The foundation of any great replicar is the chassis. Being able to ride comfortably and carve up corners concisely is a key element to enjoying your four-wheeled work of art and engineering.
But the heart and soul of any vehicle is the engine, especially with kit cars. The more reliable and potent the powerplant is, the better you're going to like the car. Whether you're building the project for the street, the strip, autocross, road course racing, or all of the above, making the right engine decision is crucial to deriving the most pleasure from the car when it's done.
As kit car hobbyists, we're fortunate to be living in an era of performance crate engine manufacturer abundance. If you want a Mopar mill, a Chevy powerplant, or a Ford engine, there are many companies to provide exactly what you seek. If your replica is missing its heart and soul, we've put together a list of crate engine manufacturers that will warm the cockles of your heart and make your kit car run wild. Before you know it, you'll be putting the go pedal to the floor and letting that new powerplant roar.
Machine Tech
Real-world performance is the most important factor when building engines. Machine Tech's decision to market a blown crate engine took into consideration many aspects, from horsepower to looks, weight, longevity, cost, and maintenance
The choice to use Chevy's Gen III engine became a no-brainer. It's an all-aluminum block with crank-triggered ignition, individual coils, roller camshafts, high-ratio rockers, and more. This is a dream come true for engine enthusiasts. But is it feasible to make the union of this engine to the 671 blower? You bet! The key ingredient to making this marriage between old and new is the intake manifold. Design and construction on a prototype led to countless hours of dyno testing. The end result of Machine Tech's hard work is drivable power with great throttle response and awesome looks, all weighing in at only 550 pounds. Take Machine Tech's advice and make your next project a Super Gen III!
Machine Tech
Racing Engines
628 Crouch Street
Oceanside, CA 92054
760-434-4935
www.machinetechracing.com
Smeding Performance
Smeding Performance crate engines are designed from the ground up with value, reliability, and performance in mind. Only 100 percent new components, including the block, are used in Smeding-built engines. Each and every engine is individually balanced, dyno-tested, and tuned with a lengthy break-in procedure. This assures the engines have one of the lowest warranty return ratios in the industry. Smeding specializes in Ford and Chevy engines ranging from 340 horsepower up to 800 horsepower-all with 91-octane fuel. Customization is available, with the most popular being polish packages and multiple carburetion. Smeding Performance crate engines include carburetion, ignition with wires, and dyno tuning for a true turnkey package. Smeding guarantees their engines with a two-year, unlimited mileage warranty. An assortment of front drive accessories for air conditioning, power steering, etc. are available installed as an option. Smeding Performance builds reliable, proven, high-performance engines.
Smeding Performance
3340 Sunrise Blvd., #E
Rancho Cordova, CA 95742
916-638-0899
www.smedingperformance.com
Year One
The Year One PowerCrate 350 is a fully balanced and blueprinted engine dyno-tested to produce 400-plus horsepower and 400-plus lb-ft of torque with a pump gas-friendly 9.5:1 compression ratio.
A dual-plane aluminum intake allows good idle quality and excellent street drivability while providing plenty of low-end torque. The four-bolt main-seasoned 350 block is bored 0.030-inch over. It uses a nodular iron crankshaft with hypereutectic pistons connected with powdered metal connecting rods. Ported Vortec cylinder heads, 1.6:1-ratio rocker arms, and a hydraulic roller camshaft round out this excellent engine.
More features and specifications on this engine, along with an engine test graph, are available at www.yearone.com. The engine comes with a 12-month/12,000-mile warranty. You can have this Year One exclusive engine for only $2,990 plus shipping and handling. The engine includes an oil pan, timing cover, and valve covers.
To take advantage of this special offer, log onto www.yearone.com, add PN CT350PC1 to your shopping cart, and enter the code EM611 during checkout.
Carolina Machine Engines
Having produced over 40,000 engines since 1984 and having over 40 years of racing experience and hot rodding passion brings unsurpassed integrity and credibility to Carolina Machine Engines' customers. CME sells street/strip, pump gas high-performance, race, and stock OE replacement engines directly to the consumer. Engines are available as complete, long-block, and block assembly, and from economy to high-end big horsepower versions. The dynamometer-tested Chevy 350/350 horsepower complete as pictured is $2,496. Also available: Chevy 350/400-$2,996, Chevy 454/450-$3,996, Chevy 540/600-$6,996, Ford 302/300-$2,896, and Ford 347/340-$3,296. Many other sizes and makes are available. The CME Race Team has garnered two National Hot Rod Association World Championships, 13 national titles, and five divisional championships, and continues to compete in the highly competitive NHRA Competition Eliminator class. Customers of Carolina Machine Engines can rest assured of CME's competence and highest-quality standards. For more information, contact Carolina Machine Engines at 800-903-6446, www.cmengines.com
The Boss Is Back From Ford Racing Parts
Introducing the new BOSS 302 block and crate engine family from Ford Racing. Ford's new BOSS 302 block carries on the tradition set by the original BOSS 302. The new BOSS 302 has all the qualities that set the musclecar world alight when introduced in the '69 Mustang Boss 302 and adds four decades of technological advancement, with splayed four-bolt machined mains, screw-in freeze plugs, siamese bores, and 41,000-psi tensile-strength cast iron. Cast in the same facility as the Ford 6.0L diesel, the BOSS 302 is scrutinized under the same rigorous quality control of a mainstream production block, resulting in the highest-quality 5.0L block at a price far less than the competition.
The new BOSS family offers power from 340hp to 500hp, displacements from 302 cid to 347 cid, and suggested retail pricing from $3,500 to $10,000 for the high-revving 500hp 331-cid BOSS.
For more information, visit www.fordracingparts.com.
Speed-O-Motive
In an industry where experience is critical, Speed-O-Motive takes the grade. Having been in business for over 60 years, they know what it takes to get the power you want. Over the years their product line has expanded dramatically, covering Chevrolet, Ford, Chrysler, and the up-and-coming sport compact market. Using name-brand high-quality parts that people know and rely on, Speed-O-Motive offers their crate engines in short-block, long-block, complete, and turnkey dyno'd. Speed-O-Motive crate engines come with a two-year unlimited mileage warranty. From mild street cruiser engines to hardcore off-road racing engines, Speed-O-Motive has the expertise to design and build almost anything under the sun. Featured is their 351W to 427-cid stroker engine. Boasting 525 horsepower and 515 lb-ft of torque, this pump gas motor is a guaranteed street screamer.
Speed-O-Motive
131 North Lang Ave.
West Covina, CA 91790
626-869-0270
www.speedomotive.com
Turn Key Engine Supply
Turn Key Engine Supply specializes in complete LS1, LS2, LS6, and LS7 crate engines to drop into vehicles that never had modern fuel injection, like kit cars, hot rods, musclecars, and custom off-road machines. With horsepower options from 350-1,000 horsepower, Turn Key's packages are easy to install into any application. This particular package is an entry-level street LS2 with a complete ignition system, accessories, fuel system, flywheel or flex plate, exhaust manifolds, you name it-right down to the oil filter. The only thing you need to install a Turn Key engine is a gas tank, radiator, and battery...it's that simple.