Mockup engine blocks aren’t a new idea. They allow checking the fitment of an engine in a space as well as building accessories for the engine without having to deal with lugging around a full-size, full-weight engine block. So, how is it that a mockup block won this year’s SEMA Best New Product in the Tools and Equipment category, you might be wondering. Well, by innovating, of course.

“We won the 2023 SEMA Best New Product award for the big-block mockup block specifically,” says Kelsey Bugjo, Speedway Motors’ PR and Marketing Manager. “One of the nice features of these blocks is that you can take them apart and fold them flat for storage.” Not only have they produced a dimensionally accurate replica of an engine block at a fraction of the weight of a real engine, but they have also solved an issue plaguing many of us — floorspace.

By being made of sheet metal components bolted together the SoloSwap mockup block can be disassembled into flat pieces, saving a huge amount of storage space when not in use. The design has all the same accessory mounting threads as a real block, so it’s not only a matter of having the proper outside dimensions, but also allowing for all sorts of components to be mocked up.

While it was the big-block Chevy version of the SoloSwap mockup block that won, there are a whole host of engine models available. “We have them for a large variety of engines including Ford Coyote, Chrysler Gen-III Hemi, and then a transmission mockup as well. We continue to add to the line based on demand and what people are doing,” says Bugjo. In addition to the short block and transmission versions, there are also heads available to make long-block mockups as well.

The SoloSwap is also available in a transmission variant to help make sure everything fits without having to try and wrangle an actual transmission into the tunnel.