gospel with regard to brands!

Great reference, great on engine theory! I used this and a Lingenfelter book as reference when building my first complete 383 engine build. I highly recommend the book as a reference. Use the theory to guide your choices with regard to component specs, but do your own research with regard to the brand of each product.

Example: do not by "Profession Products" anything! The author reccommends it, but don't make the mistake I made. Do not buy "Professional Products". The other brands he promotes may be great (like AFR), but do your own research.
10 people found this helpful
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Too much unnecessary info for the average Joe

While I was impressed with the knowledge it took to write this book it is way, way too detailed and uses terms that the average shade tree mechanic won't know. Page after page of stories of junkyard hunting and graphs of performance that are virtually useless unless you're an automotive mechanical engineer and have access to high tech machines to check your own results. If you're like me and just want to add some horsepower it would have been easier for the book to say do this and it will increase it by this much. After years of rebuilding engines in old muscle cars I recommend this. Have the block hot tanked. Bore it .030 for small blocks, .060 for big. Make sure you have a good durable crank then get it polished. Quality rods and bearings goes without saying. Forged flat top pistons with quality rings (let the shop put the rings in). In a manual trans with a small block I recommend a 282 duration 486 lift cam. Hot tank the heads as well. Possibly die grind the exhaust ports on the heads but only slightly and don't get into the gasket area. Smooth exhaust ports DOES help. It let's the air flow quicker. Single plenum intake with an appropriately sized carb. Bigger is not necessarily better when it comes to carbs. Roller rockers reduces friction. Competition valve springs. Get a fuel pump that pumps at least 2-3 more pounds than original. 6 lb for small blocks is usually enough to not starve it for gas. Headers goes without saying too. All that's left is to hang on tight. Disclaimer- these are only my opinions and should be taken as such as I am not a professional.
9 people found this helpful
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engine overhaul instruction manual

This is an excellent instruction manual for small block Chevy engines. It goes into detail that most manuals lack.
This manual is an additional resource to keep and use in the future. The chapters on heads and cams goes into detail you don't get in a normal repair manual. Cylinder head flow, cc'ing the heads, cam degree, valve lift, overlap. All critical when blueprinting an engine and not normally addressed in a typical manual. As a 30 year ASE Master Technician, this is one of the best books I have ever had. It will never be out of date. Blueprinting an engine has not changed, technology has just made it easier.
9 people found this helpful
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Vizard takes all his experience and shares the important stuff right here!

If you're considering a 383, 408 or 434 build get your teeth in this first. This book really lays it out for stroking the small block and really, honestly there is no other way to go. Sorry you guys runnin 355's but once you've gone down the stroker road you never look back. Who wouldn't love to build a square small block chevy 4.030 X 4.000! A 408 in a G-body is just gona roast up the joint.
This book is good because David really focuses on building within a budget and succeeding without unnecessary skimping or going broke.
David and his crew show all the tricks to making solid torque and horsepower. I was pleased you will be too!
8 people found this helpful
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I liked this book quite a bit

I liked this book quite a bit. Many of David's insights corresponded with my own experience building engines. He talks about camshaft selection in all three of the books I bought that he authored, and I found his take on this very interesting. I am anxious to apply what I have learned about cams from him. The book would have been better if David spent more time talking about some of the details rather than how the industry has failed to recognize his talent. This goes for his other books as well. He really kind of just brushed over intake manifolds. I would have hoped for more information about sizing the intake to the performance of the heads and cam selection. He clearly is passionate about heads and head porting, but then just glosses over manifolds. Don't get me wrong. This is a good book and if you are still old school like me about the Small Block Chevy, then you need to read this book to get more up to date. Nice job on the cam selection tables, valve train geometry, cranks, rods, and pistons.
6 people found this helpful
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Misleading title, no specific information, but great reference.

Although this was a great reference for making power on a Budget, I can’t give it 5 stars because the title is misleading. It’s not a how to build guide. It states comments on porting, but doesn’t give examples. It explains parts but gives no clearances or requirements. No torque tables, no example on setting lash, etc. I enjoyed the information and it helps me know which parts to buy which makes this a great reference, but all the details are lacking.
5 people found this helpful
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This book really delivers what it promises; you don't ...

This book really delivers what it promises; you don't have to even be a master machinist; you can simply use this information to guide your build/rebuild for your budget/needs, whether it a stout drivable high torque truck engine or a strip/track racer or a street drivable daily user for weekend campaigning. On the higher end one can obtain NASCAR-developed cylinder head castings for under $300 in 2008 pricing along with suitable rotating assembly and induction/ exhaust yields bang/$ performance.
4 people found this helpful
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but so far it is pretty good. The writing style works for me

I haven't made it all the way through the book, but so far it is pretty good. The writing style works for me. It is interesting and even funny at times (I have a dry sense of humor). It starts from the ground up explaining key concepts and principles that affect engine performance. I would give it 5 stars except that I am disappointed the book is completely focused on 350s. It should be titled "Performance 350s on a Budget). I have a 327 and was looking for a good resource but this book only applies to my engine conceptually. Any of the specifics given for part combinations and the custom builds in the final chapter do not apply to me.
3 people found this helpful

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