You have to remember the laws were written long before LS engines were even dreamed of. As long as your engine isn't older than your car, it burns clean, and has all of the donor motor's emission systems and parts in place there is nothing to worry about. I agree the law should be as long as it burns clean enough it's legal. The car will be tested for the standards of the year of the new engine, no longer the car's year. However the law is written with the 3 points I just listed must be met, just burning clean isn't enough for them (as unfair as that is). That is the reason GM sells the E Rod crate LS3 packages, nice legal setup for most cars but not cheap. States can do and say whatever they want but fed emission laws have final say over state emission laws. When a state doesn't enforce emissions enough to suit the feds, the feds deny the state DOT funding. The problem is the law is lagging behind the technology as usual.
Most LS swaps I have seen in person and online are not done legally, of course I can say the same about most engine swaps in general. This thread is about LS vs oldschool and emissions is a factor in that which many of us still have to contend with even though it is not a popular subject around these parts. Unpopular enough that members post dead horse picture memes in am attempt to just shut down the discussion. One drawback of going with LS in a strict emission area is that you are forced to update the car to OBD2 emission standards, even installing a OBD2 ALDL under the dash, DBW, and connecting the SEL light to the LS PCM. In such areas it's easier and cheaper just to reuse the original emission system with a SBC or SBO rather than buying a complete donor car for a complete LS swap and dealing with the grey legal areas. Such as installing twin pup converters by the exhaust manifolds. Now in less strict areas where I am guessing most of the forum posters are from, can just slap together whatever combinations and hybrids of new and old tech without a second thought. Such people don't give a flying sh*t about emissions and just don't want to hear about it and insult anyone who does talk about it.
The last thing is some people act like you can't get good MPGs, drivability, and dependability (all 3 being subjective in nature, especially drivability) from older engines which is just false. A good deal of the LS's MPGs comes from the DBW overiding you. Rather than responding instantly to WOT the throttle plate opens more progressively so that the computer doesn't have to add that sudden extra surge of fuel to compensate for the extra air. Just like the LS, many older engines went though evolutions and upgrades throughout their production runs making advantages and disadvantages not so clear cut. Newer SBC blocks for example have denser iron, better machining, better sealing, improved heads, improved induction, mated to overdrive transmissions, etc. So a newer SBC is better than a older SBC and makes comparisons dfficult. Alot of people have had no trouble getting MPGs, drivability, power, and dependability with older motors but you have to know what you are doing. Of couse there are under informed people who build poor set ups of these motors with poorly setup drivetrains and call them all crap from the bad experiences. About the LS's best advantage is the network externality for them is expanding while BOP's network has been on the decline and even the mighty SBC's network is starting to decline. But even the LS will suffer the same fate one day when the next new thing overthrows it. But I guess that is enough
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Most LS swaps I have seen in person and online are not done legally, of course I can say the same about most engine swaps in general. This thread is about LS vs oldschool and emissions is a factor in that which many of us still have to contend with even though it is not a popular subject around these parts. Unpopular enough that members post dead horse picture memes in am attempt to just shut down the discussion. One drawback of going with LS in a strict emission area is that you are forced to update the car to OBD2 emission standards, even installing a OBD2 ALDL under the dash, DBW, and connecting the SEL light to the LS PCM. In such areas it's easier and cheaper just to reuse the original emission system with a SBC or SBO rather than buying a complete donor car for a complete LS swap and dealing with the grey legal areas. Such as installing twin pup converters by the exhaust manifolds. Now in less strict areas where I am guessing most of the forum posters are from, can just slap together whatever combinations and hybrids of new and old tech without a second thought. Such people don't give a flying sh*t about emissions and just don't want to hear about it and insult anyone who does talk about it.
The last thing is some people act like you can't get good MPGs, drivability, and dependability (all 3 being subjective in nature, especially drivability) from older engines which is just false. A good deal of the LS's MPGs comes from the DBW overiding you. Rather than responding instantly to WOT the throttle plate opens more progressively so that the computer doesn't have to add that sudden extra surge of fuel to compensate for the extra air. Just like the LS, many older engines went though evolutions and upgrades throughout their production runs making advantages and disadvantages not so clear cut. Newer SBC blocks for example have denser iron, better machining, better sealing, improved heads, improved induction, mated to overdrive transmissions, etc. So a newer SBC is better than a older SBC and makes comparisons dfficult. Alot of people have had no trouble getting MPGs, drivability, power, and dependability with older motors but you have to know what you are doing. Of couse there are under informed people who build poor set ups of these motors with poorly setup drivetrains and call them all crap from the bad experiences. About the LS's best advantage is the network externality for them is expanding while BOP's network has been on the decline and even the mighty SBC's network is starting to decline. But even the LS will suffer the same fate one day when the next new thing overthrows it. But I guess that is enough
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If they want to make my swap illegal then oh well! I think they have a whole lot of issues to deal with! not trying to turn this into a political issue but a ls swap that burns cleaner with or without smog equipment compared to a traditional carbed is a win win in my book IMO!!
. The one good thing about LS motors is there doesn't seem to be ultra cheap low output versions of them like SBCs and BOPs had and still do. But I guess the LS fanboys get butthurt when then hear their motor isn't so much better as they want to believe they are as this thread is proving. Is the LS better, yes, is it super dooper ultra mega better to the extreme? no. Is it just only somewhat better using stuff the OEM, rivials, and aftermarket have been using for decades on the older stuff, yes.
