OK, so maybe this isn’t quite Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom, but that doesn’t take anything away from the horsepower at hand. We’ve got crates full of precious power on tap, ready for you to order. We’ve loaded up on aluminum heads, big cams, carbs, intake manifolds, and all the cool engine pieces and mixed them into a steaming cauldron of displacement envy.
We’ve rounded up 18 amazing small- and big-block engines that run the gamut from a mild 320hp Edelbrock Performer small-block that’s based on the GM Goodwrench short-block all the way up to a gnarly 602 hp 502ci Rat from Scoggin-Dickey. Most of these engines come complete from carburetor to oil pan with everything short of headers to transform your street car from a lowly pedestrian cruiser to a card-carrying member of the horsepower elite crowd.
Think about it for a minute. Drop a call to any of these mail-order engine companies and once you’ve decided what you want, lay down your credit card. Then in a short matter of weeks, the mailman could drop off a massive box on your doorstep with a fire breathing big-block inside, just waiting for you to drop it into your latest hot rod project.
The advantages of a fresh-built crate engine are numerous and all good. First, you have a professional shop build a bullet, which means you don’t have to hassle with bearing clearances, pushrod length, or whether the deck height is where you want it. Even better, most of these companies offer some type of a warranty on their work, which can add to your piece of mind. Lastly and best, all you gotta do is drop the motor in your car and go.
So what’s holding you back? Check out the sidebars below, and we’ll take you on a whirlwind tour of horsepower, torque, and just plain wish book fun. It’s better entertainment than cable and a whole lot more powerful.