Technical Articles

Volume I, Article IV

Engine Displacement

by Dan Kimball

First you must be able formulate a single cylinder displacement then multiplied that by the number of cylinders in your engine. The example shows an eight-cylinder engine. If you have a different number of cylinders, add the number instead of eight. If you punch in the bore of a 0.030-over 350 Chevrolet (4.030) for example, you’ll find that it is actually 355.115 cubic inches. By rounding off to the nearest whole number you have the correct displacement value.

Bore diameter x bore diameter x stroke length x 0.7854
= volume of one cylinder

4.030 x 4.030 x 3.48 x 0.7854 = 44.389 cubic inches

bore diameter x bore diameter x stroke x 0.7854 x 8
= volume of eight cylinders

4.030 x 4.030 x 3.48 x 0.7854 x 8 = 355 cubic inches