Crate Engines, Remanufactured and Rebuilt Engine Review - Chevy options

 Welcome fellow hor rodders, street rodders and muscle car enthusiasts alike. Now I know some of you eat, drink and sleep engines, so I will try and combine as much info into the next few pages of the Crate Engine Review as possible.

The way to navigate these pages will be by following the page entry point for each engine and then using the exit point at the top of those pages to return to this page to continue with your search of the crate engine set ups that you may find interesting.

We are going to try and have a good spread of small block and big block engines as well as some recommended components to choose from in the Ford, Chevy and Mopar crate engine ranges. Also keep an eye out for some performance parts that you may wish to incorporate into your next engine build.

You will need to make some sort of choice when considering your crate engine, remanufactured or rebuilt engine in terms of the available engine bay which may start with the following considerations.

The Stroker

The Small Block

The Big Block

Fuel Injected or carburretor

Blower or Not

Nitrous or Not

Do you choose a Ford, Mopar or Chevy Motor

There are many schools of thought and opinions regarding crate engine set ups in todays world of remanufactured engines and renewed muscle cars, hot rods, street rods and supersized daily drivers.

One opinion is totally against the use of crate engines as being to much of a production line type mentality whcih goes against everything that muscle car enthusiasts stand for.

If you have a daily driver that has been in your family for years and can do with a new crate engine, then fine thats acceptable to most engine fanatics. However if you find yourself with little or no experience regarding your way around an engine bay, then by all means buy a crate engine and have it shipped to a professional engine fitment centre to do the work for you and ensure that your crate engine warantee is intact.

If you do not fall into the above category, then I implore you to investigate the options for adding power extras to a crate engine to make it really unique and not just another plug and play. Choose some extras for added horsepower, looks and get a few extra cubic inches in displacement. A few minor adjustments to a crate engine can really knock some seconds off your quarter mile E.T whether its a pro street, drag or hot rod heading to the salt flats at Bonneville.

The 302 cubic inch Ford engine is predominantly known as the 5.0 litre Windsor or Boss Motor. Produced from the 1970's to late 1990's, the Ford V - Shaped small block was common in the Ford F-150 truck and early Mustangs. A 302ci Crate engine would work equally well in an early 30's or 40's truck as well as 60's and 70's two door coupes.

The 350 cubic inch Chevy crate engine from General Motors is possibly the most successful and popular V8 crate engine of all time. Used throughout the General Motors production line for over 40 years and based on the 5.7 litre v8 Chevy small block, it is definitely a choice for good ol' american muscle. What quickly became the benchmark for American V8 Muscle has morphed into the LX (Generation ii Chevy small block V8) and the LS (Generation iii Chevy small block V8) crate engines sought after today.

Although rare, the 283 cubic inch crate engine from Chevy (General Motors Stable ) is based around the original Generation I Chevy small block V8. Proven reliable for over 40 years.

The Chevy 383 cubic inch crate motor is a small block Chevy and will range between 400 and 550 horsepower and is a favorite for Chevelle and Camaro owners. A low rev high torque motor ripping off the start line. The Mopar 383 Chrysler is a big block V8 with the potential to be bored out to a 440 at a later date if desired.Tree your friends on the strip.

The Chevy 454 Crate engine is a classic remake of the big block Chevy and is based on the Chevy generation 6 engine block used in most suburban. Put this crate engine in a sedan or coupe and hold on for dear life as 475hp to 550 hp of brute power is at the ready. A tough chassis and light body will give you all you need from this big block Chevy crate engine.

The Chevy 305 ci crate engine is also loosely based on the generation one 283 Chevy small block V8 with a different deck height.Compare torque and rev numbers for your best application.

Chevy 327 crate engines are similar in construction to the 350 motor with only a few minor changes to the heads, bore and stroke. A Chevy 327 was synonymous with early 70's Chevy muscle cars and is still one of the most popular srteet and srtip options available.

Hemi Mopar produces a 572 ci 700 hp crate engine as does Chevy with their zz 572. These crate engines ar epossibly the most powerful crate engiens currently available on the market. A beast of a motor based on a v8 motor, it is usually equiped with performance parts and heads as standard features with tricked out headers and intake mainfolds. You will definitely see more of these in the future.

Pontiac offers a 400 and 455 crate engine which is the choice of original parts hunters who find themselves not wishing to part with a beloved Potiac Transam, Firebird or GTO. The Pontiac 400 crate engien fits most vehicles in the muscle car era from the 1960's to 1970's. The Pontiac 455 crate negine is chosen by those wishing to have aluminum heads and a little more horsepower. There are limited numbers of these blocks still available and can be difficult to find at the best of times.

The Chevy 396 Crate engine is a sought after commodity by Chevelle fans looking to fit an original or rebuilt 67 - 69 crate motor in their prized possession. Sometime rare, the Cehvelle ss396 puts out around 350 hp and is still a sub 15 second quarter mile motor.

The Boss 351 and Windsor 351 Crate negines are relatively recent to the marketplace as a crate engine coming from the Ford Performance Racing division. Based around a 5.7 litre engine configuration with some tweaks to the heads and new specs to the valves and porting systems.

The Chevy 632 Crate engine is in a class of its own. The 632 is designed as a street driver race engine and is fully compatible with pump gas. Not for the feint hearted, the 632 puts out around 800 hp and always has more power than is needed. But how much is enough horsepower.

The Holley Carburettor and fuel system and pressure valves are synonymous with V8 small and big blcok engines and are chosen by 80% of engine builders when putting together a hot V8 motor running on a natrually aspirated set up on pump gas. Race gas is easily adapted by simply changing the Holley jet sizes which you can find out more about in the Holly section.

We hope you have managed to find some useful information here for consideration as you contemplate your next crate engine or tackle your next engine build if you have the resources at your disposal.

Being a muscle car fan, you get used to patience whilst you wait to find that elusive OEM part. Please feel free to post your opinions, comments and advice for any muscle car enthusiasts reading. Keep rodding and keep hunting those extra horsepower.