ratracer1

Anyone really happy with a turnkey crate motor package? I need a reliable SBC engine for my 66 Nova. It will have a 350 Turbo and a 9" with 4:10 gears and mini spool. This will be a street/strip car and I would prefer a pump gas motor. Who has had good luck or bad with a company selling chevy crate engines??

badrad

Summit has some base 350 Goodwrench engines that would be screamers with a cam change.

olds48

I got a GMPP Fastburn 385 in my 66 impala.It is rated at 385 hp and I believe it.I weighed my car personally and it wieghs 4200 lbs without me in it.My car is originally a powerglide car and therefore has a 2.73 rear gear.The motor has plenty of power to move such a heavy car with airplane gears.They call for a 750 cfm vac sec carb,but I think my 650 mech sec does much better.I run on 89 octane fuel,can burn my 255/60r15s in second gear EASY at a 20 mph rolling start AND I get 20,YES 21 mpg on the highway with the a/c off.16 mpg in town with a/c on.I have put over 45,000 miles on it in the last 3 years with no problems whatsoever.It will run a high 8 (8.6-8.80s) second pass in the 1/8 mile,leaving like a sissy to protect my original(read:worn out)rear gears with 275,000 miles in them.Has a nice idle that sound kinda lumpy without be too much to ignore.Sounds good but not enough to irritate you if you drive it in town everyday.Bought mine straight from the dealer,but I think Pace Performance has the best deal on these particular motors.I would LOVE to see what it would feel like in a setup like yours HIGHLY RECOMMENDED .Especially for an everyday rider like mine.Good luck and let us know what you get!!

Pwmax

Man, just have an engine built. Crate motors suck. seriously. Most of them, are slapped together, cheap barely adequate core engines. I used to HATE crate engines, and get really mad when someone would bring them up, or use that term. And, when womeone would come in, looking for an engine, then buy a crate engine instead of having me build them a precision, custom engine, it would bum me out, and make me mad. Funny thing is, I usualy see them the next year, to re-build it, port the heads, etc etc. They spend more than twice as much as they would have, if they would have had me build the engine from scratch, plus, it would have been better, because I am usualy stuck with using what ever heads were on it, and some of the parts. Now, the way I see it, I re-build, and tweak on at least 10 a year, because they are so lame. Plus, they are re-energizing the core supply.

Frank
Advanced Performance
www.get-ap.com

lively

NOW FRANK--DON'T HOLD BACK ON HOW YOU FEEL 8) 8) 8) 8) ---MAYBE YOU JUST DON'T LIKE CRATE MOTORS!!!!!!! :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol: ---LIVELY

olds48

That's true,too.I always thought guys who had crate engines were sell-outs.But then my mom bought a Stingray with a Fastburn in it,that is an awesome EVERYDAY motor.I ain't much for a racecar.As far as crates go,I am 100 percent pleased with mine,doubt I would buy one from anywhere but GMPP.Seriously doubt I'll find another reduced to price where it compares to buiding one.I'd rather spend my money with the guy down the road,than mail a check to a mail order company.But if you want a crate,there's my $0.2

sds10racer

i,m with olds48 on this one. with the GMPP you get NEW parts plus a warranty. if you need replacement parts. lot less hassle as it is not custom made for a specific purpose. these engines are usually matched and trouble free right out of the crate(providing you know how to tune it). granted, these are mainly street/strip engines w/ the exception of the 572R. and yes, like all engines, there's always room for improvement, whether it is 275hp or 1000 hp. someone always wants more more more! :twisted:

Pwmax

You guys would shriek if you knew how many of those GMPP engines have problems, then see how good that warrenty is. Thats a joke. You think they just say, oh, you broke it, ok, here is a new one. NOT. The parts in those engines are barely adequate for what your doing. I can build a mild 350 street engine, competively priced to a gm engine, that uses all new parts, that are much better, and make more power. Like I saod, the crate/core engines are re-energizing the core chain. The absolute LAMEST crate engine is a toss up, between the zz502, or the 572. Talk about a joke. But, I suppose, if I spent the kind of money Gm did marketing my stuff, I woulodn;t be whining about these engines. I had 1 guy, with a budget $4500 496, absolutely was a 572. Talk about one mad guy.

Frank
Advanced Performance
www.get-ap.com

edvancedengines

Most good Custom Engine Builders will not like Crate Motors. I for sure don't. To me they are a waste of money, particuarily those sold by GM. lol. For the same money I or most any good builder can get you a whole lot more power. I look at their power levels they are selling as if reading a comic book. Sorry, that is how I feel. Then of couse nothing I build is just exactly like any other thing I have built either. Each one is special designed and built to fit a particular customer's desires and needs.

Performance aftermarket Crate Motors are in my opinion even worse. Has anyone ever given any thought to just how much time they must have used doing the assembly or checking for clearances or for that matter checking anything, for the prices to be so low? Don't fool yourself thinking they can do it becuase they get such huge parts discounts. I am sure they can get some bread and butter parts for less than we who do not buy pallet loads of the same parts. No doubt they do. That just means they make more profit per sale than we who sell the same parts for the same prices. Wonder why or better yet, HOW thier labor or technicical work is so cheap though.

Ed

Pwmax

Thank you Ed. I felt like I was getting beat up a bit over that. But your exactly right. One company, the cheapest racing engines on the planet, who, advertise on this sight quite a bit, are like you describe. You know who I mean.

They are NO way doing them right. I have seen inside their engines. They do a generic diamond hone to size, run a brush thru it, call it race prepped block, generic balanced rotating assembly, and, slammed together. Thats NOT how you build a race engine guys.

Another thing that is done, is what I call bait and switch. Places like Shafifroff, etc, advertise a cheap price, then, have a mile long list of options. Guess what, you are HAMERRED on, by the salesman, to purchase those options. They then inform you that this price doesn;t include this or that, and, that it will be this much. The cheap price is used to get you to call. You can;t sell anyone anything, if they don;t call. So, that $8995 540, ends up costing $13000.

Frank