Where to Buy a Crate Engine Online: A Complete Buyer’s Guide

If you’ve searched for where to buy a crate engine, you’ve probably run into the same wall most builders do.

Results are a mix of builder storefronts with no stock shown, forum threads arguing brand loyalty, and listings that don’t say whether the engine is a bare block or a running, dressed unit. For a purchase this size, that’s not good enough.

This guide covers where to buy a crate engine online, what actually drives the price, and what the warranty really covers, brand by brand, because it isn’t the same deal across sellers. We cite manufacturer warranty pages directly, and we say when their terms don’t line up with what’s published here.

UniversalEngineParts.com is an independent parts retailer. BluePrint Engines, Chevrolet Performance and ATK High Performance are each trademarks of their own companies.

In This Guide

• Buying a crate engine online: the short version
• Check fit before you order
• What actually drives crate engine pricing
• Featured in-stock models
• Warranty: what’s actually covered, brand by brand
• Shipping: what to actually expect
• Common mistakes buyers make
• When to get help before you buy
• Tell us about your build
• FAQs

Where to Buy a Crate Engine Online: The Short Version

Universal Engine Parts lists crate engines for sale from six-plus builders in one searchable category, rather than spread across individual crate engine suppliers’ own sites.

You can browse the full crate engines category here. It currently runs over 600 listings, filterable by price and stock status, though not yet by brand or displacement.

If you want to buy a crate engine online with confidence rather than guesswork, three things are worth confirming first.

1. Which configuration you’re actually buying: short block, long block, dressed, or a full turnkey combo. The price difference between those is often bigger than the difference between brands.
2. What the warranty actually covers for that specific brand, since terms vary more than most buyers expect.
3. How the engine ships, and what to check before you sign for it.

The rest of this guide covers all three.

Check Fit Before You Order

A crate engine listing can match your displacement and still be the wrong engine for your build: bolt pattern, accessory drive, oil pan configuration and balance (internal versus external) can all rule out an otherwise perfect listing.

Run your vehicle and the engine’s specifics through the site’s own Compatibility Check tool before you order.

The tool gives a fast, advisory result rather than a guarantee. For best results, treat anything short of a clean “Compatible” as your cue to confirm with support before ordering, not after the engine ships.

If you’re still deciding which configuration and spec level fits your build, our crate engine buying guide walks through short block versus long block versus dressed versus turnkey, and how to budget for the parts a “complete” engine often doesn’t include.

What Actually Drives Crate Engine Pricing

Horsepower and displacement get the attention, but configuration moves the price more.

A bare long block, a dressed engine with accessories, and a turnkey combo with a transmission and wiring harness can carry very different price tags at the identical horsepower rating. Our best crate engines for sale roundup illustrates this with real price tiers from the catalog, and makes the point directly: “The best crate engine for sale is not the one with the highest horsepower number or the lowest price.”

Brand matters too, but less than most builders assume. A base long block from a major manufacturer and a comparable stage-1 build from a performance builder can land close in price once you account for what’s actually included.

Featured In-Stock Models

Three current listings illustrate the range buyers are typically comparing.

BluePrint GM 350 390 HP long block (BP3505CT)

A long block configuration from BluePrint Engines, built around the small-block 350 platform. BluePrint markets its engines as dyno-tested before shipment; confirm exactly what’s included (accessories, oil pan, balancer) against the product listing, since “long block” definitions vary by builder.

ATK GM 350 390 HP Stage 1 (HP89)

A Stage 1 build from ATK High Performance at a comparable displacement and output to the BluePrint listing above, useful for comparing two builders’ take on the same spec.

Chevrolet Performance 350 base long block (19432780)

A factory-sealed base long block from GM’s own Chevrolet Performance division, the option builders reach for when factory-sealed provenance matters more than aftermarket stage upgrades.

Current pricing, exact spec sheets and stock status are shown on each product page rather than reproduced here, since all three change over time. Always check the live listing before budgeting.

Warranty: What’s Actually Covered, Brand by Brand

This is where crate engine buyers get burned, because “it has a warranty” means something different for every brand on this page. Here’s what’s actually published, and where it’s unclear.

BluePrint Engines. The warranty information page lists BluePrint’s coverage as 30 months, unlimited miles, parts only, requiring professional installation and registration.

BluePrint’s own warranty page states something different: “30-Month / 50,000 Miles — Parts and Labor” for complete engines, with a shorter 12-month parts-only term for bare blocks.

Those two descriptions don’t fully agree on the mileage cap or on whether labor is included. Confirm the exact term for your specific configuration before you order.

Chevrolet Performance. UEP’s warranty page states 12 months, unlimited miles, parts only, unless an authorized GM dealer performs the installation.

Chevrolet’s own owner-support page references a GM Powertrain warranty table for performance engines showing a 24-month or 50,000-mile term. The page doesn’t clearly isolate crate-engine-specific terms from its broader catalog, though.

Treat the 12-month figure as the one to plan around unless GM confirms otherwise in writing for your engine.

