6 photos — tap any to enlarge
Remanufactured Chevrolet 5.7L V8 Engine - C, K Series Trucks, C3500HD, Caprice, G Series Vans, P Series, R, V Series Trucks, Suburban; GMC C, K Series Trucks, C3500HD, G Series Vans, P Series, R, V Series Trucks, Suburban
5.7L · V8 · Part VCB1
Request a quote
We'll confirm availability and your price on this remanufactured engine — warrantied, with a refundable core.
Call for availability
4-year no-fault nationwide warranty — includedOn gas engines in non-commercial use, at no extra charge. The builder’s standard cover is 3 years, parts only. Every gas engine we sell includes the 4-year no-fault warranty with labour, at no extra charge.
- “No fault” means we do not investigate why it failed — if a covered engine fails inside the term, it is covered.
- Labour is paid up to CAD $95.00 per hour — a cap on the rate, not a flat payout — and only for the remove-and-replace hours in the Mitchell labour guide. Diagnostic time is covered up to 2 hours, and fluids up to CAD $200.00. Towing and a rental car are not covered. Anything not listed here needs to be agreed with us before the work starts.
- The 4 years start the day the engine is installed, and a claim needs proof that a professional shop installed it.
- Unlimited kilometres, and no deductible.
- Call us before any warranty work starts, so we can authorise it. Labour paid on a repair we were not asked about first is not covered.
- A claim starts with a call to us. We file it with the manufacturer, and the manufacturer pays it.
Diesel engines, and engines put into commercial service, are not covered by this 4-year warranty — the terms vary by engine, so call us for the terms on the unit you’re pricing.
Fits
- Chevrolet C, K Series Trucks, C3500HD, Caprice, G Series Vans, P Series, R, V Series Trucks, Suburban 1987–1996 · 5.7L V8
Not sure it fits? Call (780) 473-2424 with your VIN and we'll confirm.
4-year warranty included
Refundable core
Ships Canada-wide
Engine guide
Chevrolet Small-Block V8 (Gen I/II)
Also known as: SBC, Mouse motor, Turbo-Fire, 350 Chevy, Vortec 5700 (L31), LT1/LT4 (Gen II)
Overview & history
Few engines have shaped North American driving like the Chevrolet small-block V8. Introduced for 1955 under Chevrolet chief engineer Ed Cole, the original 265-cubic-inch Turbo-Fire went from drawings to production in roughly fifteen weeks and immediately transformed the Corvette and the Bel Air. The recipe - a compact, cast-iron 90-degree pushrod V8 with 4.4-inch bore spacing - proved so sound that GM kept it in continuous production from late 1954 into the 2000s, stretching displacement from 265 all the way to 400 cubic inches. Counting every generation since, GM has built more than 100 million small-blocks, making it one of the most-produced engine families in history. The first generation (Gen I) covers the familiar 283, 327, 350, 305, and 400, along with the Vortec truck engines built into the early 2000s. The second generation (Gen II, 1992-1997) reworked the same architecture with reverse-flow cooling, a camshaft-driven water pump, and Optispark ignition in the LT1 and LT4. Parts interchange across decades is legendary, aftermarket support is bottomless, and a remanufactured small-block remains the most economical way to put an older Chevy or GMC car, truck, van, or SUV back on the road. Our applications for this family span the late 1950s through the 2000s.
Specs & engineering
- •90-degree OHV V8 with a cast-iron block; most heads are cast iron, with aluminum heads on Corvette and performance versions.
- •Single in-block camshaft, pushrods, and two valves per cylinder; hydraulic flat-tappet lifters through the mid-1980s, with factory hydraulic roller cams on many engines from 1987.
- •4.40-inch bore spacing shared by every displacement from 265 to 400 - the reason heads, cams, intakes, and accessories interchange so freely across decades.
- •Stamped-steel, ball-stud rocker arms - light, cheap to build, and happy at high rpm; a signature small-block innovation.
- •Factory displacements over the years: 262, 265, 267, 283, 302, 305, 307, 327, 350, and 400 cubic inches.
- •Two-piece rear main seal through 1985; 1986-up blocks use a leak-resistant one-piece seal (crankshaft and flywheel/flexplate differ between the two designs).
- •The 400 uses siamesed cylinder walls and external balancing - details that matter when rebuilding or swapping parts from other small-blocks.
- •Gen II LT1/LT4 (1992-97) added reverse-flow cooling that cools the heads first (allowing 10.5:1 compression), a camshaft-driven water pump, and the Optispark optical distributor.
