Written by Moore Good Ink
Ronkonkoma, NY: By 2008 the tooling for World Products’ cast iron engine block for the Small-block Chevrolet needed replacing. It had served them well since the 1990s, but the cost of re-tooling was substantial: $570,000.
Since they were obliged to invest so heavily in new tooling, they determined to incorporate every advantage learned during twenty-five years of casting engine blocks. And they did. Among the host of new features, they included a new priority-mains oiling system for better lubrication of main bearings, cam bearings, and valve lifters. To eliminate potential camshaft oiling troubles that occur under high valve spring loads, the camshaft oiling holes were moved from the regular 6 o’clock position to 5 o’clock. A new water jacket was established around the camshaft tunnel. Though the block is machined to the standard cam bore size, it can accommodate the stronger, larger diameter 55mm camshafts—a bonus in all race engines, especially stroker engines. And instead of continuing the age-old convention of using tabs on the outside of the engine casting for machining purposes, they devised a new central internal machining location. This pioneering measure ensures the crankshaft, camshaft, and every other location is exactly central and symmetrically correct on each and every World block. Check out the machined holes and other openings on the Motown II; as they say in engineering circles, “They are dead-nuts on!”
In addition, this new engine block can be poured at the foundry to one of two configurations: either as a regular small-block Chevrolet with a deck height of 9.025 inches, which accepts the small-block cylinder heads or, alternatively, with the LS deck height of 9.240 inches, which accepts the LS cylinder heads.
Weighing approximately 190 pounds—about 75 pounds less than GM’s LSX iron block and with enlarged water jackets for maximum cooling, this new Motown II is a unique and practical hybrid. In common with all World engine blocks, it is designed 
with interchangeability in mind, designed to accept all small-block 17-bolt cylinder heads, and similarly the LS version. It employs the standard SBC crank, cam bearings, and ignition. The Motown II is available in Street, Sportsman, or Race series, bare or fully race-prepped. The Street and Race blocks are supplied with bore sizes of 3.990 or 4.115 inches and the Prepped blocks to 4.000 inches or 4.125. The Motown II can be bored safely to 4.200 inches.
For further information contact:
World Products
51 Trade Zone Court,
Ronkonkoma, NY 11779
Tel: (631) 981-1918 or visit www.worldcastings.com
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