CRATE ENGINES

A crate engine is a complete engine assembly sold for installation in your vehicle. These are typically shipped in a 'crate.' Chevrolet Performance offers a variety of crate engines from the Small-Block, Big-Block, LS, and LT engine families.

Jeff // Engineering Group Manager - Performance Calibration & Software

Crate engines designed and developed by Chevrolet Performance have been dyno tested to similar standards as our production engines. The engines are then put in vehicles to accumulate real world mileage and refine calibrations as necessary. Production based engines are built on the same lines as the production engines going into vehicles and utilizing all the quality metrics the production team would.  

Jeff // Engineering Group Manager - Performance Calibration & Software

A crate engine starts as some computer drawings on a screen as well as analysis to determine cam design, intake design, port geometry. Initial parts are manufactured (whether it be a few castings, billet components, 3D printed pieces) and then ran on a dynamometer to ensure performance metrics can be met before kicking off production tooling. Dyno development for calibration then begins, followed by durability on the dyno as well. A vehicle engine is built shortly after durability to develop drivability in a vehicle at the Milford Proving Grounds. We refine the calibration/drivability in various conditions including soaking the vehicle in a cold chamber for cold starts/drive away, using an altitude chamber to simulate various altitude and thermal conditions. Once we complete this, the engine most likely makes it's way into a show vehicle build such as the ones we take on Hot Rod Power Tour. 

Jeff // Engineering Group Manager - Performance Calibration & Software 

Chevrolet Performance Crate engines are offered in different flavors like partial, base, deluxe, turn-key.   

Partial: Includes Cylinder Block and Rotating Assembly Base: Includes partial assembly above and Heads, Camshaft, Valve Covers. This allows builders to pick Carburetor / Fuel Injection System and Intake Manifold they desire.  

Deluxe: Complete engine except Front End Accessory Drive ready to start as received. They come with Distributor and Harmonic Balancer installed, and Carburetor separately in the crate.   

Turn-Key: Complete engine package with Air Intake, Distributor and Harmonic Balancer installed on the engine, and Front End Accessory Drive Kit, Spark Plug Wire Set, Starter, Water Pump, and Air Cleaner in the crate.   

Control System for each engine is offered separately. Each option also comes with a respective installation sheet (i-sheet).  

Prashant // Engineering Group Manager - Performance Parts Engineering / Hardware

Yes. We use brand new components in production of every crate engine. We continue to grow our supply chain to meet our continuously growing demand from the market. Every engine at the assembly line goes through a detailed end of line inspection before getting crated for shipping. 

 Prashant // Engineering Group Manager - Performance Parts Engineering / Hardware 

Lot of market research, customer and dealer feedback, regular internal review of the portfolio of our products, availability of base engines upon which the crate variant would rely on, cost of manufacturing and corporate vision. These are all factors that are considered before deciding what crate engine to develop next.  

Prashant // Engineering Group Manager - Performance Parts Engineering / Hardware 

First step is to define target customer and potential application and performance target. Then we decide what base engine architecture to start with. Based on the performance gap with base engine, we list what all variables can be modified to get close to target (e.g. Compression Ratio change, Camshaft change, Valvetrain changes, Cylinder Head modifications for flow, and may others).

Analysis team is then engaged to perform numerous simulations on various combination of hardware upgrades to select the most optimum combination.

Design team gets engaged next to design the hardware changes. Estimated cost of manufacturing and supply chain constraints are also considered in these early stages.

Proof of concept prototype engine is built with newly designed components, which goes to dyno for testing to verify that the performance as predicted by analysis. At this stage various ECU calibrations also may get tested on dyno as needed as a result of hardware change.

If the actual engine hardware didn't meet the predicted performance target, we go back to step 1 and iterate until satisfied. If the performance target was achieved on proof-of-concept engine, we don't stop there. Our team builds another engine with that same recipe and put it on the engine dyno for extensive durability validation testing. As we offer warranty on most of our products, our validation process ensures the robustness of our product beyond that period.

At this point, another engine is given to calibration and software engineering team for vehicle integration in one of the relevant development vehicles. They perform extensive amount of testing on these vehicles verifying a great drivability and robustness of ECU calibration.

When both the engine dyno and vehicle testing is complete, the hardware is released for starting production.  

Prashant // Engineering Group Manager - Performance Parts Engineering / Hardware 

Small block and big block Chevy engines differ primarily in physical size, weight, and bore spacing—with small blocks offering a lighter, faster-revving setup, and big blocks usually delivering massive cubic inch displacement and low-end torque, although there are some exceptions to this norm.

Rod // Design Release Engineer - Performance Parts / LS and Small-Block Engines 

MPG is the main vehicle development facility for General Motors located in Milford, Michigan. The site covers 4000 acres with 132 miles of test roads. For Chevrolet Performance, the shop at MPG is where the first iteration of a new crate engine will be installed into a vehicle for calibration refinement and durability testing. Chevrolet Performance engines are not only tested on dyno but put into vehicles and calibrated so the customer has an engine control kit with refined drivability.  

Jeff // Engineering Group Manager - Performance Calibration & Software 

Production engines (LS3, LT1, LT4, L8T) all rely on the work the production development teams did for real-world testing including altitude, hot, cold, humidity, racing/towing duty cycles, vehicle durability...you name it, GM has done it. For engines developed by/for Chevrolet Performance (LS3 variants, L8P, 502EFI, ZZ632...), we attempt to mimic the testing the production team does as much as possible. We will use environmental test chambers to simulate altitude, use cold boxes (large refrigerator/freezers) to chill a full vehicle with the new engine to ensure cold startability, and do normal 'real world' driving. The engines are installed into at least one test vehicle and used for test on and off property. One of our engineers is daily driving the vehicle to ensure we get as many miles/hours/starts on the engine before it makes it to the consumer. This includes all the Michigan weather/roads including cold winters, hot/humid summers, harsh roads, highway and city driving all to represent how our customers will be driving these products. Additionally, we typically build a 'show' vehicle with the newest engine. In the past, the latest engine in a show build has been something we take on Hot Rod Power Tour and drive the full 800+ miles just like our customers/enthusiasts would.  

Jeff // Engineering Group Manager - Performance Calibration & Software 

Chevrolet Performance follows all applicable regulatory standards to ensure that customers can enjoy our products throughout our market regions with no issues. We also follow GM internal testing standards which are developed and maintained by our Tech Specialists (TSs). They ensure that our dyno testing stays up to date with emerging technology on both the product and facility side so that we can execute "No excuse" testing and ensure we are properly validating the hardware. This is all obviously done within GMs Workplace Safety System performance and technical standards, site hazard/risk reviews, management-of-change processes, and safe operating procedures for high-risk tasks.  

Stephanie // Development and Validation Engineer - Chevrolet Performance Parts

Pontiac has about 133 dyno cells between what we call "firing" (active combusting engines, 89) and non-firing (e-drive/ spin cells, 44). They differ in capability and size. For example on the firing/ engine side we have 6 different dyno sizes for production and Chevrolet Performance testing and four other specialized dynos in the racing building some with close to 4x the TQ absorption and management capability of some of the production side dynos.  

Stephanie // Development and Validation Engineer - Chevrolet Performance Parts