Chevy 632 Big Block: What Does The Crate Engine Cost & How Much HP Does It Have?

Chevrolet is no stranger to the big block, having built multiple during the golden era of the muscle car in the 1960s and 1970s. The automaker hasn't lost its way over the decades, either, debuting one of its most powerful big-blocks ever in 2021 — the 632. Specifically, this large lump is called the ZZ632/1000, and while that may read like a printer's part number, the name can be pulled apart and decoded.

The 632 part refers to the big-block's displacement of 632 cubic inches, or 10.4 liters. The largest big-block V8 engine ever fitted to a production car was the 500-CI Cadillac engine of the 1970s, which goes to show just how hefty this crate engine is. The "1000" part of the name relates to this engine's output, although Chevy is selling itself a little short here, as the engine actually churns out 1,004 horsepower to be precise.

You won't find this under the hood of any production Chevy models, not even the hypercar-rivalling Corvette ZR1 and recently released ZR1X. That's because Chevy only sells the ZZ632/1000 as a crate engine. That said, although Chevrolet does list it on their site, it doesn't include a price. Other outlets, such as GM Performance Parts, do mention a price and will hand over one of these incredible 10.4-liter engines in exchange for $38,065.56 at the time of writing. That's marked down from the retail price of $48,802.02.

Technical specs of Chevy's 632 big block

This engine is all about the numbers. The redline sits at 7,000 rpm, although peak power — 1,004 horses — arrives just shy of that, at 6,600 rpm. The maximum torque rating of 876 lb-ft comes in a little earlier, at 5,600 rpm, and the ZZ632 manages this naturally aspirated. Keeping this output under control requires some strong internals, and so it should come as no surprise to see that the ZZ632 uses a lot of forged components. Namely, the pistons, crankshaft, rocker arms, and connecting rods are made with forged aluminum, meaning these components can withstand higher temperatures and pressures than typical engine internals.

A ZZ632 might sound like the perfect powerplant of choice for your classic muscle car project, but it's not as simple as forking out the $38,000 for one and dropping it in. Rather, in addition to everything else you should know about crate engines, is the fact that these are never plug-and-play options. This means you'll need to do a lot of work to make the ZZ632 fit into an engine bay it never belonged to. Likely necessary mods include custom engine mounts, finding a suitable transmission, and then there is still the small matter of sorting the wiring out too. Still, if you're hands-on and can overcome such challenges, then a ZZ632 looks like a fairly cost-effective way of harnessing Bugatti power without relying on forced induction.

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