10 Chevrolet Garbage Engines (5 That Were Beast Mode)
With Chevy, it’s a roll of the dice—one model might leave you with a total clunker, while another packs the punch of a straight-up beast.
Man, Chevy’s been cranking out engines longer than most of us have been alive, and they’ve made everything from a pint sized 4 cylinder to a growling, fire breathing V8. Chevy engines are either legendary beasts or total duds depending on the motor you’re discussing. It’s kind of a love hate thing.
Those things are royalty in the performance world when it comes to their V8s. Some of 'em are hard as rocks—harder than you and me, tough enough to set your tires on fire all day without ever breaking a sweat. However, let's face it, Chevy has a history of flops too. Some of their engines are so bad you’ll curse the day you turned the key.
Their smaller motors are decent these days: reliable, even — but you know. Look into the history books, and it’s a real history of trial and error before they got a good small engine. Ok, so buckle up because, we’re about to tell the winners from the clunkers. Without getting too deep into the weeds with it, here’s a lowdown on the Chevy engines that should be avoided and the ones that deserve a spot in your garage.
Garbage: “California” 305 V8
It was not easy times for American muscle in the 1980s. However, those big, bad V8s we all love have gotten hit hard thanks to stricter emissions regs. But in California? Oh, it was even worse. If Chevy wanted to continue selling the Corvette there, they had to neuter their small block V8 to something downright sad. With a 5 liter smallblock V8 they slapped into Cali Corvettes, they barely wrung out 180 horsepower. Cheap small blocks can be tempting to pull, but I’m gonna do you a solid and tell you that this is a hard pass.
Garbage: Copper Cooled Series C Inline 4
Whoah, a blast from the past—Chevy’s copper cooled engines were a pretty bold experiment, that fizzled out in the 1920s. The concept was being able to one up air cooling, as was all the rage at the time. It worked, as long as you made the car keep moving. These engines butted around in the roaring ’20s, but get stuck in the crazy traffic jams of the roaring ’20s and these engines became boiling messes and lost power faster than a leaky tire. Except two, every one of them was recalled and scrapped by Chevy.
Garbage: G140 1.4L Inline 4
The Chevy Chevette was never designed to attract attention; it’s about as basic as cars come. Cheap, plain and simple... It is the same for the engine. Chevy was smart enough to use a little help from Isuzu and slap in a 1.4L inline 4 that’s kid on gas but left in the power dust. How much power, you ask? A jaw-dropping 52 horsepower. Yep, that’s it.
Garbage: “Iron Duke” 2.5L Inline 4
Imagine yourself seeing a classic Chevy Camaro, what’s under the hood! You’d probably thought it would have a roaring V8. And so in 1982 Chevy decided the Camaro should have an inline-4 somehow and it was bad. How bad? How about 90 horsepower and a 0–60 time of 20 seconds? Yep, twenty. At this point, calling it a muscle car is a joke — it can barely outrun a tractor.
Garbage: Ecotec 2.2L Inline 4 (Pre-2006)
Most of the newer Ecotec engines are fine, but the pre 2006 ones? Total troublemakers. Back then, these things popped up in a lot of Chevys, and the timing chain was the biggest headache, cause it was like it was on life support and it was always needing this part or that part. It was no powerhouse or fuel s... if you even kept it running. That’s nothing to write home about.
Garbage: 3400 V6
One bad decision can sometimes make a decent engine into an all out nightmare sometimes. GM’s 60 degree V6 engines aren’t anything to write home about but they mostly do the job, all but the 3400 V6. That one’s a disaster in the making. Why? DexCool was a new coolant formula the GM decided to use and it so proved to be a ticking time bomb. Sadly, this stuff would break down into little nanobot kind of things that would eat away at the key components, like the head gaskets and you'd end up with very large coolant leaks and your engine overheating in spectacular fashion. One to definitely avoid.
Garbage: 2300 Inline 4
Another example of a good engine shot down by a bad idea was the 2300 inline-4 of the Chevy Vega. While using a silica coating on the cylinder walls to avoid the standard sleeves proved to be clever for Chevy. Innovative? Sure. When cooling issues cropped up, however, that fancy coating came off like a cheap magician's addition, and everything went to hell in a hurry. And seriously, it’s damaged to the point where some engines literally self destruct.
Garbage: 350 Diesel V8
GM’s most hated old engine is the Olds Diesel. Diesel engines got a dirty, underwhelming reputation for good reason—this thing. It was a total mess. It was basically a diesel V8 slapped together from a gas V8. It was pathetically weak with only 120 horsepower, but that’s not even the worst part. One drove clunky, rough, awful. It’s no wonder why it’s a legend for all the wrong reasons.
Garbage: 267 Small Block V8
They are icons—there isn’t another car company out there sporting small block V8’s that are as tough, dependable, and as built to pack a punch. Of course, then there’s the 267, the oddball that skipped that memo altogether. One of those dropped into the lineup during the dark days of emissions controls in '79, this pint sized V8 'borrowed' parts from the beloved 350 and left the performance at home. The car struggled along for only three years before Chevy put it out of its misery and followed it up with the equally underwhelming 305 V8 we’ve already roasted. What a letdown.
