The 2300 is a inline-four engine produced by the Chevrolet division of General Motors for the 1971 to 1977 model years of the Chevrolet Vega and Chevrolet Monza. It featured a die-cast aluminum alloy cylinder block. The high-tech block features an alloy with 17 percent silicon. During the machining process, the cylinders were etched leaving the pure silicon particles exposed providing the piston wear surface, eliminating the need for iron cylinder liners. The block has cast iron main caps and a cast iron crankshaft. The engine's cylinder head is cast iron for lower cost, structural integrity and longer camshaft bearing life. The valvetrain features a direct-acting single overhead camshaft design. The engine block and cylinder heads were cast at Massena Castings Plant in Massena, New York. Overview The tall, long-stroke motor's vibration tendencies are helped by large rubber engine mounts. One- and two-barrel carburated versions were offered. The two-barrel version, the L11 option, also included a revised camshaft for a power increase of . The engine used a bore x stroke and 8.0:1 compression. Overheating was a serious concern for the engine, since the engine block was of an open-deck design, severe overheating could cause the cylinder barrels to warp and pull away from the head gasket, causing coolant leaks into the cylinders and cylinder scuffing. Maintaining oil and coolant levels was crucial for the engine. The engine was equipped with an oil pressure switch which grounds out the primary-ignition system should the oil pressure fall below during operation, thus stopping and preventing the engine from being restarted until the oil level was replenished or the mechanical cause of low-oil pressure was remedied. Chevrolet dealers installed a coolant-recovery tank, a low-coolant warning light and extended Vega's engine warranty to . The 1976 to 1977 the engine received a new cylinder-head design, incorporating hydraulic lifters to replace the taper-screw valve adjusters, improved coolant pathways, longer-life valve-stem seals, a redesigned water pump and thermostat, and a five-year, engine warranty. The engine's name was changed to Dura-Built 140. 1975 to 1976 Pontiac Astre and 1975 to 1977 Chevrolet Monza had the Vega engine as standard equipment. Monza's H-body variants, the Pontiac Sunbird and Oldsmobile Starfire adopted Vega's revised Dura-built 140 engine, for 1976 and 1977 respectively. The Cosworth Vega engine was produced in 1975 and 1976 using the 2300 engine block. The engine was de-stroked to giving , with a 16-valve aluminum cylinder