The small-block Chevy went from sketches to production in less than 15-weeks and made it into the 1955 line of Chevy vehicles. It made 250 horsepower which was impressive for that time. The compact design was great, and gave the Corvette the power it needed.
The biggest problem was that that first model did not incorporate plumbing or a fixture for an oil filter. The factories installed one in the thermostat housing during vehicle assembly.
This small-block was left unchanged, minus the addition of an oil filter.