Generations & variants
- •Gen I (1955-2003): debuted as the 265 Turbo-Fire, then grew to 283 (1957), 327 (1962), 350 (1967), and 400 (1970), with the emissions-era 305 arriving in 1976.
- •Vortec era (1996-2002): the L31 Vortec 5700 and related truck engines carried Gen I architecture into GM pickups, vans, and SUVs with improved fast-burn cylinder heads.
- •Gen II (1992-1997): LT1 5.7L in the Corvette, Camaro/Firebird, and B/D-body sedans; the hotter LT4 in 1996 Corvettes; plus the related L99 4.3L V8 in Caprices.
- •Notable performance variants: the Rochester fuel-injected 283 'fuelie' (1957), the high-revving 302 built for the 1967-69 Camaro Z/28, and the solid-lifter LT-1 350 of 1970.
- •Still in production: Chevrolet Performance continues to sell new Gen I-based 350 crate engines today.
Vehicles it powered
- •Chevrolet Corvette (1955-1996)
- •Chevrolet Bel Air / Impala / Caprice (1955-1996)
- •Chevrolet Camaro (1967-1997)
- •Chevrolet Chevelle / Malibu (1964-1983)
- •Chevrolet Nova (1962-1979)
- •Chevrolet Monte Carlo (1970-1988)
- •Chevrolet El Camino (1959-1987)
- •Chevrolet C/K Pickups (1960-1998)
- •Chevrolet Suburban / Tahoe (1955-1999)
- •Chevrolet G-Series / Express Vans (1964-2002)
- •GMC Pickups & Vans (1955-2002)
- •Pontiac Firebird / Trans Am (1982-1997)
- •Buick Roadmaster (1994-1996)
- •Cadillac Fleetwood (1994-1996)
Casting numbers
| 3970010 | 350 block, 1969-1980 - the famous '010' casting; cast in 2-bolt and 4-bolt main versions and also used on some 1969 302 (Z/28) and 327 builds |
| 3782870 | 283 block, 1962-1967, 2-bolt mains |
| 3858180 | 327 block, 1964-1967, 2-bolt mains |
| 330817 | 400 block, 1970-1980, 2-bolt mains |
| 3782461 | '461' double-hump/fuelie cylinder head, 1964-67 327s, 1.94/1.50-inch valves - a top performance head of its day |
| 3991492 | '492' double-hump cylinder head, 1970 350 LT-1, 64cc chambers, 2.02/1.60-inch valves; later sold over the counter as a service replacement |
Known issues & fixes
Rear main seal seepage (1955-1985 two-piece seal)
What to watch for: Oil drips at the bellhousing or the back of the oil pan, especially after highway runs.
The fix: Install the two-piece seal with the lip facing the crankcase and the seal ends offset from the cap parting line; avoid excessive oil pressure, which aggravates seepage. 1986-up engines use a much more leak-resistant one-piece seal.
Flat-tappet camshaft lobe wear
What to watch for: A tick that becomes a steady miss, low vacuum, or a rocker arm that barely moves compared to its neighbours.
The fix: Modern oils carry little of the ZDDP these cams need - run an oil or additive rated for flat-tappet engines, follow proper cam break-in, or choose a roller-cam engine, which avoids the problem entirely.
Optispark distributor failure (Gen II LT1/LT4, 1992-97)
What to watch for: Intermittent misfire, rough running, or a no-start - often after washing the engine or when the water pump above it starts weeping.
The fix: Replace with the vented 1995-up style distributor and repair any coolant leak above it first; aftermarket replacements and coil-per-cylinder conversions are also available.
Misdiagnosed 'rear main' oil leaks
What to watch for: Oil at the back of the engine that gets blamed on the rear main seal.
The fix: Check the valve covers, oil pressure sender, distributor gasket, intake manifold end seals, and rear oil gallery plugs first - they all drain to the same low spot before you condemn the seal.
Did you know?
- ★The 1957 fuel-injected 283 'fuelie' made 283 horsepower - the fabled one horsepower per cubic inch that Chevrolet advertised heavily.
- ★Hot rodders nicknamed it the 'Mouse motor'; the big-block Chevy that followed became the 'Rat.'
- ★Ed Cole's team took the original 265 from drawings to production in about fifteen weeks to give the 1955 Corvette the V8 it desperately needed.
- ★The '010' block (casting 3970010) was cast for more than a decade and remains one of the most common small-block cores found in salvage yards - including ours.