General Motors may have a new Chevy crate engine on the way, with the automaker posting a teaser clip for an unknown new Chevy performance product on its social media pages this week.
The Chevy Performance Instagram page shared a video clip Tuesday of a mysterious V8-powered vehicle accelerating down an empty drag strip. Once the clip ends, the words “Something big is coming,” appear on the screen. Considering this is the Chevy Performance page, it seems likely this teaser clip is hinting at a new Chevy crate engine that will be marketed toward drag racers and other motorsports enthusiasts.
At last year’s SEMA360 online show, Chevy Performance unveiled a new iron cylinder block based on the 6.6L L8T V8 engine that is offered in the automaker’s heavy-duty trucks and utility vans. It seems possible this teaser clip could be hinting toward a crate engine version of the L8T V8, which, unlike the L8T block, would come fully dressed and ready for installation in a drag racing car or classic. The L8T V8 is factory rated at 401 horsepower at 5,200 rpm and 464 pound-feet of torque at 4,000 rpm.
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Since this teaser clip says something “big,” is coming, there’s an outside chance this rumored new Chevy crate motor could be even bigger than the 6.6L L8T. GM Authority reported back in 2019 that the automaker had a new engine on the way that was even larger than the L8T, so this wouldn’t be completelyy out of left field, although we still consider this scenario to be improbable.
L8T V8 block on display at SEMA
Chevy will share details on whatever this mystery performance component is this Friday, so stay tuned for all the official details once they become available.
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Comments
Turn key fuel injected of the 572? That would be monstrous
More likely to be a boosted LS/LT variant. 572 is based on such old technology, and so heavy for drag racing.
Only ~400 hp in a 6.6L V8??? That’s pretty sad considering my old L92 came stock with more back in 2007. Did we take a step back?
It’s got a low compression ratio for a direct injection engine. It’s to run at WOT without running super rich. Saves fuel while towing max. Also, look at the torque curve. Max torque is lower. At 4000 rpm vs 4400 from the LT1 it’s based from. Simply running it richer would add a chunk of power. Add on top of that higher compression heads and a hotter cam, and you are talking 500+ HP on this block. It kind of reminds me of the old vortec 8100. 460 tq at only 3000 rpm but only 350HP, but at 4000rpm. Felt like a diesel. Pulled like a rocket with a little modification and a major rebuild made 600HP easy. I’d like to have seen that one stick around for a while. It could be decently efficient with today’s skip fire tech and 8&10 speeds
I would love to see the 8.1 make a come back, as long as they fix the exhaust issues. Mine has 237k and still pulls like a dream.. just don’t forget to check the oil every once in a while
8.1 not coming back… GM would rather sell you a diesel that pulls much harder, and uses less fuel.
But to OP’s point, we have a low powered, good for towing engine being marketed for the drag strip…that requires extensive modifications to be equivalent of a 10+ yr old offering. Wut?
Re: Donovan’s comment about the big block being so heavy for drag racing ignores the fact that an LS or LT needs two turbo’s and nitrous to beat them. And how come NHRA Pro Stock still bases the rules on the big block? Sometimes, older is still better…
In this case I go to drag races, less and less BB’s every year except in classics. LS engines for the most part can be built to make big block power with far less weight. PERIOD!!!! 800 HP in an aspirated all aluminum LS is simple, don’t even need exotic parts It just comes down to cylinder heads, LS engines have available heads that will out breathe the rectangle BB heads without breaking a sweat.
As for Pro stock, when is the last time you looked inside one of those engines? Deck height? That ain’t no big block like a crate 572, nothing in common… Pro Stock runs ultra low deck height (shorter than an LS), short Honda sized connecting rods, and massive cylinder heads.
It’s probably more the availability of the LS’s more than anything else. There are just so many of them.
Its the weight… Mass reduction is critical in drag racing if you want to be fast. The old big block are obsolete for most applications, unless you are building a monster motor 600 + cubic inches, and in that case you are not using GM’s block or cylinder head layout anyway.
