Why Chevy? (1 Viewer)

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Seems like the motors being swapped into Toys, especially 60's and minitrucks are almost exclusively Chevy motors? Why is that? Is it just that the 60 was "inspired" by the Suburban and the parts match up to some degree? Is it perhaps that Chevota sounds better than Dodyota, Toyodge, or Forota?

Curious
 
In all honestly most people choose Chevy's in all kinds of swaps for the parts availability. Ford pretty much shot themselves in the foot when they got out of racing and chevy got a bigger share of the aftermarket support. Which in turn makes swapping a chevy a whole lot easier.
 
GM engines are cheap and plentiful and so they were the ones people started to develop the necessary adapters for. And it is not just Toyotas. You'll find old Jaguars with GM engines too.
 
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Chevy v8s have been the staple motors since the 70s. There's billions of them and all the parts are dirt cheap.
 
Simple economics really. You can build more horsepower for less money than with any other make and there are ten times more choices for your parts, accessories and adapters than with any other brand. SBC is as close as you can get to the universal engine blueprint around which all things V8 are made. Most of all its just plain fun to have some ponies!
 
I would have preferred to have gone with a Ford V8, but I decided that a 700R4 was the trans that I wanted to use. I like the 700 in my Sub much better than the AOD that I had in my Ranchero. To go with a Ford would have cost another $700 in adapters over the cost of the Chevrolet V8. Came down to what I was and wasn't willing to spend money on.
 
Parts availability

True about the parts availability. You could probably trip over a Chevy water pump in a ditch somewhere. They are all over.
 
About the only "Dodge" engine being swapped into the Toyotas is the ocaisional turbo diesel but those are really Cummins which is it's own company. They just happen to have the contract for the Dodge trucks.
 
What about the origin of the design of the F series motor? Wasn't it a GM "ripoff"?
 
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What about the origin of the design of the F series motor? Wasn't it a GM "ripoff"?

Oh boy, here we go. :rolleyes:


It wasn't a rip-off. The 235 Chevy and F engines are very very similar though. According to my research, the design was purchased from GM.


Creating Modern Capitalism
Chapter 11 – Toyoda Automatic Looms & Toyota Automobiles
Written By: Jeffrey R. Bernstein
 
Oh boy, here we go. :rolleyes:


It wasn't a rip-off. The 235 Chevy and F engines are very very similar though. According to my research, the design was purchased from GM.


Creating Modern Capitalism
Chapter 11 – Toyoda Automatic Looms & Toyota Automobiles
Written By: Jeffrey R. Bernstein

Its a virtual carbon copy, but they probably did it under license. The dual wheel cylinders on the brakes and the radiused rear glass on the FJ40s and 45s are also straight from the old Chevy trucks.
 
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