Garbage: LD2 Quad 4 (Pre-1995)
Let’s get one thing straight: The Quad 4 isn’t a bad engine after all. In fact, their tuning potential made the later versions famous. But what about those first generation models? They were a mixed bag. Sure, 150 horsepower out of a small motor was certainly impressive back then, but they didn't include balance shafts and the experience driving them was abrupt, like a paint shaker in the hood. Later versions straightened things out, but if you want comfort steer clear of the OG Quad 4.
Beast Mode: L65 327 V8
Today, we’re living the dream with muscle cars galore and tons of killer crate motors for your project builds. However, we have to remember that this expression of power mania began. Enter the 'Mighty Mouse.' A decade earlier Chevy’s small block V8 first appeared, and back in 1963 this evolution cranked out 375 horsepower. So good it ended up in just about every high performance Chevy from that era. Talk about a legend.
Beast Mode: L27 427 V8
I mean, it’s easy to see what today’s muscle cars put out—700 horsepower straight from the factory—and think the old school rides weren’t so impressive. Now in 1969, what would become the Dodge Demon of its day, was the Yenko Camaro. In 1969, they factory built a beast and while it only packed 425 horsepower, that thing scared the piss out of every other car on the strip.
Beast Mode: LS6 454 V8
Of course, long before Chevy’s LS V8s literally took over the streets and drag strips, there was a one year only Chevelle LS6, a masterpiece of 1970. But, this beast had it's very own 454 big block V8, putting out an unbelievable 450 HP! In 1970. Talk about ahead of its time. These days, very few LS6 Chevelles exist, but if you ever come across one you’ve got one hell of a classic muscle car.
Beast Mode: LS7 427 V8
Now that LS1 is here, Chevy’s been on a roll, refining and improving the engine about like it’s a lifetime love affair. The LS7, meanwhile, is a factory crate motor that’s pure fire power. Drop this beast into just about anything because it can easily be tuned and modded to unleash further fury. The stock 505 horsepower isn’t not that impressive—plenty monster right out the door.
Beast Mode: LS9 376 V8
I’m sure you’ve seen a C6 Corvette ZR1 in your day and noticed that little window in the middle of the hood. Under that window is pure magic as the supercharged LS9 is the most powerful small block Chevy ever built at the factory. And of course it’s an absolute rocket with 638 horsepower. The LS engines have no right to status as legends, but there’s a reason they’ve earned it.
Ranking The 10 Best Engines Chevy Ever Used In Their Cars
Whether it came in the form of Camaros or Corvettes, Chevy has made some seriously cool cars, and they’re made so because of the engines under the hood.
Any car is essentially built around the engine, romantically known as the heart of the car, whether you’re wrenching on a Restomod project in your garage or a race car for the track. There are many Chevrolet engines to choose from, and if you’re in the market, you know it can be overwhelming, but Chevy engines have a reason they are a favorite of enthusiasts.
Founded on November 3, 1911, Chevrolet was an American automobile maker that was started by William C. Durant and Louis Chevrolet, who had formerly started GM. One of the original heavy hitters in the sports car world, Chevrolet has been turning out some of the most powerful vehicles ever for years from the very beginning.
September 1954 was revolutionary in that Ed Cole’s revolutionary lightweight V8 hit the scene wrapped in the stunning all new '55 Chevy design. This small but still mighty engine quickly became the darling of speed junkies everywhere dethroning their beloved flathead Ford in the heat of the Chevy Ford rivalry.
Fast forward to today and V8 Chevy engines not only rescued the Corvette from extinction, but helped create Chevrolet into being the producer of the most dominating domestic engines of all time.
10) LS9/LSA
With 638 horsepower and 604 lb-ft of torque, the LS9 puts Chevy’s LS series in a class by itself. Now already a favorite amongst the engine swappers, these high powered, lightweight V8s have been fit into everything from early Mazda RX-7s to whatever project you can imagine. The LS9? That’s the biggest edgeline game changer in the lineup.
GM’s Corvette used the supercharged 6.2 liter LS9 V8 to return the Corvette to the forefront of the world’s high performance cars. When it finds its home on the LSA in the Cadillac CTS-V and in the 2012 Camaro ZL1, the LS9 helped solidify Chevrolet’s position as a world leader in performance engineering.
9) 7.0 Liter Corvette C6.R
From its first race, the Corvette Racing C6.R dominated its golden age with a string of jaw dropping achievements. 39 GT1 class wins, three consecutive championship titles running from 2005 to 2008, a streak of 12 straight victories from 2005 to 2006 and an incredible run of 25 consecutive victories from 2007 to 2009. Pure racing glory.
Released from constraints, the LS7.R could rev to a howl of 8,000 RPM, at least according to Katech, which placed its power at an estimated 500 pony plus. When I say early 2000s, this engine was very, very unstoppable.
