Aftermarket Engine Blocks - CHP How It Works

The Top Block Manufacturers In The Industry Lend Their Expertise On Selecting The Best Casting For Your Project Car.Hot rodders played with blocks as kids, and still play with them as adults. This vast level of experience notwithstanding, enthusiasts often insist on monkeying around with production blocks. They might be cheap, but after you've paid a painful $1,000 to $2,000 machine shop bill, it's still a production block that was never designed to handle the rigors of a street/strip or race application. While a stock block might work fine for a mild rebuild, with the power potential bequeathed by modern cylinder head and valvetrain technology, not many people are content with mild rebuilds these days. A cool 600 hp is becoming the new benchmark for small-block performance, and unless that Rat motor build hits 800 hp, a big-inch Mouse could very well put the hurt on you at the track. For serious stroker engine combos, the option of investing in a high-quality aftermarket block makes too much sense to ignore. Not only are they far stronger than the typical stock casting, they offer thicker cylinder walls and taller deck heights for increased displacement potential, improved oiling and cooling systems, and costly machining operations have already been performed prior to shipping. To get a handle on what to expect when stepping up to an aftermarket block, and how to choose the right options for your application, we consulted with Jack McInnis of Dart, Jason Neugent of Brodix, and Rocko Parker and Jeff Kettman from GM Performance Parts. Here's what we learned.


Photo Gallery: Aftermarket Engine Blocks - Chevy High Performance Magazine


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