Ok, I’ll be honest: I don’t get the LS hate. I don’t. I kind of understand the desire to keep the engine and car make together, but honestly, how can you hate an engine that can take a hell of a lot of boost, nitrous, and can be located in yards and Craigslist listings all day long? I’m sure I’ll get the answers in the comments, so I’ll just sit and wait. Why am I waiting? Because I did what I’ve done for the last couple of LS Fests…I had to search around and find every possible non-GM product that was packing…yep, I hear the groans and moans now…LSX power.
Do me a favor, though: instead of clamoring for my head on a silver platter, answer me something: with any of these rides, why would the original engine get thrown away for an LSX? I can answer for one car, the late-model Charger: it was a 2.7L V6 car, and NOBODY wants the 2.7 V6, even if it runs flawlessly…which is only a matter of time before they blow the hell up from oiling issues. After that…go price late-model Hemi engines and do some cost-comparison. That’s one car…here is a bunch more! Click on a photo below to see them, if you can stomach it.
You don’t get the idea of LS hate Bryan?
Well maybe you had your imagination surgically removed at birth – that’s a common complaint of these LS swappers who can’t be bothered to go against the flow and find a more original motor to swap into their pride and joy.
Not that I’d have any pride and joy being dragged around by something with an LS under the hood!
I’m 49 and bleed Dearborn Blue. It’s not just the “LS in everything” It’s decades of SBC Everything-it’s “Corporate Engines” . It’s Buick Pontiac and Oldsmobile losing their identity and for Olds and Poncho’s losing EVERYTHING. Yes cheap and easy but it’s just like the one next to it and next to it and, well you get the idea. I like the fact that my mod motor is OHC harder to work on parts are more expensive but my factory 4.6 2V with lots of bolt ons and an NX plate system went 130k miles and ran 4 Drag Weeks before a bad nitrous tune melted the electrodes on 6 plugs on one pass. So I drove it with NO GROUND STRAPS ON 6 PLUGS to a parts store ( thanks to the MSD coils I’m sure the Reps at DW15 couldn’t believe the car still ran when I showed them the plugs) replaced the plugs and ran 3 more tracks to finish the event. Looked and looked and found a rebuilt 4.4 2V with ARP bolts and studs Manley rods and pistons and aftermarket cams for $800 ran out of time so missed DW16. It can be done without running an LS. So all you non Chevy guys- JUST SAY NO!!!!
Sorry rebuilt 4.6 not 4.4 smart phone typo
I love hot rodded oddball engines (or hot rods WITH odd ball engines), but if one has a limited budget and wants the best bang for that buck, it’s hard to beat a LS (just like it was hard to beat a SBC for the same reason from the late 50’s through the end of the century).
The anti’s are tilting against windmills. Low cost will always chase the appropriate economy of scale. Personal vendettas won’t change that.
IMHO all modern engines are ugly, but I’ve been reading the articles about turboed LS’s and I’ve got a candidate to house one. I want to go fast on a budget.
heheh…. awesome post, I vote for an LS swap of the day. Call it Cardio for Gordie….. lolololol *snort* lolololol
I’m not a fan of many LS swaps, but I do think the Fox Mustang is a good match for an LS.
With how fragile the stock block 5.0 motor is, an LS solves that. Add to the plus colum that the LS is the most evolved pushrod 2 valve motor with intake port spacing and exhaust that resembles a Ford Windsor more than a SBC – well black and white starts to blur to gray.
Want your distributor up front? Well there’s a kit for that. I really think the LS swap is very natural for a Fox Body Mustang
There’s a ’55 Chevy in this gallery. Just sayin’.
Thumbs up for the LS swap. Thumbs up for *all* hot rodding, brand fidelity or not.