8) LS7
The LS7 wasn’t just another GM smallblock V8, but was the 550hp engine on which the Chevrolet C6.R cars in the American Le Mans Series raced. That’s the LS7, and thanks to its incredible performance, has earned legendary status within the automotive world.
The LS7 powered the sixth-gen Corvette Z06 and 427 Convertible and fifth gen Camaro Z/28. In the Z06, it made a solid 505 horsepower—75 more than the standard Corvette. "In every sense that's a true upgrade."
7) LT1
Although it wasn’t the first engine to dip into 300+ horsepower, it was one of the first affordable engines to do so. Aluminum block and the naturally aspirated 6.2-liter LT1 V8 is available with wet-sump or dry-sump oiling, as is practical and powerful.
With an 11.5:This small block makes 460 horsepower at 6,000 RPM and 465 lb-ft of torque at 4,600 RPM in the Chevy Corvette C7 Stingray at 1 compression ratio. The result? It's a performance boost that puts it far beyond the base Corvette.
6) LT5
The LT5 was a departure from the traditional, small block design, a game changer. This incredible Vette was a global collaboration. The motor that wasn’t built in house debuted in the first Corvette ZR-1 in 1989; it was developed by GM but designed by Lotus Engineering.
The LT5 was a groundbreaking engine that paved its own way, not following in Chevy's small block mould, a truly global effort that gave us one of the greatest Vette ever. They used the LT5 in the first Corvette ZR-1 in 1989, but here's the kicker: GM didn't build it in-house. And instead, Lotus Engineering was brought in to develop this car.
But, originally, Lotus was supposed to build the LT5 from the ground up, pumping out 400 horsepower. However, GM had other ideas—they wanted to bury elements of their existing small block V8 into it. Since then however, Lotus found themselves in the need to tweak their design to fit with what GM was after, combining new innovation with familiar foundations.
5) L78 396 TurboJet
Chevy’s big kahuna of big block performance engines was the L78 396 c.i. V8, which powered mid size and smaller muscle cars from 1965 to 1970. This engine was put together with Chevrolet performance parts and a healthy dose of Chevrolet performance DNA that was meant to make a statement—that is, if it ever hit the professional racing scene again, which it never quite did.
In February 1965, Chevy replaced the 409s with two Turbo Jet 396 'big-blocks.' One was a 325-hp torque machine called the RPO L35 with oval port heads and high velocity pistons. It’s just that this was what one of Chevy’s strongest engines ever. Fun fact, Chevy actually downplayed this thing’s true power for reasons only they know.
4) 265 V8
This small block V8 debuted as the key engine starting in the 1955 model year and powered more than half of the new Chevys sold in the model year, the same as 1956. But by the time its real production run wrapped up sometime after mid-1957, it already made its mark. It powered cars, but it also changed the course of automotive history.
Over the past few decades, small block V8 engines have been in everything from European cars and JDMs, to race cars, off road trucks, boats, and even custom bikes. The small block Chevy as been the blue print for modern V8's. Its basic and flexible design have become universally used and remained classics in the automotive world.
3) 427 “Mystery” Engine
Even the legendary Chevy 427 Mystery Motor is one GM distanced itself from, but let there be no mistake—this engine, created by Chevrolet, is what set the stage for what became the family of Big Blocks. P.J. O'Rourke has become a legend in his own right, and it’s still turning heads. Take a peek as the Motor Trend team tests this Mystery Motor on the dyno.
The topic of debate with the Chevrolet Mystery Motor is of course whether Chevrolet or rival Ford technically made the car, which famously powered Junior Johnson to victory in the first 100 mile qualifying race at the 1963 Daytona 500. The engine had been designed as a replacement for the 409ci W-motor and was built with one thing in mind: NASCAR glory.
2) 409 V8
While it was a bit of a dead end to Chevy's high performance story, the 409 V8 is an interesting bit of Chevrolet history. An almost forgotten engine, it deserves a second look. It was founded in 1958, having been introduced in 348 W Series V8 the year before.
The Beach Boys’ classic hit is probably the 409’s best known connection, but strangely, since the car was around for 37 years, it’s probably what most remember it for today. This engine was packing up to 425 horsepower back in its prime, making it a no brainer for any GM fan seeking wins in NHRA Stock and Super Stock drag racing.
1) 302 Small Block
The small block DZ Chevrolet 302 cubic inch engine is one of Chevrolet’s most legendary small blocks. This powerhouse, known for its unique design and storied legacy in both road and drag racing, brought home back to back Manufacturer Championships in 1968 and 1969. An icon deserves a fitting tribute, and Chevy rolled out a brand new crate engine to celebrate the small block’s 65th anniversary.
For its take on the Mustang of the era, Chevy took the block of a 327 cubic engine, but the crankshaft of a 283 cubic engine, making a 302.4 cubic displacement. The result? The epic Ford and Chevy 302 engine rivalry gearheads are still talking about to this day.
