LS VS Oldschool

[CamaroAdam73]

I'm starting to see people getting serious results out of these LS engines. With a stock bottom end, heads, intake..ext, people are able to achieve 500+ HP!! Some with boost, N20, some are just straight up N/A monsters. I've known people have been building these motors and making claims to high HP outputs, but i had only ever read about them on the internet so it was kind've hard to take them seriously.

Finally got to see one, and the dyno sheet first hand. Single turbo charged LS1 with a list of mods, outside of the turbo none of them very serious, 553 wheel horse power. Don't recall what for TQ it made but it was in the 400s.

It's kind've a kick to the teeth for guys like me, i put allot of work into my olds and i won't even come close to that. This guy had a set of stock, UNMODIFIED GM heads, and a stock rebuilt bottom end.

What do you guys think? I feel like my next engine build is going to be an LS lol.

 

[online170]

Its a great engine, but its not cheap.

The Gen1 SBC comes close for HP/$, and that will be true for a very long time since there are so many parts out there. The LS starts to get competitive once the dollar figure rises a bit.

 

[-83MONTESS-]

LS engines are pretty amazing but for me, and most people it comes down to money. I would love to be able to build an LS for my car but by time I bought a complete engine+trans and got all the swap parts I wouldnt have money left to open it up. Someday when I find my 55 bel air dream car the 496 will go in that and I will build one sick LS for the monte

 

[CamaroAdam73]

Budget is always the major factor, but this guy didn't spend that much more than i did. He bought his turbo setup used, bottom end was new, but heads intake..ext STOCK.

You can't easily bolt an older trans to one of the newer LS motors can you?

 

[oldmansmonte]

I agree with the other posters. The LS motors totally kick *ss, but its a lot of money. The guy who dyno'd my car said, the LS3 makes power "by accident". But that's a $7,500 motor vs my $2,800 - 350. I have $14,000 grand total into my Monte project including buying the car. I didn't want to have it get up to $20,000 plus for a car that would still only get $7,500 OBO on craigslist.

EDIT: But that's just me, don't let me discourage someone from putting in a kick *ss motor!

 

[King_V]

Budget is always the major factor, but this guy didn't spend that much more than i did. He bought his turbo setup used, bottom end was new, but heads intake..ext STOCK.

You can't easily bolt an older trans to one of the newer LS motors can you?

Isn't the trans bolt pattern the same as the classic Chevy 90 degree V8 pattern, with the exception of a single bolt that doesn't get used?

 

[Carlola]

I went with the classic 350 because i had never built an engine before and wanted to keep it as simple as possible. I also wanted an old school feel to the car.

That said, I would probably go the LS road if I went back in time. LS7 if money is no factor.

 

[Randy_W]

I'm an old guy and I'm hard headed, but, if you want to go fast, stay light and not spend a fortune, go LSx. I hear how expensive they are, well a stock 5.3 with a tuned pc will out run a mildly built 350 and can be be bought for $750-$1000 in the salvage yard. Unless it was an original car or some special show piece, I'd never build another big block, and I ran a pair of 540's in my Donzi. The new engines are better, period. Years of R&D paid off, and each revision gets better.

 

[OldBlue82]

I would say picking up a used LS isnt all that expensive but its all the little things that kind of add up when doing the swap (fuel system, electronics etc). They are a great bang for the buck and ive seen some cam only with minor bolt ons walk all over some high dollar gen 1 small blocks and big blocks. I picked up by lq9 (cast iron truck motor with ls2 rods and pistons) for $1500 with less than 50,000miles on it. I figured it would be tough to build a gen 1 sbc for that price that even comes close to the power of the 6.0L. I will be using the 200-4r that came with my monte ss which bolts right up to the LS engine, just need a spacer and longer bolts that gm sells to make the torque converter line up with the crank. You can also convert the LS to carb too if you dont want to mess with computers... Edelbrock sells intakes and MSD sells the controller for it, this is the route im going.

 

[lilbowtie]

No doubt LS is the future because that is what is bring built. on the other hand, as people have said, is the cheap SBC power. I have a stock L-82 350 ($100 @ swap meet) W/ iron 2.02 chevy heads a Vic w/holley and pulling 460HP