As a subculture, hot rodding is in danger, but it’s not from what you may think. Over the last 15 years—starting with the 505-hp LS7 small-block found in the Corvette Z06—the general public has been exposed to more than a few over-500-hp factory engines that are clean, high-tech, and well mannered. The alphabet soup of factory-offered domestics that broke the glass ceiling of supercar-level performance is astounding and includes the Z06 and ZR1 Corvette (C6, C7, and upcoming C8), Chevy Camaro ZL1, Ford Mustang GT350 and GT500 Shelby Cobra, and Dodge Hellcat, Demon, Super Stock, and Redeye—and we haven’t even touched on trucks and SUVs. With so many powerful cars available, a 500-plus-hp crate engine for an older car may sound like a smallish choice. More on that in a second, but first let’s look at the alternatives.
The Argument Against a Crate Engine Project
Factory power levels over 500 hp are now so common that even the once ballyhooed 707-hp Hellcat no longer gets regular coverage from big media because, well, there are just so many more powerful cars out there. Despite the OE muscle car power play, or perhaps because of it, the general public doesn’t understand that making well over 500 hp with a vintage V-8 remains quite hard. By most yardsticks, the cost of building a 600-hp crate engine—including all the ancillary needs such as fuel supply, ignition, cooling, and machine shop bill (but not any upgraded driveline parts like transmissions or rearends)—sits at around $10K.
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When considering whether to build a truly powerful engine (for our arbitrary purposes here, that’s 600 hp), or going with an already-built crate engine, one must also consider whether it would be a better value to just buy a used ZL1 or Hellcat for the going price of $45K. Yet for some gearheads, the ubiquity of such a car can leave a saccharin taste long after the sweet burnout smoke has cleared.
500-Plus-HP Crate Engine Options
So you’ve decided that a crate engine well over 500 hp pushes your hot button because you don’t want the same thing as everybody else, but your engine building skills don’t quite cut the mustard. Maybe you’re a great general mechanic or specialize in fabrication but don’t need the hassle or the drain on your limited shop space to stock it full of engine-building stuff. A well-chosen 500-plus-hp crate engine that can hang with Detroit’s new iron is going to be your go-to option, but cost is still all-important. If that’s you, then you’ve come to the right place!
Brand Loyalty: Chevy, Ford, or Mopar?
Based on cost alone, the LS or big-block Chevy will have the advantage on price. That said, we discovered that Ford and Mopar options don’t carry the huge “tax” you might think, but these can still fetch 10 to 20 percent more. Block for block, crank for crank, piston for piston, Ford and Mopar parts aren’t especially expensive relative to Chevy—in fact, sometimes they can be the same. The added cost is more a function of a lack of institutional knowledge that incentivizes fewer experts to then charge more. Moreover, large bulk rebuilders like Blueprint and ATK don’t see enough demand to build the higher-hp Ford or Mopar crate engines, relinquishing the trade to specialty builders like Prestige (Ford), Muscle Motors (Mopar), Jon Kaase Racing (Ford), and Indy Cylinder Head (Mopar), to name a few. (If nothing else, this story should highlight an unfulfilled opportunity for perhaps other large rebuilders.)
For the hot rodder who won’t settle for the indignity of dropping a Chevy LS into a Mustang or a BBC into a Road Runner, the important thing to remember is that there are engine builders who can deliver cost-effective crate engines that have the right brand on the valve cover—it just requires looking a little harder in the rarefied atmosphere of crate engines in the over-500-hp category. We found some lesser-known specialty builders filling the need for high-powered non-Chevy crate engines, and they are deserving of the spotlight. First, however, let’s look at a couple of popular 500+hp Chevy crate engines to establish the cost baseline.
Team Chevy: 620-HP ATK 415ci LS Small-Block Chevy, Asking Price $8,998.99
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It should come as no surprise that the Chevy Gen IV LS provides the most horsepower per cubic inch of our group of engines at these higher power levels. ATK’s high volume and buying power allows the company to offer a 620-hp naturally aspirated LS3-based stroker engine in long-block form at the nearly unheard-of price of $8,998.99. We found ATK’s LS02 (using a GM LS3 block) for sale at this price at Eastwood, and it includes such beefcake as Manley forged pistons, rods, and crankshaft. These robust rotating components are complimented by a stout hydraulic roller cam with 240-/256-degrees duration (at .050-inch lift) and .625-inch valve lift—enough to push the output (with your carb or EFI) to the 620-hp mark. Note that you’ll still need to provide an intake manifold (Edelbrock Victor Jr. part No. 350-28457 shown) and carburetion (Quick Fuel 850cfm shown) or EFI.
Team Chevy: 600-HP BluePrint Engines 496ci Big-Block Chevy, Asking Price $8,799
People have been preaching the demise of the big-block Chevy for years, and to that end, it was last produced by the factory in Gen-VI form until around 2001. In 20 years, however, it has lost none of its luster in performance circles. In fact, some rebuilders have doubled down by casting their own big-block Chevy cylinder cases, including BluePrint. That means the company can now build any kind of BBC crate engine in whatever configuration it wants, brand new, in whatever numbers it sees fit, and without being capacity constrained by the supply of OE engine blocks. BluePrint’s 496-inch behemoth includes a forged stroker kit (oddly, with hypereutectic pistons), aluminum heads, hydraulic roller cam (242-/248-degrees at .050-inch lift, .566-inch lift), single-plane intake, and Holley double-pumper—it even comes with an individualized dyno sheet. Shipping is free with no core charge, and a 30-month, 50,000-mile warranty is included. We found the best deal here at Summit Racing.
