Hot rodders have known about the power of the Gen III/IV for quite some time, and it’s not news to anyone that they’re being dropped into just about everything these days. They are so popular that many engine shops now report that conventional builds are on the decline. That sounds a little strange, but think about it for a short while and it makes perfect sense. Not only can you make 600-plus streetable horsepower with an LS small-block these days, but you can build them as large as 500 ci. Throw in the weight and handling benefits of an all-aluminum platform, especially in Pro Touring projects, and the swap appeal of these motors becomes obvious.
Swapping an LS motor into classic muscle car is easier than ever. Several aftermarket manufacturers offer engine mounts, headers, oil pans, and transmission crossmembers that make an LS retrofit a strictly bolt-on affair. Even so, there are lots of potential hiccups that can easily be avoided with some research. Gen III/IV small-blocks rolled off the assembly line with a number of different front accessory drive, intake manifold, oil pan, and throttle-body designs, all of which affects how smoothly your engine swap will go.