Photo: Chevrolet
According to Chevrolet Performance, "something big is coming" on July 30th. The Golden Bowtie doesn’t go into further detail on this launch, but it’s not exactly hard to guess what the Chevy brand is talking about.
Remember SEMA360 from the beginning of November 2020? That’s when the Detroit-based automaker premiered a cast-iron block in the guise of the L8T, a sturdy piece of metal based on the LT fifth-gen engine architecture.
The biggest difference over the fourth-generation V8 family is the adoption of direct injection. The positions of the intake and exhaust valves also differ from the LS architecture, along with the Dynamic Fuel Management system that alternates between 17 firing orders to improve MPG whenever possible.
What makes the L8T special, you ask? For starters, the cast-iron block makes it perfect for heavy-duty and high-output applications. In the Silverado HD and Sierra HD pickups, the series-production engine belts out 401 horsepower at 5,200 revolutions per minute and 464 pound-feet (629 Nm) at 4,000 revolutions per minute on good ol’ 87-octane regular gasoline.
Engineered specifically for durability, the L8T flaunts a compression ratio of 10.8:1 and forged connecting rods. The crankshaft is forged from steel as well, and interestingly enough, the 6.6-liter powerplant doesn’t use fuel-saving technologies such as the aforementioned DFM or the older AFM. The L8T doesn’t even have automatic stop/start, which is understandable because fuel and emissions regulations for three-quarter-ton and one-ton workhorses are much less strict in comparison to the half-ton truck segment.
Priced at just under $2,000 excluding shipping, the L8T cast-iron block is just that: a block that needs plenty of hardware and software in order to fire up. Considering that the L8T features the largest displacement in the LT engine family, “something big is coming” definitely refers to a crate engine.
Because the LT1 aluminum block retails at less than $2,000 and an LT1 crate engine costs around $8,500, the L8T clearly isn’t going to be cheap.
The biggest difference over the fourth-generation V8 family is the adoption of direct injection. The positions of the intake and exhaust valves also differ from the LS architecture, along with the Dynamic Fuel Management system that alternates between 17 firing orders to improve MPG whenever possible.
What makes the L8T special, you ask? For starters, the cast-iron block makes it perfect for heavy-duty and high-output applications. In the Silverado HD and Sierra HD pickups, the series-production engine belts out 401 horsepower at 5,200 revolutions per minute and 464 pound-feet (629 Nm) at 4,000 revolutions per minute on good ol’ 87-octane regular gasoline.
Engineered specifically for durability, the L8T flaunts a compression ratio of 10.8:1 and forged connecting rods. The crankshaft is forged from steel as well, and interestingly enough, the 6.6-liter powerplant doesn’t use fuel-saving technologies such as the aforementioned DFM or the older AFM. The L8T doesn’t even have automatic stop/start, which is understandable because fuel and emissions regulations for three-quarter-ton and one-ton workhorses are much less strict in comparison to the half-ton truck segment.
Priced at just under $2,000 excluding shipping, the L8T cast-iron block is just that: a block that needs plenty of hardware and software in order to fire up. Considering that the L8T features the largest displacement in the LT engine family, “something big is coming” definitely refers to a crate engine.
Because the LT1 aluminum block retails at less than $2,000 and an LT1 crate engine costs around $8,500, the L8T clearly isn’t going to be cheap.
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