This is a GM Performance 454 LSX that started out as a long block, it’s now been built into a high performance crate engine by the experts over at Abel Racing of Midwest City, Oklahoma and it’s now being offered for sale in brand new condition.
The 454 LSX was developed to give big block V8 horsepower and torque numbers in a small block package. It’s based on the LS7 block, though the LSX has a new cast iron block capable of reliably handling the output.
This is a GM Performance 454 LSX that started out as a long block, it’s now been built into a high performance crate engine by the experts over at Abel Racing of Midwest City, Oklahoma and it’s now being offered for sale in brand new condition.
History Speedrun: The Chevrolet LSX 454 Crate Engine
The LSX 454 was GM’s answer to an age-old American muscle car conundrum – how do you get big block-like power and torque without the size, weight, and packaging headaches of a traditional big block V8?
The engineers at Chevrolet Performance started out with a purpose-built, cast iron LSX Bowtie block, in so doing they pushed LS V8 architecture out to 454 cubic inches (7.4 liters) , and created a compact package able to produce large amounts of horsepower and torque reliably.
When the LSX 454 arrived, GM Performance Parts positioned it as a halo engine of sorts, a headline crate program, and they showed it at SEMA in 2006, rating the early engine at 620 bhp and 590 lb ft with a 6,500 rpm redline. The LSX 454 is now listed as being capable of up to 627 bhp and 586 lb ft, slightly different numbers from the original but not in any meaningful way.
Displacement is 454 cubic inches (7.4 liters) from an almost square 4.185 inch bore and 4.125 inch stroke. The foundation of the engine is an LSX cast iron block with six-bolt, cross-bolted main caps, a 4340 forged steel crankshaft with an 8 bolt flange, 4340 forged steel rods, and lightweight forged aluminum pistons.
The compression ratio is 11.0:1, meaning it can run on premium pump gas, and 92 octane is recommended.
The engine has a hydraulic roller camshaft with lift of 0.648” on the intake and 0.648” on the exhaust, cam duration is 236° on the intake and 246° on the exhaust. The block is fitted with aluminum LSX-LS7 heads with 70cc chambers, and it has 2.200 titanium intake valves with 1.610 sodium-filled exhaust valves.
Displacement is 454 cubic inches (7.4 liters) from an almost square 4.185 inch bore and 4.125 inch stroke. The foundation of the engine is an LSX cast iron block with six-bolt, cross-bolted main caps, a 4340 forged steel crankshaft with an 8 bolt flange, 4340 forged steel rods, and lightweight forged aluminum pistons.
Once fully built and ready to run, the engine weighs 550 to 575 lbs (249 to 261 kgs) depending on the induction setup and front accessory drive of course. Significantly lighter than the 685 to 720 lbs (311 to 327 kgs) of the traditional Chevrolet 454 cubic inch Mark IV big block V8.
The GM Performance 454 LSX Crate Engine Shown Here
The engine you see here is an original GM Performance 454 LSX crate engine that was bought as a long block in 2023 and then assembled by Abel Racing of Midwest City, Oklahoma.
The engine has never been fitted to a car or run, and it also comes with a GM Performance 6L80E 6-speed automatic transmission that has a 3,400 rpm stall converter, an ICT Billet eight-bolt flywheel, and a bell housing.
This engine is fitted with a Plasmaman billet anodized intake manifold and fuel rails, an ATI Super Damper harmonic balancer, a Moroso seven-quart high-clearance oil pan, Tru-Ram polished stainless steel headers, and an ICT eight-bolt flywheel.
The engine has never been fitted to a car or run, and it also comes with a GM Performance 6L80E 6-speed automatic transmission that has a 3,400 rpm stall converter, an ICT Billet eight-bolt flywheel, and a bell housing.
It also has a Michigan Motorsports coil harness, LS3-style ignition coils, a Granatelli Motor Sports throttle body, a Speartech TCM module, a GM 3-bar MAP sensor, a Wegner Automotive Black Diamond Cut 225-amp alternator, and Lokar engine and transmission dipsticks.
It’s now being offered for sale out of Oklahoma City, Oklahoma at no reserve with factory literature, a build invoice, and a bill of sale. If you’d like to read more about it or register to bid you can visit the listing here.
Images courtesy of Bring a Trailer
Articles that Ben Branch has written have been covered on CNN, Popular Mechanics, Smithsonian Magazine, Road & Track Magazine, the official Pinterest blog, the official eBay Motors blog, BuzzFeed, Autoweek Magazine, Wired Magazine, Autoblog, Gear Patrol, Jalopnik, The Verge, and many more.
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