Before You Swap: Expert Advice for Starting Your First LS Swap
David Lampe of Zero2Sixty Performance educates us about the nuts and bolts of LS swaps, and why ’17 model year cars mark the end of the LS swap era.
Like so many in our community, I’m itching to start a new build. As fate would have it, I acquired a perfect LS Swap candidate last year. A 1992 Buick Roadmaster Estate Wagon with the TBI 5.7-liter motor and tow package. California car. No rust. Solid driver.
So, LS1Tech is in the early (early) planning stages of an LS swap project we hope to share with you along the way and bring to a future LS Fest. We’re currently assembling parts lists for powertrain, suspension, electric, fueling, and cooling components. But, as a total wiring noob, I recently reached out to David Lampe at Zero2Sixty Performance for guidance, which lead to a longer conversation about LS swaps in general that I wanted to share.
#FutureLSswap #WagonLife #NoMinivans
This article’s mostly aimed at those who are new to LS swaps, but seasoned swappers may find interesting nuggets as well.
Zero2Sixty Performance
Based in St. Petersburg Florida, Z2SP is an all-service LS swap shop that specializes in turnkey LS swaps, LS swap wiring, LS swap mounts, turbo and supercharger builds, and custom fabrication. Owner David Lampe is not only an LS enthusiast like us, but he’s a generous guy who loves endlessly chatting all-things LS. Lampe personally has 100 LS swaps under his belt, with 50 of those completed at Zero2Sixty Performance.
Lampe cut his teeth at a high-performance machine shop. At the time, LS engines were new, so he learned to build the motors and tune with software like EFI Live and HP Tuners. As Lampe mastered those systems, he branched out to other hi-po applications, working on everything from Chevy to Mopar to Mustangs. He even took a break to get a degree in graphic design.
But LS swaps are Lampe’s passion, so he returned and started Zero2Sixty Performance. At the time, he said, “Everybody’s been swapping 350 engines, big block engines forever. And the LS motor is really no different than that. They’re everywhere, they’re in every yard, you can get parts at every auto parts store. And I just said, ‘You know what? this is what we’re going to do. All we’re gonna do is LS stuff.’”
Based on Zero2Sixty Performance’s Instagram and Facebook pages, they swap everything from LS and Coyote motors into cars and trucks, domestic and foreign. It’s a pretty diversified resume. And Lampe’s personal rides? A turbo C6 Corvette and 6.0-liter, LS-swapped G-body El Camino. Internet high five!
Easy vs. Hard LS Swaps
The first step to any swap project is the vehicle itself. Lampe describes the LS swap process as “just nuts and bolts. We’ve done so many that we’ve got it down to what works with what and what we can use as far as accessory drives and pans.” Along these lines, there are two components that make an LS swap easier vs harder.
On the easier side, we have older analog-era cars and trucks. “So older cars, using analog outputs, that’s easy, easy, easy,” says Lampe. Larger engine bays are also helpful, naturally. The more room you have to work, the better. LS swapping a Porsche 911 is clearly more difficult than an ‘80s G-body. But the reason older cars are easier for LS swaps is that, every time you add another sensor or computer module to a vehicle, the more likely you’ll run into problems integrating your LS engine’s computer.
‘2017 [model year car] is the last year that you’re ever going to be able to put
an LS into something and make your gauges work.’
“We just finished a 2017 Colorado, and what we ran into was modules, trying to talk to other modules,” says Lampe. “And GM is not exactly thrilled with people like me trying to make things work that are not supposed to be there. So, for instance, this truck was Chevy crate, LS3 495 HP and a 6L80 transmission. And we had to find some weird, obscure PCM to work for making all the electronics work, but that’s kind of what we do here. So as far as challenging, that would probably be the hardest thing for us is to make the late model stuff work.”