Team Ford: Ford Performance Parts 655-HP Big-Block, Asking Price $15,885.99
By contrast, if you need big Ford power for your ride, you’ll pay a premium. That said, few BBFs (big-block Fords) look better than Ford Performance Parts 572ci big-block crate engine with 655 hp. This one has all the good stuff: forged rotating assembly with 10:1 compression, aluminum Super Cobra Jet heads, street-friendly hydraulic roller cam (259-/263-degrees duration at .050-inch lift, .649-inch valve lift), Edelbrock Victor single-plane intake, and Holley Street Avenger 870cfm carb.
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It’s our view that the crate engine aftermarket has generally not taken advantage of the stock Ford 460 block’s internal real estate, or the availability of better, freer-flowing cylinder heads. It’s easily argued that it’s cheaper to DIY build a big-inch, big-power Ford from scratch using a JKRE P-51 cylinder head (or to a lesser degree, Trick Flow’s PowerPort 325), and we’ve long wondered why no rebuilder (or even Ford) has stepped up to the task. Notwithstanding, Ford Performance Parts’ M-6007-572DF 572ci big-block crate engine sits at the head of the Ford table when it comes to big-block Ford crate engines and the overkill of its M-6010-A460 block. We found the best deal at Summit Racing.
Team Ford: Prestige Motorsports 600-HP Ford Windsor 427ci Small-Block, Asking Price $11,399
Taking a small-block Ford into the 500-plus-hp crate engine arena isn’t for the faint of heart—a lot of critical insider tricks are needed to build a cost-effective 600-hp 351-based Windsor crate engine with the kind of mechanical elegance Prestige Motorsports has (shown on the company’s eBay storefront here). As Prestige succinctly puts it, “This 427ci Windsor is a small-block that acts like a big-block,” and to make that happen, you need a pile of high-quality components including a Dart SHP block, forged stroker rotating assembly, AFR CNC-ported heads, solid-roller cam (specs proprietary), Edelbrock Super Victor intake, QFT 750cfm carb, and importantly, the guiding hands of qualified assemblers and dyno technicians.
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Called the Super Street package, this combo handily breaks the 500-hp barrier by something like a gazillion hp. Dyno testing provided by Prestige shows 625 peak hp, with the 500-hp mark blowing by at a lowly 4,800 rpm. Regarding the difference in price between the two versions found at different places, the 427ci Super Street Windsor is available with an attractive and functional accessory drive system from Billet Specialties at the $17,299 eBay store price. (Prestige also sells complete driveline packages that include crate engines with transmissions.) When you need big power from a Ford in the smallest footprint possible, a stroker Windsor this is the way to go.
Team Mopar: Indy Cylinder Head 500ciBig-Block Moparwith 600 HP, Asking Price $10,550
In the performance aftermarket, there are few companies that assemble truly powerful Chrysler V-8s, and of those, none manufacture as many parts in-house as Indy Cylinder Head. In our Mopar spotlight today is Indy’s part No. 400-C6-500-605 big-block wedge crate engine. Of note for fans of big-block Chrysler power is the fact that the big-block B/RB engine architecture allows lots of room for stroker cranks, almost too much room if you ask airflow experts. This is manifested in the type’s not-so-strange tendency to make gobs of torque but not so much top-end power—at least when stock-style cylinder heads are used.
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Because Indy’s forte is high-flowing Chrysler cylinder heads based on the Max Wedge footprint, it gives them a huge leg up on building Chrysler crate engines with pleasantly high levels of power. Specs on Indy’s low-deck street wedge big-block (400 deck height) show big potential with prepped 440-EZ-1 cylinder heads, forged 10:1 compression Diamond pistons, forged stroker internals from Eagle, solid-lifter cam (.590-inch lift, 247 degrees duration at .050-inch lift), single-plane Indy intake, MSD ignition, and 850cfm Holley carb. All this puts out a dyno-verified 600 hp on a diet of 91-octane pump gas. At a price scarcely above $10K, this Indy crate engine makes a solid run at the Chevy boys. The best part: You can afford a wicked big-block with big, hairy balls that’s not a Chevy.
Team Mopar: Muscle Motors 422ci Small-Block Chrysler with 675 HP, Asking Price $14,995
To lump Muscle Motors into the same group with a bulk rebuilder might sound scandalous, until you realize how few companies are building complete out-the-door Chrysler-centric crate engines in the over-500-hp ranks. A naturally aspirated small-block of any kind making close to 700 hp sounds miraculous, but doing it with an LA-series small-block Chrysler is, well, the kind of thing Mopar guys live for. Though pricey at nearly $15K through Muscle Motors eBay store here, this one-off 500-plus hp crate engine has “no expense spared, and all tricks are included.”
We know those guys, and they aren’t kidding: This ready-to-run crate starts with a seasoned 340 LA-series block to which Muscle Motors has added a Callies forged stroker crank and rods, Diamond forged 11:1 compression pistons, custom COMP solid-roller cam (.650-inch valve lift, 265 degrees duration at .050-inch lift), Indy 360-1 CNC-ported heads, Indy 360-1 single-plane intake, QFT 830cfm carb, and MSD ignition. The asking price near $15K is a lot of cake, but when you’ve got to have something nearing the 700-hp mark in a package the size and shape of a small-block Mopar, there are few better choices than this.
Source: https://t-tees.com
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