I remember my first 396 Chevelle, that was so awesome, but 35 years ago. Now if you want win in any racing under 1200 HP the LS/LT is the best Chevrolet platform to do it. Power to weight ratio cannot be beat, and they are fairly durable. BBC require a lot of work to live over 7000 RPM, not just the standard light weight pistons, and good rods, but also oversized lifters and pedestal rockers, which is expensive, and a lot of work, otherwise you are on borrowed time. It’s hard to make big power without big RPM in a naturally aspirated engine, BBC or LS.
Not all crate engines make killer power. Look at the ramjet 350. That was reliable power. The zz4 was underwhelming but you could beat it all day long and it would live. Maybe this engine is on that line for warranty reasons but with power adders it can be an out of warranty killer.
I had a ZZ4 motor after some mods it ran pretty good it was around 390HP.
I’d like to see a 406 crate motor with AFR heads with good 102 MM throttle body maybe a super charger belt driving not twin screws thats just my opinion
How about instead of new engines gm works on their garbage transmissions? Or just stop trying and switch over to ZF transmissions that actually work. Maybe then I wouldn’t be out of a truck for 2 months while 3 different shops, including a Chevy dealership, troubleshoot it and come up with nothing.
What transmission do you have? The 6 speed shifts better than the ZF, the 8l90 is better still.
If your talking about the 8 speed issues, it probably really is nothing. The 8 speed 1st gear is a supper low 4.5:1, and the computer is known for doing a 1-4 jump for economy reasons. The shift itself seams similar to a 1-2 flare on the old 4 speeds. if it looks like your 8 speed is slipping at low speeds, its probably that 1-4 jump and you really need a retune, not a warranty claim. some early 8 speeds had bad oil in them but it had nothing to do with the clutches themselves, but was moisture in the TQ converter. all transmissions from the factory are fixed unless you got a used unit from an incredibly negligible owner. the 8 speed otherwise is awesome! mind that the newer 6, 8 and 10 speeds all have a separate computer with its own codes that are continuously monitoring shift quality, not just the tempurature and solenoid status like the old 4 speeds. They also calculate clutch wear and will apply certain clutchs softer is they detect wear occuring and will “lock out” a clutch pack in strenuous driving if they are critical, but not go into limp mode yet. i have no complaints about these transmissions.
I’ve got the 8l90, and even after a complete rebuild it had such terrible shudder between 2-3 that I took it back in after 4 days. Everyone keeps trying to tell me there’s nothing wrong with it, but when I bought the truck used two years ago with around 16k miles on it, it didn’t do that at all. In California I am in a lot of traffic, and when I hit the gas, I want to go, I don’t want it to slip and shudder between two gears before it finally decides which gear to stay in. The Chevy dealership denied even feeling it for 2 weeks before I had to leave work early and personally drive it with one of their techs, who then, after barely 5 minutes, finally admitted to feeling what I told them it was doing. I don’t appreciate the dishonesty I’ve gotten from the Chevy dealership and I don’t appreciate having to deal with this at all with a truck barely 4 years old, with a transmission with known issues. The trans shop claims when they rebuilt it that they used the Mobil 1 fluid that the GM TSB calls for, but if this is the Chevy experience I can expect from newer trucks, being dicked around for 2 months while still paying for the truck I can’t use, count me out from anything gm has their transmissions in.
Then you must really hate ford’s and Toyotas. Their transmissions are even less decisive.
