Best Budget Crate Engines: Top 5 Under $10,000

The engine crate market is not for the faint-hearted. It’s a place where enthusiasm, power, and mechanical complexity all converge to allow car geeks to turn an empty engine bay into something special. Although everyone knows that the engine is the heart of every build, knowing which to pick, how to build it, and how much to pay for it are three very difficult questions. Equally important is being aware of what comes with a crate engine since not all configurations are comparably generous.

Some are turn-key options close to operational right out of the box. Others are long blocks which typically come with the block, the crankshaft, pistons, rods, the cylinder heads, and the camshaft. Short-block packages are the least complete, with usually just the block, crank, and pistons. Under $10,000, there are actually plenty of options. To maximize horsepower per dollar, durability, and easy swapping, here are five of the best-value crate engines under $10,000.

When it comes to industry standards, the LS3 6.2L Chevy is a household name. Available in cars like the 2008 to 2013 Corvette, the 2009 to 2015 Camaro, and the 2015 to 2017 Australian Holden SS, it’s a tried and tested engine that has long been a popular pick with builders. At 6.2 liters of displacement, it’s slightly beefier than the 5.7-liter 350 small block. This gives it 430 horsepower and 425 lb-ft of torque.

When looking at EPA estimates, the 2009 Corvette LS3 6.2L is also able to return 19 MPG — quite the feat for such a performance-oriented engine. What makes GM’s LS3 so special is cylinder heads with rectangular ports and an aluminum block that saves about a hundred pounds compared to a traditional iron block. Additionally, its racing-bred DNA and incredible aftermarket support enable owners to push these engines up to 1,000 horsepower.

Even though it uses an aluminum block, the LS3 is also a durable and street-friendly engine. For a long-block configuration, an LS3 can be had for around $7,000 to $10,000, while a fully-assembled engine is likely to fetch closer to $13,000. If you need more convincing, GM Authority reported that even GM Performance representatives said the LS3 is one of the most popular GM crate engines ever.

If you want the biggest horsepower for your money, the 6.2L HEMI Hellcat is a strong contender. With a 6.2-liter displacement, 707 horsepower, and 650 lb-ft of torque from the factory, the Hellcat is known for delivering consistent torque throughout the range, with a maximum at 4,800 RPM. According to Stellantis, “The development teams conducted almost 2 million customer-equivalent hours of dynamometer testing on the supercharged HEMI V-8 to ensure the long-term quality and performance.”

Although the Hellcat is just shy of being one of the five most powerful Dodge crate engines ever built, it does undercut even the least expensive engine (the sibling Hellcrate 6.2L) on this list for quite a margin. Now, 10 years after the Hellcat was introduced, the aftermarket scene has also caught up, meaning that even heavy-hitters such as Hennessey have lots of goodies available to push the Hellcat’s already formidable power to absurd levels.

For maximum power, the 6.2L Hellcat was even pushed up to 1,500 horsepower, and for a price of between $9,000 and $10,500, it is one of the best power-oriented contenders on this list. When it came out, Car and Driver noted that the Hellcat’s 6.2-liter V8 “is the most potent powerplant ever sold to customers for road use by any American manufacturer,” and the fact that you can just about afford one of these under $10,000 is indeed special.

It’s difficult to talk about American V8 power without mentioning the Ford 5.0 Coyote. First introduced with the 2011 Ford Mustang GT, the 5.0L offers between 412 and 500 horsepower and 390 to 418 lb-ft of torque. The newer 5.0 is also characterized by a rev-happy racing pedigree (7,500 RPM redline) that isn’t as agricultural as some other, more traditional muscle car engines.

Packed with an aluminum block that keeps the weight down, this engine also benefits from variable cam timing that responds very well to tuning. With aftermarket support that not many engines on this list match, the Coyote can be pushed beyond 1,000 horsepower, as HotRod puts it — the “New Normal” for the Coyote. Directly from Ford, you can buy the top-spec long-block 5.0L Dark Horse Coyote with 500 horsepower for $7,500.

We argued that the Ford 5.0 Coyote engine is one of the best V8s of all time because its high-revving dual overhead cams, huge tuning potential, incredible versatility (a Mustang and an F-150 truck), and market accessibility are all top class. With four generations already on the market, the 5.0L Coyote has built a legacy that has left an undeniable mark on the world of American performance engines.

If the Coyote’s 7,500 RPM rev range is a bit too high and you want a classic push-rod muscle car racer V8 feeling, Ford’s 7-liter 427 V8 is the perfect alternative. The 427 big block took racing by storm by dominating Le Mans between 1966 and 1967, but also earning props at NASCAR and countless national drag racing strips. When it comes to absolutely ridiculous power outputs and tuning wizardry, the 427 was even pushed to 2,500 horsepower.

Although finding one under $10,000 is a challenge, Roush modern Windsor crate interpretations can be had for under $10,000 for a long-block version, while a Ford modern interpretation sells the long-block for $12,000. From a specifications perspective, these engines are able to offer 510 horsepower and 515 lb-ft of torque. A big benefit of these engines is that they are designed with forged aluminum pistons, steel H beam rods, and a forged steel crankshaft, all of which maintain the traditional push-rod architecture.

Since value is a big aspect of this list, we also need to mention the 5.3L LS V8 by Chevy — a long-block crate engine that you can buy for under $4,000. We also placed the 5.3L LS V8 Crate engine number one on our cheapest V8 crate engines you can buy list, but keep in mind that the most affordable models are going to be remanufactured models, not complete rebuilds. With 450 horsepower and 420 lb-ft of torque, it represents the cheapest dollar-per-horsepower package out there.

OEM GM rods ensure durability, a GM crankshaft manages smoothness, and aluminum heads save weight. Since the aftermarket support for this engine is also very strong, these can be pushed above 700 horsepower. The LS 5.3 is also known as the Vortec 5300 (truck variant), meaning that it was available in vehicles such as the Silverado, the Sierra, the Yukon, and the Escalade. The 5.3 LS fits most cars that accept LS small block engines because most of the mounts and external dimensions are similar across the range.

To compile our list, we examined manufacturer specifications, consulted resources available online, verified pricing from sources like Jegs, Summit Racing, Texas Speed, Modern Muscle Extreme, Pro Touring Store, Mopar Lion Parts, Roush, Ford, and GM Performance Motors. We considered engine power, durability, ease of swapping, and aftermarket support. Availability, popularity, and online documentation were also factored in.

Picking just five crate engines under $10,000 and calling them “the best value” in any category is difficult. Engines are complex, and individual experiences will always differ. This is why we wanted our value-oriented list to focus on different priorities and factors. We included well-known engines with strong aftermarket support, plenty of online resources, and thousands of enthusiasts who share a passion for building engines.