MOPAR Small Block Crate Engines

When it comes to choosing a crate engine for your next project, you have lots of good choices. But for big power that can fit in small places, it's hard to beat a small block MOPAR. Considering their compact dimensions and relatively light weight when equipped with aluminum heads, intake, and headers, these engines offer an excellent combination of punch for the pound. And while it can be easy to overlook them in the presence of big (make that huge) big blocks and Gen 3 HEMIS, don't forget that for years, the MOPAR small block carried the Pentastar performance torch. There are lots of reasons why this is true, but three of the best are Availability, Flexibility, and Value.

Let's start with the most obvious: Availability. While the big blocks and HEMIS were on hiatus, Chrysler's venerable small blocks soldiered on to fight the good fight. Both the 318 and 360 warhorses saw duty in cars, trucks, vans, tow equipment, emergency vehicles, and more. They evolved from the heralded LA architecture into the equally respected MAGNUM variants, and whether through MOPAR Performance or via the scrap yard, they continued to find their way into hot rods, street rods, muscle cars, and race cars all over the world. Calling these engines prolific is an understatement. 

This availability leads us to their flexibility. Like we said, from daily drivers to heavy haulers to race-record setters, MOPAR's small block grew to fill the shoes of whatever role they were asked to play. They ditched carbs for fuel injection, tossed flat tappets for roller rockers, then packed on the inches (did we mention they're excellent method actors too?), growing more than 100 cubes in some cases to meet the needs of performance junkies everywhere. Some even went so far as to shoulder legendary numbers like 426 and 440.

As you might have guessed, their value grew directly from their availability and flexibility. Through years of research, development, refinement, and, let's face it, sheer abuse, the MOPAR small block has become well known and respected for its ability to make lots of power on a budget. And with modern power adders, they can do it with daily driver reliability. Equally important is that they fit into virtually every chassis easily, with plenty of room for maintenance and excellent chassis balance. Equally at home in a truck or a car, they have the ability to work hard and play hard. And thanks to their size and power potential, you can make lots of power with less weight, meaning they're fantastic in smaller cars where handling and stopping are as important as stomping the loud pedal and holding on tight through the rush of acceleration.

So does all this mean you should choose a small block MOPAR crate engine for your ride? We'll leave that for you to decide. But we will say that if you're looking for the perfect blend of power, size, and reliability at an extraordinarily affordable price, it's an engine worth a look.