Do you have a project car that’s been sitting idle for a while? Welcome to the party! Sadly, most project cars are doomed from the start for two principal reasons: time and money. This is a pay-to-play game, and if you don’t have patience, you’ll need a lot of money. If you don’t have money, you’ll need a lot of patience. Either way, there is absolutely no excuse not to be cost-efficient in hopes that your project might one day run and drive (asking a lot, we know).
Thus, it’s smart to tackle the most important details first, and no detail is more critical and imperative than the engine you plan to use. If you want the best bang-for-buck possible, your crate engine of choice is almost guaranteed to be a V-8, and a Small-Block Chevy at that. Yet, which one would you choose and why? Well, stick around because we’ll be breaking down the best V-8 crate engine you can buy in 2025.
To give you the most up-to-date and accurate information possible, the data used to compile this article was sourced from various manufacturers and other authoritative sources, including GM Performance and BluePrint Engines.
The Chevrolet LS3 V-8 Is Still The King Of Crate Engines
No matter the eventual application or intended donor car, the Chevy LS-based Small-Block V-8 is still the go-to power unit for builders who want to maximize performance without spending an arm and a leg. Why? Simply put, no readily available crate engine is more reliable, powerful, and versatile, which has kept the Chevy LS V-8 in a dominant position in this market for decades.
Yet, if you are looking into potential power units for your swap, the first thing you may notice is that there are about a million different iterations of the Small-Block Chevy (aka the SBC), and it has never been easier than now to get lost in the sauce trying to understand and identify the differences between individual engines.
This is why if we had to pick an SBC-based engine to rule them all, the objective choice is always going to be the 6.2-liter “Gen IV” LS3 V-8. This is considering that there are three generations of LS-based SBC engines starting from 1997 until the present time to pick from, which includes over 40 different engine configurations available among them. Let’s explain what makes the Chevy LS3 so desirable and value-packed despite the incredible diversity of available options in the aftermarket.
What Makes The Chevy LS3 Special
Introduced in 2008 as the updated base engine for the C6 generation Chevrolet Corvette, the 6.2-liter (376 cubic inches) Chevy LS3 ushered in a new era of SBC performance. With 430 horsepower and 424 pound-feet of torque in stock configuration, the aluminum block-based LS3 is a development based on the earlier 6.0-liter LS2 V-8, which was the introductory base engine for the C6 Corvette back in 2005.
The 6.0-liter Chevy LS2 is already a large step forward in performance capability compared to the first LS-based SBC engine, the 5.7-liter LS1, which was introduced as the base engine for the C5-generation Chevrolet Corvette in 1997 and only made about 350 horsepower. The LS2 broke the 400-horsepower barrier for the first time as a base engine for the C6 Corvette, and the LS2 matched the capability of the high-performance LS6 found in the previous-generation C5 Z06 Corvette.
A Durable Engine That Is As Powerful As It Is Dependable
By the time the 6.2-liter LS3 came around in 2008, Chevy had over a decade’s worth of time to work out most of the kinks with the LS platform. The 6.2-liter LS3 became a clear front-runner in the naturally aspirated V-8 performance segment from the start. Compared to the LS2, the LS3 added displacement, upgraded valvetrain, high-flow cylinder heads, high-flow intake manifold, a more aggressive cam, and LS7 injectors, which meant the LS3 made 430 horsepower with relative ease. Although its power and versatility were impressive from the outset, its reliability has been cemented as legendary through decades of proven durability in performance applications.
The Best Value LS3 Engine You Can Buy
The 6.2-liter Chevy LS3 V-8 is by no means a “cheap” or even affordable engine in the grand scheme of crate engines. The truth is, nothing about building a project car from the ground up properly is cheap. Despite this being a pay-to-play game, there are still engines that offer way more value for their price than others. So while it may be far from the most affordable pick, the Chevy LS3 offers an incredible price-to-performance ratio that is undeniable. So now that you know you need a Chevy LS3, which one do you buy?
Well, let’s start with an LS3 Long Block directly from GM Performance, which will cost you $7,149 before taxes or shipping. To be specific, this Long Block package includes the oil pan, heads, and valve covers, but no intake manifold, coil packs, water pump, headers, or other accessories. This LS3 crate engine is a direct replacement intended for pre-1976 street vehicles that includes the Chevy F-Body wet sump oil pan. Yet, is this OEM option the best you can get for the money? Well, for about the same price, we think you can do better.
This is where the $7,999 BluePrint Engines 376 Pro Series LS3 Long Block comes into the picture. For less than $1,000 more, you get 530 horsepower and 495 pound-feet of torque out of the BluePrint Pro Series LS3, which is 100 horsepower more than a stock LS3. The BluePrint Pro Series LS3 achieves this increased performance by offering its bespoke aluminum cylinder heads, a significantly hotter camshaft, and an LSX-style cast-iron block as opposed to the aluminum variant found in the factory LS3. The use of a cast iron block allows for increased deck thickness, an improved water jacket design, extended cylinder skirts, and strength webbing. The BluePrint LS3-style cylinder heads also offer a slight increase in chamber size and valve size.
Cast Iron Block Vs Aluminum Block And Other Details
A cast-iron “LSX-style” LS3 block weighs about 60 pounds more than the aluminum variant found in the factory LS3 engine. Yet, if you are considering more power or forced induction down the line, you might realize the benefits of the strengthened (and heavier) cast-iron block. For direct reference, let’s discuss the LSX376-B15 available directly from GM Performance, with which this BluePrint Engines Pro Series LS3 shares many similarities.
The GM Performance LSX376 is a 6.2-liter cast-iron LS3 variant that offers 473 horsepower and 444 pound-feet of torque. The LSX376 is advertised as being built for boost, featuring a fully forged rotating assembly (forged steel crankshaft, forged powdered metal rods, forged aluminum pistons) that supports up to 15 pounds of boost at a 9.0:1 compression ratio on 87-octane gas. We’d at least run 91-octane anyway for peace of mind.
Comparatively, the 530-horsepower BluePrint Pro Series LS3 does not feature a fully forged rotation assembly (only forged rods) and also has a higher 10.7:1 compression ratio that requires a minimum of 91-octane gas. So, how much more are you paying for the luxury of that forged rotating assembly utilized in the LSX376? $5,569 to be exact, as a new LSX376 is available from GM Performance for $13,568 right now. Is that worth the significant price increase? It depends on whether you are thinking about forced induction in the near future or not.
Let’s see what you could get from BluePrint Engines for the same price point as the LSX376 Long Block from GM Performance. For $13,749, you can buy the BluePrint Pro Series LS3 in Deluxe Dressed trim, which is considered a “turn-key” powerplant. This means the package includes a Holley Terminator X Max EFI system, which includes an ECU and harness that includes a base timing map pre-configuration for this specific engine. This makes tuning setup easy while providing expandability for things like nitrous, boost, or electric fan control down the line. Other included accessories are a GM Plastic intake manifold, LS Swap oil pan, BluePrint Engines fuel injectors and rail, DBW throttle body, Throttle pedal and sensors, Spark plugs, coil packs, and wires, and a Harmonic Balancer.
However you look at it, the fully forged GM Performance LSX376 is amazing, but you are getting way more of your money’s worth with the BluePrint Pro Series LS3. With the BluePrint unit, you get the most important detail of the LSX, which is the cast-iron style block, while retaining the aggressive camshaft of the Pro Series engine. Yet, in the end, the value proposition between these two LS3 powerplants can be simplified. You can either pay $13,568 for 473 horsepower or $7,999 for 530 horsepower. Which one is the better deal? We’ll let you decide!