[i82much]

Originally Posted by Donovan

Hahaha, I like that.

Thanks! Sure, I get your meaning. But I don't see why you would not call a Pontiac a big block. It's big compared to most other V8s. A lot bigger. And bigger than the 301 which they made a couple million of. Are you also saying big block is strictly a BBC term? not sure.

I think big block and small block are just terms that are used within engine families that have two blocks with completely different dimensions, and tall deck/short deck are used within engine families to refer to individual blocks that are identical with respect to external dimensions besides differences in deck height.

I agree that a Pontiac is closer to a "big block" than it is to a "small block." For my part, I just accept the standard practice of referring to a "Pontiac block" without need to clarify other than to specify if it is a "short deck." But in that case, given that you're talking about a pontiac, isn't calling it a "big block" redundant? And of course even that isn't simple enough, as there are plenty of different castings.

Anyway, it's not that you're "wrong" in a pure semantic sense. At worst, it's a bit redundant and you'll get some odd looks. No big deal.