I have the 4L60E in my 2002 silverado 5.3 I had transmission rebuilt from a professional shop which I found out most shops only replace warn parts kinda stupid, anyway I got tired of all those plug and play bulldog, super chips stuff and took it to a dyno shop. It woke everything up granted I have a few things added to the motor headers, 92 MM throttle body cold air mass air sensor and now to the transmission I hated the way it shifted after the dyno tune I’ve had friends ride in my truck that have newer chevys like 2015s and newer and they all said they wished there trucks shifted like mine it does do that shifting 20 times climbing a hill or the werid shifting at inopportune times, idk if ya haven’t tried that route might be an option
I mean the point is that for how much these trucks cost, they should just work. We shouldn’t have to dump thousands of dollars into them just to make them function the way they already should. My buddy has a RAM with the 5.7 and ZF transmission, and it has more balls than I could ever get out of this 5.3, and where my trans was destroyed in 80k miles, outside of warranty, everything on his is still working perfectly. I might as well cut my losses now if I’m going to end up spending 3k every 2-3 years when this crap gm trans goes bad on me.
Donovan, I don’t know what drag races you attend, but where I go, we run Super Gas (9.90 index) and Super Comp (8.90) and I can count the number of consistent racers using an LS/LT platform on one or two fingers. And the people that are winning are running iron big blocks with aluminum heads. Want to be impressed? Go to a Million Dollar race in Florida sometime and see how many LS/LT’s are in the late rounds. By the way, our Super Comp car runs 6.20’s at 218 with the boxes off. Did I mention that it’s a big block?
Haha, bracket racing is not racing IMO…. Racing is where you push your vehicle to the limits to win the race. I have gone to races to help tune motors for a myriad of teams, and I like to be able to dial in more RPM, Lean her out, or add more timing when needed to win, I don’t want to lose on some timer. LAME! And yes, there are still lots of old timers out there with BBC power (It’s what they have, what they know, and what they have parts for), but they are easy to beat in a heads up race is my point with an LS/LT variant in an optimized car. Now for Bracket classes, that is not interesting to me, it like a Pro Stock car with traction control … 😉 Boring! What do you run for power in your Super Comp? 6:20 is fast…
Allison? Anyone? Yea
Got an 8.1 and Allison wanna run?
8.1 = Boat Anchor A good LS will run circles around it… Allison transmission for racing… No Thanks!
I think Gordom is talking to the truck transmission people, not a general comment on the article about racing one, or at least I hope so
We already have ALFADAN making an inline four 7.2l with over 600 naturally aspirated hp, so this 6.6 old school 40hp engine isn’t impressive at all. It’s not impressive against any standard.
The 6.6 was built to be in a truck.
Emery, may i mention a correction, TUNED for a truck. The block is a stroked 6.2 LT4. there is a lot you can do here with a tune, and a lot more that you can do with some head work. its an insane block! that part of the reason that GM performance sells just the block from the 6.6. it will need different headers and intake and cam if your going for extreme power. looking for a budget? wait a couple years and just pull a 6.6 out of a crashed contractor truck and give it a tune. Boom, great power on a budget.
Jake, you are clueless.. Extreme power? You are not doing that with an Intake, Cam, and headers. What you are talking about is mild upgrades, if you want to make extreme power, you need more RPM, and better breathing. Lighter weight pistons, Cam, Heads, Intake and headers would be a better start. Big power starts at 7500 RPM, below that is just playing.
What i meant with newer intake cam and heads is a new higher compression head with high flow ports and stiffer springs. a higher profile cam with significantly higher duration and you would get a 800HP naturally aspirated engine with redline somewhere around 8-9000 rpm. it would fail emission test in any state that requires emission tests and would idle terribly, but would be a beast at the drag strip. Thats why chevy performance just sells the 6.6L L8T block bare bones. for people interested in it, they are making a custom build. if you dont got money for that, stick with the LT1. if you dont got money for that, feel free to pull the regular L8T from the junk yard and start playing with it. you may be able to break 500 HP with a little work even with the stock cam and heads.
