You know that the most prolific conversation about horsepower seems to be all about the LS engine in recent years. And I love them for the same reasons as most people. The engines are good, strong, and with those awesome cylinder heads they make amazing power for the money and effort. But are they the end all be all? How about the Big Block Chevrolet? Remember when having a Big Block was THE sign of how serious you were? So what about now? Which one is the better budget engine? The debate will most certainly NOT be decided here today, but that doesn’t mean we don’t want your opinion on the subject. After all, we love Big Blocks too. We love them a lot actually. But which one is best on a $750 budget? Hell, we’ll make it interesting and say you can spend another $250 on it after buying it to make it ready for your ride. Then which one do you choose?
At wrecking yards, on Facebook Marketplace, on Craigslist, or at your local swap meet, engines of all kinds can be found either fresh out of some crashed vehicle or fresh from hibernation in someones garage. In fact, most of us have someone we know that has a mythical LS7 sitting in the corner under a tarp that is new or nearly new and just sitting waiting its turn to go into some cool project.
But what about the normal stuff? We just did a search on Facebook Marketplace and found a bunch of engines of all kinds for less than $1000. Tons of LS stuff, a bunch of big blocks, and traditional small blocks from Chevrolet and Ford as well. The number is staggering actually. These two engines here we found listed for $750 each and wondered which one most of you would choose.
So tell us.
WHICH ENGINE WOULD YOU CHOOSE TO BUY FOR $750?
I like the used engine thing, especially if you know it’s history. I bought a gen 1 sbc bracket engine that had 1 short season on it for my MGB (ran 10.20 in a ’72 Chevelle) for about 20cents on the dollar, been in my MGB for 3000+ miles of obscene fun so far. As for your choice–BBC!
“Hey, did you guys know he has an MG with a small block in it?”
I have found it to be a total crapshoot at best, unless you know the history on a given engine. If you can see the thing running in person, it helps your odds.
That’s a pretty tight budget for an LS. You could need that much money for just the sensors and fuel pump. I stick with old school and go with the big block.
I’d keep looking
I’d spend the $750 on hunting down and destroying any LS powered Fords instead!