LT4: Chevrolet’s Most Powerful Pump Gas Crate Motor

One of the great things about the Muscle Car world is the variety of enthusiasts who all share common interests. Some prefer an all-original, numbers-matching example of vintage American iron, while others prefer to upgrade and modernize the classics using today’s latest and greatest technology. Chevrolet Performance Parts LT4 crate engine is aimed right at the latter group.

Originally appearing in the Corvette Z06, the 6.2-liter LT4 is still the most powerful engine ever offered in a production Chevrolet vehicle, according to Bill Martens, Manager of Chevrolet’s Special Programs. By offering their pinnacle production engine in crate form, it’s easy to take your beloved vintage Bowtie (or anything else you’d care to swap an LT4 into) to completely new levels of performance and drivability, while being able to fill up at any gas station on the road.

With more than 450 foot-pounds of torque from 1,000 rpm onward, the LT4 has the grunt to get even the heaviest steel-bodied bowtie moving quick, fast, and in a hurry.

With both wet- and dry-sump versions available, and the dry-sump version making an even 650 horsepower and 650 pound-feet of torque, it is the most powerful pump gas engine in Chevrolet’s lineup. If you prefer the wet-sump version, you give up 20 horsepower and 10 pound-feet of torque, but gain some oiling-system simplicity and save about $1,200 off the sticker.

The positive-displacement 1.7-liter Eaton TVS supercharger generates over nine pounds of boost to achieve those power figures out of only 376 cubic-inches, with a wonderfully-broad powerband, leaving you plenty of power to lay black stripes down the street. More than just a supercharged LT1, the LT4 differs in several key components. It has rotary-cast aluminum cylinder heads which handle the additional heat and cylinder pressures of a forced-induction application better than an aluminum head cast using traditional methods. Inside the cylinder head, the LT4 features lightweight titanium intake valves, and 65.5 cc combustion chambers, compared to the LT1’s 59cc chambers.

The 1.7L positive-displacement Eaton TVS supercharger is the key to the LT4’s position as the pump-gas king in the Chevrolet Performance Parts crate engine lineup.

In the short block is a forged steel crankshaft, lightweight connecting rods, and forged flat top aluminum pistons which make for a 10.0:1 compression ratio. A forced-induction-specific camshaft is also used in the LT4, which adds duration on the exhaust side to compensate for the additional airflow of the supercharger.

Thanks to these crate engine packages from Chevrolet Performance Parts, not only can you add serious power to your classic Muscle Car, but do it with modern drivability and reliability, all while sipping on plain-old premium gasoline. While traditionalists may disagree, we think modern powerplants in classic cars are a match made in hot-rodder heaven.

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About the author

Greg Acosta

Greg has spent nineteen years and counting in automotive publishing, with most of his work having a very technical focus. Always interested in how things work, he enjoys sharing his passion for automotive technology with the reader.
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