Jake, Like I said, it all comes down to cylinder heads, and to get an older small block to breathe like an LS it takes very exotic heads, with splayed valve angles, raised ports, and completely exotic intake and headers. No set of old Camelhump heads can even with thousands of dollars of porting and trick valve grinds breathe as well as a stock off the shelf LS3 head. The flow bench data does not lie… I have so much experience porting old Camelhump heads and flowing them, they are terrible compared to basic LS heads. Then you get to the LS7 heads and OH MY GOSH, those babies breathe…
You are doing everything you can to compare apples and oranges, and say …see… Bottom line, An engine is just an air pump, the displacement gives you the specific potential, and then it comes down to the cylinder heads to try to reach that potential. LS cylinder heads are awesome breathers, old Small block, not so much. Thats the bottom line. Anybody building a small block to race these days, just likes to lose is the only thing I can figure, with the same mods just about any equivalent LS will smoke it, and the LS is lighter, stronger, and has a better oiling system.
It could be something to compete against the ford 7.3 crate engine. So maybe the displacement was increased to 7 liters. That’s my guess.
GM messed up whenever they got rid of the 350
What? the 350 does not even hold a candle to the LS series… You ever looked at the designs? LS is WAY stronger on the bottom end, lighter, and just a better design all around.
Old small block cylinder heads… SUCK!!! LS cylinder heads can out breathe even GM BBC rectangle ports, We see 400 CFM in ported LS7 heads, try that in a BBC rectangle port (non aftermarket).
I will say, a 350 LT motor would be pretty cool, but its kinda too close to the 6.2 and then down on displacement. the LT1 is just such a good motor and blows away any gen 2 small block and even puts LS’s to shame.
What are you talking about? Are you stoned? Are you talking about the LT1 from 1970? Lets see… Heavy, only 370 HP, Mechanical cam, 11 to 1 compression, Terrible emissions!!!!! Not at all impressive. An LS under the same guidelines will make far more horsepower and torque, live longer at high RPM, and is lighter. Jake, it just comes down to cylinder heads, The LS blows away earlier small blocks, and most big blocks because it breathes better. If you know anything about engines you cannot disagree, this have been proven flow bench after flow bench…
negative, I’m taking about the LT1 2014 corvette. the newer LT series just in general blows away even the LS’s.
Clearly we have our wires crossed. The LT1 you are talking about is a follow on to the LS design, not a “350”… and not a “small block”. The LS/LT share nothing with older small blocks 1 and 2 generation
Interesting. Could be anything. There are plenty of large displacement LS crate engines already, but the iron L8T block has the potential to go larger than 6.6L. Guess we will have to wait until Friday.
Agree….
Wow that’s it? I’ve got a 4cyl that is putting 378awhp and 362awtq. Granted mine has been modified but will the way the people want their cars now days that’s the best y’all can do for stock? I would t even release this engine then crap numbers.
I know a guy who races Mitsus on the west coast from work. He gets probably just shy of 500HP at the crank, running just shy of 20lbs of boost and ethanol. He’s on his 2nd transmission and 3rd motor. I told him next time to grab the LV3 V6 from a junk yard, and do custom heads and a cam. It be cheaper than
Another 4 cylinder and building it up, and much more reliable. Everything’s a compromise. If you can find a motor that isn’t, hit me up. Can someone correct me? F1 motors are 1.6L V6’s that make 30psi of boost and 800 HP at 18,000rpm right? They also need rebuilt every 500 miles.
The first mistake was trusting a “GM” 4 cylinder….. most of them are European designs and junk as f
Instill GM makes a crate ENG.that can get 1,350 on pump gas I’ll stick to building my own 6.0 look what Up Chrysler gives what wrong with this picture I’ll always be a GM man I and my father retired from GM but there crate engines are to pricey and not enough HA for true drag racing in 1/8 or 1/4 mile races that drag racing happens in mainly these days it is 1/8 miles race events.
I am a fan of whatever it is because it clearly wasn’t electric.
So, what is it?
It’s Friday where is the announcement.
Is it the 2022 COPO Camaro program?