ATK High Performance. ATK isn’t listed on the warranty information page at all. We could not find published warranty terms for ATK engines on the site. If you’re considering an ATK build, ask for the warranty terms in writing before you order, rather than assuming parity with the other brands here.

Ford Performance and Mopar/HEMI (not pictured above, but stocked in the same category): UEP’s page lists both at 24 months, unlimited miles, parts only, unless installed by an authorized dealer of that brand.

Ford Performance’s own warranty page confirms Ford-branded products carry a defects warranty at time of sale. It doesn’t publish crate-engine-specific terms on the page itself, pointing instead to a separate warranty statement document.

For every brand, read the engine’s own product listing on top of the general warranty page; terms can vary by specific part number even within one manufacturer.

Shipping: What to Actually Expect

Crate engines ship as palletized freight in a secured wooden crate, not as a parcel. Carriers used for this include DHL Freight, DB Schenker, UPS Freight and FedEx Freight.

Freight cost is calculated at checkout from the engine’s weight and your destination rather than shown as a flat rate up front, and US and Canada delivery windows run 7 to 14 business days as an estimate, not a guarantee.

Before you sign for delivery, inspect the crate for visible damage, note anything on the carrier’s paperwork, and photograph it before you unbox the engine. Full steps are on the shipping information page.

Common Mistakes Buyers Make

• Assuming “long block” means the same thing across every builder.
• Budgeting the engine price alone, without the accessories a turnkey build needs.
• Treating all crate engine warranties as equivalent, when terms genuinely differ by brand.
• Skipping the compatibility check because the displacement matches.
• Not confirming ATK’s (or any unlisted brand’s) warranty terms before ordering.
• Signing for a damaged crate without noting it on the carrier’s paperwork.

When to Get Help Before You Buy

If you’re deciding between a dressed engine and a turnkey combo, or between two brands at the same displacement, it’s worth asking first.

Use the Compatibility Check page for a fast fit check, or Contact Us with a specific question. For a build you want to talk through in detail, book a Technical Consultation before you order.

Our crate engine warranty guide is also worth reading in full before you buy, since it covers how to read a warranty term the way a builder should, not just the headline number.

Tell Us About Your Build

Builders know things no spec sheet does. Answer any of these in the comments to help other readers of this guide.

• Which brand and configuration did you end up buying, and why?
• Did the actual included accessories match what you expected from the listing?
• How did your warranty claim (if you ever filed one) actually go?
• What’s the one thing you wish you’d confirmed before ordering?

Share what you can, and we’ll join in with general guidance. Please don’t post personal contact details or payment information.

Before You Go

Not sure which crate engine fits your build? Send us your vehicle, intended use, and budget, and we’ll help you narrow it down.

• Browse the full crate engines category by price and stock status
• Run a Compatibility Check before you order
• Contact our team with any fitment or warranty questions

The more detail you send, the faster we can help you choose.

UniversalEngineParts.com is independent and is not affiliated with, endorsed by or sponsored by BluePrint Engines, General Motors/Chevrolet Performance, ATK High Performance, Ford Motor Company, Stellantis/Mopar, or any other engine manufacturer named in this guide. Each brand name is a trademark of its respective owner, used here only to identify the engines we sell. Warranty terms shown are as published on this site and the manufacturers’ own pages at the time of writing, and may not match exactly; always confirm the current term in writing for your specific part number before ordering.

Where to Buy a Crate Engine Online: FAQs

Where can I buy a crate engine online?

Universal Engine Parts lists crate engines from multiple builders in one searchable category, filterable by price and stock status, so you can compare configurations and brands before you check fit and order.

Where can I buy a crate engine with a warranty?

Every crate engine sold here carries the manufacturer’s own warranty, but the terms differ by brand: see the brand-by-brand breakdown above before assuming any two engines are covered the same way.

What’s the difference between a short block and a long block crate engine?

A short block is the bare bottom end (block, crank, rods, pistons); a long block adds the cylinder heads, valvetrain and timing components. Neither includes accessories like the intake, carburetor or wiring, which a dressed or turnkey build adds.

Is a cheaper crate engine from a smaller builder worth it?

It depends on what’s included and what the warranty actually covers, not the sticker price alone. Compare configuration and warranty terms side by side, not just displacement and horsepower.

How long does crate engine shipping take?

Published delivery windows for the US and Canada are 7 to 14 business days, quoted at checkout based on weight and destination, shipped as palletized freight rather than parcel.

Do all crate engine brands offer the same warranty?

No. Coverage length, mileage caps, and whether labor is included vary by brand, and in at least one case (ATK) terms aren’t published on this site at all. Confirm in writing before you order.

Does installing the engine myself affect the warranty?

For several brands listed here, professional installation (sometimes by an authorized dealer specifically) is a condition of full coverage. Check the brand’s specific terms before you install.

Can you help me pick between two crate engine options?

Yes. Send us your vehicle, intended use and budget through a Compatibility Check or Contact Us, and we’ll help you compare configuration and warranty, not just price.