Looking at a Great Crate Engine
Purchasing a crate engine built by a reputable professional can be extremely beneficial. When your vehicle's original engine fails, crate engines are the quickest way to breathe new life into it. In the simplest terms, a crate engine is an engine that is completely assembled and delivered directly to you – in a crate. The purpose of a crate engine is to simplify the process of upgrading by providing a turnkey solution that eliminates the difficulty associated with building or rebuilding an engine.
In theory, crate engines are supposed to make our lives easier, but if you're not sure what you're looking for or what to avoid, you could end up making a costly mistake. While some builders include the block, rotating assembly, and heads, others include a camshaft, intake, and carburetor to make the installation even more efficient. In other cases, individuals adore their vehicle but are dissatisfied with its current engine performance. Custom crate engines enable these individuals to create their ideal vehicle by providing them with an engine that is tailored to their specific needs.
Here Are Your Alternatives
In general, you will come across four different types of engines during your search: remanufactured engines, rebuilt engines, used engines, and new engines.
Remanufactured engines are engines that have been rebuilt to the original manufacturer's specifications. When a builder remanufactures an engine, he or she will repair some components, reuse others, and add new components where necessary. Engines that have been remanufactured are subjected to the same rigorous testing as new engines.
On the other hand, rebuilt engines are only repaired to the extent necessary to resolve the issue that caused the engine to fail in the first place. Damaged components are disassembled and worn components are replaced to restore the engine to a safe operating condition. Unlike remanufactured engines, rebuilt engines are not subjected to the same rigorous testing as new engines.
No reconditioning or modification is performed on used engines. They are simply removed from one vehicle and made available for sale. While they are typically the least expensive engine replacement option), they are also the most prone to problems and issues.
New engines are precisely that new. Each component of a new crate engine is brand new, and the engine is built to the customer's specifications. Purchasing a new engine from a reputable builder is the best recommendation, as it is typically more cost-effective in the long run than any other engine option.
Purchasing a Crate Engine
Crate engines can be an excellent investment, but not all crate engines are created equal. There is a difference between a crate engine built by an experienced team and one built by a novice; between one built with the optimal parts mix and one built with incompatible parts; and so forth.
Consider the following five points before purchasing a crate engine for your vehicle.
1. Purchase It New:
Nobody purchases an engine anticipating problems, but many buyers who are unfamiliar with what to look for frequently encountered issue after issue. Purchasers of new crate engines encounter far fewer issues than those of remanufactured engines. Their engines offer significantly increased performance, and a significantly longer life expectancy, and, in most cases, are significantly less expensive in the long run. Whether for stock or high-performance applications, new crate engines are more reliable and provide you with the peace of mind that your engine contains no used or refurbished components.
2. Sources of Your Components:
The performance of an engine is a direct reflection of the components used to construct it. Certain builders choose the cheapest parts possible in order to maximize their profit margins on each engine. However, a perfect crate engine is one that is built with the combination of the optimal parts to accomplish an individual's goal. A noise-generating engine will have a very different component mix than a horsepower-generating engine. Additionally, the component combination used to construct your engine will affect its overall reliability and life expectancy. Your engine builder should be able to tell you precisely which components were used – which brand manufactured each component and where the components originated. Certain engine builders hope to avoid these questions by marketing their engines as high-quality despite the fact that they are packed with low-cost components from unknown Chinese brands. Many new engine builders even import their blocks from overseas, leaving the consumer with a fragile engine that is brittle and prone to crack over time. Ascertain that you have access to a parts list and double-check that the parts listed correspond to the ones installed in your engine!
3. Audit Your Builder:
Not every engine builder is a professional, and not every builder has the experience necessary to build the engine required for your vehicle. As is the case with many industries, there are unscrupulous builders out there who exaggerate their claims but deliver engines that fall short of the client's expectations. When purchasing an engine from a builder, thoroughly vet them. Inquire about references – if they've built so many outstanding engines in the past, they should be able to provide a few. Check their BBB rating to see if there have been any complaints filed against them in the past. The track record of a builder is critical; if they have a history of unhappy customers, you will almost certainly be the next one if you hire them to build your engine. On the contrary, reputable builders who have consistently delivered high-quality, high-performance engines to their customers will frequently have a large number of positive reviews and a track record of exceptional transactions.
4. Custom Means Custom:
Not only is a custom engine built to your specifications, but it is also built for your specific vehicle. Your new custom crate engine should fit snugly in the engine compartment of your vehicle, but this is not always the case. Buyers frequently find themselves replacing components to make the engine fit or adding components they assumed were included but were not. A true custom engine considers every aspect of your goals, aspirations, and vehicle. Parts are chosen to fit the vehicle precisely and to produce a final product that far exceeds the buyer's performance expectations.
5. Your Warranties:
A crate engine is a significant investment, and making such an investment without a clear and reliable warranty is a serious risk. The majority of engine builders provide a warranty, but these warranties are not always what they appear to be. Occasionally, they are written in such a convoluted manner that buyers are unaware of the omission of critical components. Occasionally, buyers have a clear warranty, but when an issue arises, the builder avoids them and is unwilling to honor the warranty's terms.
