The small-block Chevy 350 is one of the most popular engines ever made. Displacing 350 cubic inches (or 5.7 liters), the 350 is the quintessential Chevy V8 built on a decade of small-block evolution. Chevy debuted its first small block V8 in 1955 with the 195-horsepower, 265 cubic-inch Turbo-Fire. It continually modified the engine to notable iterations like the 283-hp 283 Super Turbo-Fire and the 327, which featured mechanical fuel injection in the Corvette with up to 360 horsepower.
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While the Chevy 350 small block, with its 4.00-inch diameter cylinders and 3.48-inch crankshaft stroke, isn’t the biggest V8 from General Motors, it’s powered several classic Chevrolets through the years. Muscle cars like the Camaro, Nova, Chevelle, and Corvette have featured the 350 under their hoods. In addition, it’s found its way into sedans, coupes, and pickup trucks across the GM lineup.
Chevy no longer makes a production vehicle powered by the 350 small block but still offers it as a crate engine in multiple configurations. If you can’t find a genuine Chevy 350 V8 to your liking, companies like BluePrint Engines manufacture GM Small Block Compatible versions as well.
Chevy 350 small block crate engine options
Chevy 350 small block crate engines are available in short block, long block, deluxe, and turnkey forms. Horsepower ratings range from 210 from the L05 Gen 1 crate engine designed for 1987 to 1995 pickup trucks to the 420-hp 350-cubic-inch ZZ6 EFI.
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GM Performance crate engine prices range from $4,276.48 for the small block SP/ZZ Partial 350 engine to the ZZ6 EFI Turn-Key crate engine priced at $13,671.88. The BluePrint Engines 350 crate engine comes in long block form for $4,649, a Base Dressed Carbureted version for $5,149, or a Deluxe Dressed complete with water pump, fuel pump, fuel lines, and plug wires for $5,549.
The BluePrint Engines 350 small block crate engine provides 341 horsepower and 371 lb-ft of torque. The four-bolt-main BluePrint cast-iron block features a 1-piece rear main seal along with provision for a mechanical fuel pump and clutch linkage attachment. Custom BluePrint aluminum cylinder heads come with 64cc combustion chambers, 2.02-inch diameter intake, and 1.60-inch diameter exhaust valves. A cast crankshaft, forged connecting rods, and hypereutectic pistons round out the rotating assembly with a 9.2:1 compression ratio.
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The GM Performance ZZ6 crate engine provides 420 horsepower and 408 lb-ft of torque with upgraded components like a shot-peened forged-steel crankshaft, Aluminum Fast Burn-style cylinder heads, and a 9.72:1 compression ratio.
