For many years after WWII Chevrolet stuck by its "Blue Flame Six", even equipping its new Corvette with that engine.  But with the change over from the "flat head" engines Chevrolet saw its chance to establish a presence in the V-8 market.  I heard that the new overhead valves on the Chevy V-8 had difficulty seating properly when fresh from the factory, and "shade tree" mechanics had devised a fix which involved adding gritty "Bon Ami" cleaner to the combustion chambers.  No one was sure why it worked, but it did.
Of course Chevrolet was soon to abandon both of its advertised engines for the legendary 283 c.i.d. V-8, a power plant so perfected many 1955 models were retrofitted with them.  I owned a 1955 Chevrolet Bel-Air hardtop which had roll and pleat rear decking....and I used "Bon Ami" cleaner to keep those white upholstery pieces clean.  My car had the "Blue Flame" six.

Image Courtesy William Weems

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