Dart 427ci short motor - assembled

Dart 427ci short motor - assembled

The factory GM LS engine block is an astounding thing, back when the LS1 came out it was said that the block was good for 500hp, anything over that and you’re rolling the dice and the stakes were high! 500hp came and went very quickly and today, standard bottom end (SBE) LS engines is its own drag racing class and with some crazy boost control, exotic race fuels and full on race chassis, they are running into the 7’s over the ¼ mile… astounding!!

So, why build an engine, and even more whys do I need to change the block? Building a SBE race motor that’s designed to do around 10-15 miles total in its whole life is one thing, building an engine that will do 60,000+ kilometres reliably is another. While the factory short block is amazing - as discussed above, it is far from indestructible. A good set of conrods, a steel crank and forged pistons can only do so much and if the block starts to move around or it splits a bore, expecta big repair bill and the chances are that your good crank, conrods and pistons are now junk.

Enter the Dart SHP LSNext Iron block, from Dart Machinery. Richard Maskin founded Dart in 1981 in a two-car garage in Michigan, USA. In the years since Maskin started his business with a desk and a telephone, Dart has become the proven leader in aftermarket cylinder heads, intake manifolds and engine blocks. The SHP LSNext iron block is rated to 1500hp but just like the LS1 in 1999, the rating does not give a true indication of what the block is capable of supporting. And if you need more piece of mind than that, we can offer the SHP LSNext Pro that is made of a superior iron compared to the regular SHP LSNext.

We recommend replacing your aluminium LS block at or around 900hp flywheel (500kw at wheels).