[1project2many]

Originally Posted by BAM55

I'm also putting a LS-based 5.3 engine in my truck. I bored it to a 5.7 and added 5.7 flattop pistons, harden 7.4 pushrods, TSP 228r cam, and ARP rod bolts, 243 heads, 2001 Camaro oil pan, wingage tray, and dip stick other than that the rotating assembly is stocked. I'm running the truck instake manifold and drive by wire throttle body. I also rewired the tac module to run the smaller corvette gas pedal. Transmission is a rebuilt and beefed up 4L60e.

This is sooo cool to me. In '82 people were throwing away anything with a computer. By 89 folks were predicting the end of traditional hotrodding because average guys couldn't do anything with electronic control systems. I spent sooo many years helping to learn to tune and swap these parts, soo many years educating people about emissions components, soo many years showing you could make new and old tech play together because junkyards wouldn't always be filled with '80s Camaros for parts and the technology was improving faster and faster. There's so much info out there now that I'd say a guy with little experience could learn enough to complete the electronics portion of an LS swap in two weeks' time. Heck, there's plenty of folks here who could school me on swapping LS engines since I usually only work on them in stock form in buses these days.

The LS swap has replaced the old smalblock Chevy swap as the cheapest bang-for-the-buck swap. When you go to a car show and hear someone say "Oh, no... not another LS swap" it's a pretty big clue that it's a popular route to take. It works, parts are available, and the internet has more reference material about making a swap happen than most shops have for repairing them. Unless a person already has a pile of smallblock parts they've collected over the years like I have, I'd say go with the LS engine.