Why LS swaps made everything better

[81cutlass]

It's more than what you're probably thinking.

David Freiburger Believes the LS Made the Big-Block Cool Again

LS engine swaps have become so passe that older small block and big block powered cars are cool.

www.hotrod.com

 

[Clone TIE Pilot]

Two words describe this article, verbal masturbation.

 

[64nailhead]

Two words describe this article, verbal masturbation.

I can't get a visual of what you're describing even after several minutes of hard thinking.

Two words come to my mind that created this revolution - CAFE standards.

Most everyone, including me, has moaned and groaned about emission standards and their effects on engine performance and reliability. But the LS, Coyote, and modern Hemi are the end results of the government imposed CAFE standards of the 70's, 80's and 90's. No one,and I mean no one, in the 70's hotrod world ever considered that you could build a streetable and reliable 700hp build - now it's so common place that that 4 digit power is the 'big power' goal.

 

[ck80]

I can't get a visual of what you're describing even after several minutes of hard thinking.

Two words come to my mind that created this revolution - CAFE standards.

Most everyone, including me, has moaned and groaned about emission standards and their effects on engine performance and reliability. But the LS, Coyote, and modern Hemi are the end results of the government imposed CAFE standards of the 70's, 80's and 90's. No one,and I mean no one, in the 70's hotrod world ever considered that you could build a streetable and reliable 700hp build - now it's so common place that that 4 digit power is the 'big power' goal.

I'm not saying the engines don't have power - they do.

But their peak hp and torque in many - not all - cases are in ranges nobody every accesses them...

6.2 engine has a peak hp at 5900 rpm... paired with an 8spd auto, how much time are you really running at that peak HP? Probably not much.

I have more fun with an older big block where you're pounding 400, 500 lb ft of torque at 1600rpm and still playing with 300+ hp before 2000 rpm.

But that's just me.

Also remember - the 70s hot rod world didn't have traction control, suspension tech, and tire compounds we do today and very little of which came from CAFE. The limitation then wasn't about unlocking more power... they stopped trying because they couldn't control the power they were getting.

 

[PBGBodyFan]

Very good article, IMO, makes a lot of good points. You can’t stop change, you can choose to either embrace or resist it.

 

[64nailhead]

I'm not saying the engines don't have power - they do.

But their peak hp and torque in many - not all - cases are in ranges nobody every accesses them...

6.2 engine has a peak hp at 5900 rpm... paired with an 8spd auto, how much time are you really running at that peak HP? Probably not much.

I have more fun with an older big block where you're pounding 400, 500 lb ft of torque at 1600rpm and still playing with 300+ hp before 2000 rpm.

But that's just me.

Also remember - the 70s hot rod world didn't have traction control, suspension tech, and tire compounds we do today and very little of which came from CAFE. The limitation then wasn't about unlocking more power... they stopped trying because they couldn't control the power they were getting.

There definitely is no replacement for displacement. That’s more than a saying, low rpm torque is not made by any sub 4.25” bore and stroke motor.

My father in law’s face used to light up when he discussed his Mid 70’s Ford F____ with a 429. And the conversation always ended with ‘that thing would outrun everything except a gas station’. 8mpg on the highway on a 2wd truck - Geesh - hard to imagine now.

Fast forward 40 years. 5.3 with VVT and AFM in a 4wd truck - highway cruising mpg of 25 and 13 towing 5000lbs.
The difference in rpm range, IMO, is that an LS will live its life at 5000rpms working hard where a stock BB from 20-40 years ago won’t. And for that matter just about nothing would live a very long life in that range.


I do agree with you though about BB_ ‘s. Tire smoking torque in a daily drive friendly rpm range is only found in stock form in a BB.

To each his own, and I think Frieburger hit all of the important points in his article.

 

[ck80]

Very good article, IMO, makes a lot of good points. You can’t stop change, you can choose to either embrace or resist it.

With the coming 'electrification' does that mean the new buzz saying will become "clinging to their guns, religion... and big blocks?"

 

[Streetbu]

Funny I was just thinking along those lines. You say you want torque. How about 920 ft lbs at 1 rpm? That's what one of the Tesla's put out.... that's why they are so fast. Will I like them, no, ill cling to the rumble of a V8, doesn't mean they aren't faster than me though.

www.jalopnik.com/here-is-how-much-torque-the-tesla-model-s-p100d-makes-o-1792688704/amp

 

[motorheadmike]

I've been very fortunate to have experienced small blocks, big blocks, turbo V6, and turbo 4 bangers. And lots of forced induction. But, as most know I refocused, laser-like, on the LS platform within the last decade or so. I got hooked in the early days and never looked back.

It only took a set of gears and some basic bolt-ons to turn my wife's high-mileage Camaro into a mid-12 second car.

That engine's bottom end lives on with in the wagon. Then the TBSS came along and it goes 11s with a blower. The Monte has a turbo strapped to a LS 5.3 I found in some dude's backyard... And its pretty stupid fast. Natasha's Camaro is destined to get an LS too.

I have done well for myself, and gained a lot from focusing on one platform for a long while. Problem is, as the article indicated, the challenge of going fast has gone away. And I really want to find a new hill to climb and things to learn.

And no, the Hellcat isn't really that. It is a clone of the LS. The recipes are the same. I am looking at Honda K-series engines as a possibility.

My philosophy has always been: Fast is fast. So keep building those stroker SBOs and BBBs. Because I'd rather talk about those than a cam swapped LS. Even if I am significantly faster... it's lacking a certain amount of passion.

 

[69hurstolds]

Very good article, IMO, makes a lot of good points. You can’t stop change, you can choose to either embrace or resist it.

You left out an option.....or just ignore it. And to think, Hurst started out as an engine-swap component company...

LS engines are marvels compared to the old-school engine world where you can get a mild truck 4.3 or massive power straight from the factory and just glancing at the engine you cannot tell which one you have. They have iron AND aluminum versions in vast amounts. Can't say that about Chebby big blocks. Or Olds engines for that matter. I rejoice in the fact that you CAN have your cake and eat it too with LS engines.

I owned electric cars before electric cars were cool. They had drive by wire already, with brand names like Aurora and Tyco. And had slots in the "roads" to keep them stable.

Electric cars are NOT the answer IMO, at least not for the right now. They're niche vehicles for the virtue signalers at this point. Obviously, to get the EV market off the ground, you have to do things to make oil production harder to do and more expensive to help lower the cost comparison for EVs. Oh, wait...they've already started to do that...