4 Of The Cheapest V8 Crate Engines You Can Buy, Ranked By Price

There are any number of reasons you might find yourself on the hunt for a new V8 engine. Whether you're replacing a failed engine, upgrading a vehicle's current power output, or looking to drop a punchy power plant under the hood of your latest project car, you should know that there are many avenues available to you to acquire a new engine, including scrapyards, engine specialists, and online resale outlets like eBay.  

But when you consider the amount of money you'll likely need to pony up to acquire a functional V8, and the potential labor involved in the installation, purchasing a crate engine might be the smarter play, as they can typically be purchased in new condition. Perhaps more importantly, crate engines largely come fully assembled and ready for installation, which is ideal for folks who prefer a sort of plug-and-play V8 engine option.

There's a little more to the installation of a V8 crate engine than plug-and-play, of course. Likewise, in your search for a V8 crate engine, you're bound to come across dozens of options spread over a vast range of price points. It's a safe bet, however, that if you are looking for a V8 crate engine, you're looking to spend as little money as possible to do so. If that's the case, you'll be happy to know that we've done our own research on the matter, and selected a few of the cheaper V8 crate engines on the market that may be worth your attention. 

While there are several things you need to know about crate engines before you buy one, you're likely already aware that there really aren't many cheap options available, and the price is considerably higher if you lack the knowhow to install it yourself. Given those facts, we decided to cap our spend for the V8 crate engines on this list at $6,500. And for those looking to upgrade or swap out the engine of a Chevrolet, Summit Racing has a V8 worth checking out in the LS 5.3L Long Block.  

As for the cost, the engine will set you back a cool $3,849.99 straight from Summit. Given the relatively reasonable cost, you might be surprised at the output this little beauty is providing, with the engine capable of producing horsepower in the neighborhood of 450 hp while also delivering torque around 420 lb-ft. Yes, that is some pretty serious V8 punch for under $4,000, though it should be noted that there is a caveat or two that comes with the LS 5.3L Long Block V8 engine.

First and foremost, this engine is actually a remanufactured model, which may account for the budget-friendly price. A remanufactured engine is different from a rebuilt model, of course, in that most are put through strenuous testing and come with certain guarantees. Think of it like a refurbished product. This particular V8 crate engine is indeed backed by a 2-year warranty. Warranty aside, Summit still recommends making several other upgrades when installing this crate V8 engine, so you'll want to build those costs into your budget before making your purchase.

Before we go any further, we'll go ahead and note that we understand many folks looking to upgrade their vehicle with a crate engine might prefer to do so with a power plant that delivers high-performance torque and horsepower. There are plenty of options capable of pushing 1,000 hp or more on the market, but they tend to come at high-performance price tags, so you won't find them listed here.

Mopar and HEMI are, of course, labels that regularly come up in the high-performance/high-cost crate engine game. However, fans of Mopar V8 power will be happy to know they can procure a crate engine bearing that moniker for well under $6,000 these days via the 345 HEMI Crate engine. Yes, that's the same engine that's powered many-a Dodge Challenger from 2015 and beyond, and when you purchase it from MoparOnlineParts, it can be purchased for just $5,623.

It's honestly pretty wild that you can actually pick up a V8 Mopar HEMI crate engine for a little over $5,600, and that price should be an easy deal-maker for fans. While this engine falls short of others listed here in terms of raw power, the 345 ci V8 build still cranks out upward of 383 horsepower, coupling the horses with 417 lb-ft of torque. That sort of output should more than suffice for an everyday driver or the project car you only take out on the weekends. MoparOnlineParts also backs the engine with a 12-month warranty, which should ease a few minds as we edge up to the $6,000 mark. 

If you are familiar with the world of crate engines, you're likely already familiar with the name BluePrint, as they're known for producing quality, ready to install power plants for the likes of GM, Chevy, Ford and Chrysler. In the company's wide array of V8 crate engines, you can even find a few bearing the label of Stroker, and you might be surprised to know that BluePrint Stroker power will only set you back about $5,749 these days, assuming you buy the engine from Summit Racing.

Yes, that reasonable sum will indeed procure you BluePrint's 383 CID Base Stroker Long Block crate engine. And yes, if you're hot to upgrade or replace the engine in a GM small block build with a little low-key V8 muscle, this 383 cubic-inch crate engine will more than provide it, boasting horsepower at 436 hp up to 443 lb-ft of torque.

Such output is hardly shocking for a stroker, of course, as those engines' long stroke design dramatically increases the possible output, with hot rodders and muscle car enthusiasts utilizing the approach to bolster the power capabilities of their builds for decades now. While this BluePrint V8 crate engine may not be able to fully transform your car into a legit threat on the black top, it'll provide enough punch to your vehicle as you dart around town running errands. This V8 power plant is also backed by a 30-month or 50,000-mile warranty — though its 4.8 stars out of 5 user rating would seem to confirm you probably won't need it.   

Given BluePrint's rep for delivering affordable, reliable, and powerful crate engines, it should come as no particular surprise that the company landed two picks on this list. As it is, BluePrint also has several other engines listed among the V8 options currently available through Summit Racing, and quite a few of those options are listed as ideal fits for Fords of the Windsor engine family, including the $6,299 302 C.I.D. Dressed Long Block.

Interestingly enough, while this V8 is the most expensive crate engine we've included on this list, it actually delivers the lowest raw power numbers here, boasting horsepower output at 361 hp and torque at 363 lb-ft. Power is apparently not the primary focus of this Ford-focused power plant, however, with BluePrint listing it as an ideal option for everyday drivers as well as casual cruising. Frankly, if you're putting this engine into a vehicle you primarily use to cruise about town, horsepower north of 350 feels a little bit excessive, right?

If you answered no to that question, you might need to look elsewhere for your V8 crate engine needs. Apart from your general opinion on your vehicle's need for high-octane output, this V8 crater packs aluminum heads, an iron block, a compression ratio of 9.4:1, hydraulic roller cams, and a 600 CFM carburetor. That all means the engine is built to last and should get you where you need to go for several years to come after install — a fact backed up by its 30-month or 50,000-mile warranty.