Lampe says this complexity question started fairly early, with cars like 2001 E46 BMWs, but it’s an issue that makes swapping decade-old Bimmers or Toyota 4Runner much harder than OBD I or early vehicles. In fact, based on his work on this Colorado, Lampe estimates that 2017 marks the LS era’s technological ceiling. “As much as the Colorado was kind of an electrical nightmare, you could say a technology nightmare, it really pushed us to learn more about what can work and what doesn’t work. It told us that 2017 [model year car] is the last year that you’re ever going to be able to put an LS into something and make your gauges work. After 2017, you’re into the Gen V LT engines.”
Picking an LS Swap Motor & Transmission
The LS small-block was “manufactured in three Generations – III, IV, and V, ranging from 255hp to 628hp,” according to Lampe. Basically, if you’re junkyard scouting, you’ll find them in everything from late ’90s Corvettes and Camaros to millions of GM trucks and SUVs to more recent Cadillac V Wagons and fifth-gen Camaro ZL1. That’s a hell of a time span, but, as I’m sure you know, it’s precisely the reason why LS swaps are so popular. The entire platform is relatively compact, powerful, durable, affordable, and readily available.
You can also still buy several LS series crate engines directly from Chevrolet Performance and their licensed dealers. Because LS1Tech is based in California, we’re leaning towards an E-ROD LS3 Connect & Cruise system for our build because the kit includes everything we need to pass our strict emissions laws and a three-year warranty. Where else can you get a warranty for a station wagon that rolled off the assembly line when Smells Like Teen Spirit was on the top of the charts?
More good news on the transmission side of things. According to Lampe, “LS engines share the same bolt pattern as the traditional small-block Chevrolet. This allows you to use a range of transmissions, manual or automatic, electronic or mechanical.” On the manual side of things, Lampe recommends ’97-’06 TR56 and 2012-2015 TR6600 transmissions. On the Auto side, the 4L80 and 6L90 are great for 500hp+ applications.
Also, if you do go for a manual transmission, don’t forget that you need a clutch master and slave cylinder, although some transmissions have internal slave cylinders.
Installation & Accessories
Like most vehicle projects, LS swaps can be ultra-cheap or NASCAR expensive. At Zero2Sixty Performance, Lampe explained that his typical builds cost around $16,000-18,000 for used motor swaps, and $21,000-plus for crate engine swaps. Both are turnkey affairs. Drop off a car and pick it up about a month later, broken in and ready to go.
“Installation and everything are typically about three weeks,” says Lampe. “And we like to take a week to just shake it down. As much as I like to say that every swap goes in easy, it just doesn’t happen. You may have a leaky fitting or something. For us, I like to make sure we put it through its paces, obviously tune it, put a couple of miles on it. And with the crate motors, we have to break them in.”
When you bring Z2SP a used motor, they typically do engine work like replacing the camshaft and valve train, but the bulk of the process — “installing the fuel system, fabricating exhaust and other bits, making AC lines, installing gauges or steering lines” — is all pretty universal regardless of whether or not you pull a junkyard motor or open a crate from Chevy.
As far as our LS3-into-a-90s-B-body swap, Lampe highly recommends Muscle Rods (aka BRPHotrods.com) and Holley accessories. “If you go with reputable brands that have things that work together, it will be a seamless process. I’m going to give a small shameless plug here to Muscle Rods because we use their stuff a lot. Their stuff works, the Holley pan works, the Holley accessory drive works. Everything just works.” This was great to hear because Holley and Muscle Rods accessories and engine mounts are on the top of our parts lists.
If anyone’s wondering why we aren’t leaning towards a Gen V LT1 build, it’s because the new LT1 has clearance issues with 1990s B-body wiper motors, heater cores, and the frame where the headers drop down. Conversely, Lampe says, “We actually use LS3 exhaust manifolds a lot in swaps because they put the exit straight down off the back, it fits pretty much everything.”
LS Swap Wiring Woes
If finding LS swap installation accessories is easy, wiring may be the most terrifying aspect of any swap. No one wants to destroy a new engine, build a car that doesn’t run or, worse, burn down their ride.
