The modern muscle car scene just keeps getting wilder. Blame the rise of social media influencers who twin-turbo and engine swap everything, or recent factory models like the Shelby Mustang GT500 and Dodge Challenger Demon, but everyone seemingly wants 1,000 horsepower in their muscle car—and they want it now.
Of course, all the hardcore restomods also fit into a range of enthusiast projects, including simply keeping a good-old classic running for another few decades or undertaking a full-on rotisserie restoration. However your muscle car looks now—and no matter what your future plans for it might be—deciding on the right engine to power that beast comes first and foremost.
How To Choose The Right Engine
The decision comes down to a wide range of factors. First, figure out which engines will fit into the engine bay itself or plan to make serious modifications to engine mounts, firewalls, and subframes. Then, choose the number of cylinders (V8 being the obvious choice here, but maybe a Viper V10!) and whether the naturally aspirated roar, twin-turbo rumble, or supercharged whine sounds best in your imagination. And of course, figure out a budget.
One great place to price out potential powerplant options is eBay Motors, which lists everything from factory new crate engines to removed modern mills and all the way to period-correct classic motors that will probably need a ton of work to bring back to life.
Finding The Right Engine For Your Project
One consideration that seems to have largely flown out the window recently is how true to a muscle car’s heritage the engine should be—dropping a Mopar Hellcat into a Mustang might feel sacrilegious, but it will also generate a ton of clicks if that’s the goal. On the other hand, a custom-built Boss 429 displacing 660 cubic inches and capable of four-figure horsepower stats would fit into the Blue Oval theme and also bring plenty of grunt into the picture. And at $25,995 plus $750 shipping (free pickup in Hector, New York, available) this TNT Engineering build for sale on eBay Motors is blueprinted and balanced and comes with everything from the air cleaner to tuned carbs, Boss heads, an MSD distributor, and a choice of front or rear-sump oil pans.
Then again, a small-block Chevy V8 is always a good idea. The sheer parts availability and online knowledge available for custom builds using an LS engine can help even an amateur mechanic feel like a pro, plus the space and weight savings free up the choice to twin-turbo or supercharge without too much concern.
And don’t forget pricing, since eBay Motors lists a ton of different LS options like a brand-new Keith Black Racing 454ci LS6 with an aluminum block, roller cam, and a high-performance steel crank. All for only $15,000! And for about $1,800 more, the seller will even throw on a full set of billet aluminum serpentine belt components to make this LS the star of any cars and coffee or concours-style show.
One consideration that dictates a lot of the engine options for residents of regions like California involves emissions requirements. If you’re working on any muscle car built more recently than 1975, you’ll need to pass smog tests every two years. That means limiting the motor search to options that come with modern emissions equipment—or at least, for which California Air Resources Board-approved emissions equipment can be easily found—like a Ford factory Coyote V8 crate engine. Choosing the Coyote means that a Bureau of Automotive Repair referee will be much more likely to accept EGR and exhaust components from any modern Mustang and reduces the prospect of stressful biennial trips to the smog station.
Choosing Powerplants For Classics & Modern Muscle Cars
Perhaps the most popular powerplant to drop into any muscle car these days, the Dodge Hellcat supercharged 6.2-liter Hemi can provide plenty of power, gobs of torque, and the quintessential supercharger whine that makes hard launches off the line all that much more fun. And because Fiat-Chrysler (now Stellantis) sold so many Chargers, Challengers, Durangos, Jeeps, and Rams with Hellcats under the hood, finding the right one for your project on eBay Motors should take about five minutes of searching.
eBay Motors is one of the world’s largest marketplaces, offering more than 122 million unique automotive parts and accessories in the United States. Whether you're working on a restoration project, performance upgrade, or aesthetically enhancing your car, you can find the parts and accessories you need on eBay Motors. Keep the website up and the app open to score everything from body parts, engines, lighting, and steering, to tires and transmissions.
In the old days, finding a good powerplant to make up the heart and soul of a muscle car build required hunting through junkyards, gambling on unknown internals, or shelling out gobs of cash to get something built from scratch. Now, that process has been streamlined by all the engine options available with just a few clicks at the keyboard on eBay Motors.
Source: ebay.com/motors.