raylar engineering

Raylar 540cid Short Block & Complete Crate Engine


540 complete crate engine
540cid Crate Engine Kit - $14669

8.8L / 540cid crate engine kit with modified intake manifold, aluminum cylinder heads, camshaft and valvetrain.

  • Direct Replacement For Vortec 8.1L
  • Displacement: 8.8L / 540CID
  • Compression Ratio: 10:1
  • Bore X Stroke: 4.35" x 4.5"
  • Valve Lifters: Hydraulic Roller
  • Main Bearing Caps: 4-Bolt Cast Iron
  • Balance Method: Internal
  • Damper
  • Truck Balancer
  • Timing Cover (2004 and later)
  • Steel crank, rods, forged aluminum pistons
  • New Timing Gear / Cam Gear
  • ARP High Strength Head Bolt Kit
  • Cometic MLS Head Gasket Set
  • Big Power Aluminum Cylinder Heads
  • 90mm Modified Intake Manifold - core required
  • Choice Of BP-205 / BP-206 / BP-213 Camshaft
  • High Lift Valve Springs
  • Stainless Steel Roller Rockers
  • *Will require some components off original 8.1L engine.
540 crate engine
540cid Short Block - $6499

8.8L / 540cid engine block without cylinder heads.

  • Direct Replacement For Vortec 8.1L
  • Displacement: 8.8L / 540CID
  • Compression Ratio: 10:1
  • Bore X Stroke: 4.35" x 4.5"
  • Valve Lifters: Hydraulic Roller
  • Main Bearing Caps: 4-Bolt Cast Iron
  • Balance Method: Internal
  • Damper
  • Truck Balancer
  • Timing Cover (2004 and later)
  • Steel crank, rods, forged aluminum pistons
  • Industrial application camshaft, timing gear, cam gear
  • *Add $4259 for Aluminum Cylinder Heads
  • *Add $529 for Performance Camshaft
  • *Add $529 for Roller Rockers
  • *Add $380 for Head Gasket Kit

Big Power - A More Complete Burn

We've gone to great lengths to make improvements over the stock cast iron Vortec cylinder head. Our combustion chambers promote a more even burn, increasing engine efficiency, fuel mileage, improving driveability and reducing detonation in supercharged applications.

How Much Air Do Raylar Heads Flow?

Raylar big block Chevy / GMC cylinder heads out flow every 8.1L cylinder head on the market. Below are flow numbers for our standard Raylar CNC heads and our special-order CNC Extreme cylinder heads. We’ve included the Dart Iron Eagle 8.1L cylinder head in both 4.5 and 4.26 bores for comparison.

Cylinder Head Flow Comparison

High Lift Camshafts

Our BP-205 camshaft provides strong torque from idle and good horsepower with our aluminum cylinder heads.
Our BP-206 camshaft a midrange power oriented camshaft in 540+ cubic inch engines, strong power throughout the power band.
The BP-213 is our extreme race camshaft for extreme performance in all-out 540 or 600+ cubic inch engines.

Vortec 8.1L Intake Manifold Modification

vortec 8.1l 496cid intake manifold porting

For big block 8.1 liter engines not requiring maximum high-RPM airflow, we can modify your stock 496 / 8.1 liter intake manifold. This intake modification will increase airflow to your big block vortec engine and still retain stock looks and passes emissions. We remove the stock plenum blockages inside the manifold to reduce restriction and free up horsepower and smooth the individual intake runners. Intake manifold modification does not replace the GEN7R manifold but does offer about 70% as much airflow. Intake manifold modification will show gains throughout the low to midrange RPM band. Intake modification is essential if you are considering adding additional cubic inches to your 8.1L engine.