Hey, have you heard? Intrepid gearheads are now swapping (GASP!) LS engines into older cars—and some aren’t even GM vehicles, either! (Double GASP!)
We’re only pretending to clutch our proverbial pearls here, of course, because anyone’s who been to a car show in the past 20 years already knows the LS engine family has been the go-to swap motor for thousands of cars, trucks, and SUVs.
And while there are plenty of reasons “why” the LS swap is so popular—price, size, and performance all come to mind—the “how” side of the swap can still present a problem for anyone mulling an LS engine conversion. Depending on the vehicle you’re swapping into, you’ve got to account for things like crossmember clearance, header fitment, and revised driveshaft geometry—along with a host of other unique considerations.
So our pals over at Summit Racing hooked up with Sikky Manufacturing to take some of the headaches out of the equation by offering a swap-in-a-box LS swap solution with a wide range of Summit Racing LS Swap kits.
Depending on the application, you get vital components like engine mounts, a clearanced oil pan, and a shorter/longer driveshaft. Each kit is made up of carefully curated parts to ensure that everything will fit and play nice. In other words, these LS Swap Kits can eliminate a lot of the parts-matching guesswork from your calculations.
Speaking of applications—whoa nelly—Summit Racing offers dozens upon dozens of kits for a massive range of vehicles and LS engine/transmission combinations. Last we checked, the list was well north of 50 distinct kit part numbers. And yeah, Summit Racing stretches into import territory too, with LS swap kits for Nissans, Subarus, BMWs, and beyond. In fact, here are some of our favorite LS swap candidates
GM
- 1968-72 A-Body
- 1968-74 Nova
BMW
- E36 3-Series
- E30 3-Series
- E46 3-Series
- E34 5-Series
- E39 5-Series
- 1989-98 240SX/S13/S14
- 2003-09 350Z
- 2009-21 370Z
- 2003-08 Infiniti G35
Mazda
- 1993-95 RX-7
Toyota
- 1993-98 Supra
- 2017-20 GR 86/Scion FRS
Hyundai
- 2010-16 Genesis Coupe
Subaru
- 2013-22 BRZ
And if that’s not enough, the Summit Racing tech team compiled an entire LS Engine Swap Guide to help you along your magical LS Swap journey. If you’re mulling an LS swap, that swap guide is an excellent place to begin.
I have a 2002 Infiniti I-35 that is in need of an engine swap and an LS is high on the list of engines over a factory 3.5L engine. I also have a 2002 Firebird w/a small V-6 and need to upgrade that one as well. Can you help?
Hello Will, I’ll give you a similar response to what I recommend to Charles below in the comments. If memory serves, that 3.5L you’ve got is the trusty VQ35DE that’s also in the 350Z, and some trucks and minivans too—Nissan put that engine in everything short of the soda machine during that era. I know the Sikky folks have kits for those Z cars, which means there may be some help out there. You might want to start at the official Summit Racing LS Swap Guide. But again, it’s worth calling calling the Summit Racing tech department, since you’ve got such a cool, interesting swap planned.
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The better news is that those same Summit Racing tech experts can help a ton with your 4th-gen. Firebird too—whether you just want to upgrade the venerable 3.8L with some bolt-ons or do a similar LS swap and really get it moving. Good luck!
Do you make a kit for a 55 2-door Chevy Belair? I have a LS-7 Crate engine 570/540.
Would like to put AC also. I have a Keisler Engineering SS700 5- Speed Transmission.
Hey Charles, cool project! The good news is, you probably already know that plenty of folks have LS-swapped Tri-Fives running around, so you’ve got plenty of parts & tech support to draw from. You can check out the official Summit Racing LS Swap Guide, but I would definitely recommend you contact the Summit Racing tech department here, because those folks have helped legions of builders with their engine swap projects. They’ll ask you some specific questions about your ’55, give you some insight into other aspects of the swap, and help recommend a parts package that’ll complement your LS engine and transmission combo.