Taking a glance over Zero2Sixty Performance’s social media accounts, you note that David Lampe and his team spend a fair amount of time fixing other shops’ sloppy wiring (pictured above). “We had a Jeep that came in here and the guy says, ‘You know, I need you to look over the wiring, it doesn’t run. I can’t figure out why.’ Came into the shop, we hooked the battery up to it, and the battery literally starts smoking. And so we look at the harness and all the wires are red. So, there’s only so much diagnosing you can do when every wire is red.”
LS Swap Wiring Heroes
When it comes to your swap’s electronics, Lampe says there are a few options. You can “cut down” the OEM harness or buy a universal aftermarket harness. Either way, you’ll have to integrate those into your car’s non-engine systems. “You still have to connect the powers, grounds, and outputs,” notes Lampe. Or, you can contact a reputable shop and order a custom integrated harness that will be, effectively, plug-and-play.
If you’re thinking of doing your own wiring, Lampe recommends, “software like On-Demand, which is what we use at the shop here for wiring schematics. The big thing with these engines is, although the wiring is scary to some people, it’s really very simple to make one of these engines work and all you really need is a 12-volt switch, a constant power, and a ground. And, for the most part, you can connect all the pinks, connect all the oranges, and the thing will run on the floor.”
One of my big concerns, for our project, is retaining features like the HVAC controls and ABS. As it turns out, Lampe says it’s relatively easy. “Even though the AC system is attached to the engine, the HVAC controls actually run the AC system. So for example, an older Caprice like what you guys are working on, the HVAC control basically sends power to a high-pressure switch, which says, ‘okay, well we need a seize compressor to kick on,’ and it kicks on, and it does its own thing without the engine even knowing that it’s happening. A lot of the factory stuff on a car is completely separate from the actual engine wiring.”
The other thing to consider is gauges. A lot of folks lean toward Dakota Digital gauges because they’re so easy and available for so many different models. For our project, we’re hoping to retain the factory cluster with some adapters because ’92 Roadmasters still offered a tachometer, and staying stock-looking fits our sleeper theme.
Air & Fuel
When asking Lampe about using external versus internal fuel pumps, he says, “I will not use an external. Another shameless plug, we use Tanks, Inc. on everything for the most part. In some cars like G-bodies where at one point during its life, it came with a TBI motor and it had an in-tank fuel pump, you could just get a fuel center from, like, an ’86, and adapt that fuel hat with a 255 to 400 Walbro, and take advantage of the factory fuel lines.”
On the intake side of your build, Lampe recommends a variety of Corvette and Camaro intake manifolds because truck intakes are often too tall. “Although the truck intake is a decent performer, it doesn’t work for most applications.” Throttle body choice will depend on your computer but you’ll have to choose between drive-by-cable and drive-by-wire (electronic).
And don’t forget your actual air intake. At Zero2Sixty, Lampe finds peace in making custom intakes, “just sitting there, welding, making random trinkets like that. So pretty every swap that comes in here we’ll do a four-inch aluminum intake.” Here’s what the engine bay of our swap may look like someday!
Drive Shafts & Rear Differentials
If you’re swapping out your transmission for a newer model, you’ll likely need to a new driveshaft. Lampe’s seen some folks adapt their stock units, but it’s relatively cheap to have a new one made. He recommends Coleman Racing for sub-500hp builds.
As for our project’s differential, we’re probably going to keep our stock 10-bolt 8.5″ Posi rear end because we’re not building a race car. According to Lampe, “the factory differential will withstand a decent amount of power no matter what. And it ultimately comes down to your driving style. If this is a drag car, or an autocross car or track car or something where you’re going to have real sticky tires on it, then absolutely we need to think about a built unit, new axles, or a 12-bolt. But in most cases, what I would consider a cruiser, a 10-bolt is more than capable for most of the swaps that people are doing.”
Learn More
If you’d like to learn more about Zero2Sixty Performance, please check out their website HERE.
Also, Mr. Lampe made an LS Swap Checklist for LS1Tech readers. Click HERE to download the full list, but please note: the Z2SP checklist is free, but requires an email address to complete the download. If you’re not interested, I understand. But in my opinion, it’s a great starter list for those who don’t know where to begin.
Photos for LS1Tech by David Lampe
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