This 1973 Camaro has an LQ4 truck motor bottom end with LS3 heads, and lays down solid numbers on the dyno.
We are looking at a 1973 Chevrolet Camaro powered by a built GM LQ4 V8. If you are not familiar with the LQ4, it is a 6.0L mill which came from the factory in some of GM’s harder working vehicles in the late 90s and early 2000s. Think full size vans (Express, Savana), the 2500/3500 pickups, and the large SUVs (Suburban, Yukon). Power output varied by application, but the numbers ranged from 300-325 hp and 360-370 lb-ft of torque.
Now, if you put a stock LQ4 in a 1973 Camaro, it would probably make for a decent running car. The more powerful variants made 325 hp at the crankshaft, would translate to somewhere in the area of 270 whp. The most powerful engine offered for the 1973 Camaro offered just 245 horsepower, so the stock LQ4 would make for a much quicker car.
Fortunately, the LQ4 in this 1973 Camaro is not stock. It has been fitted with a set of LS3 cylinder heads and an LS3 intake manifold. The reworked top end is paired with a big camshaft and a full exhaust system. The no-name exhaust seems to be straight off of eBay. There are a few other supporting items, as well, but those are the main bolt-ons. For the record, the power from that worked truck engine is sent through a built 4-speed manual transmission.
The results? 421.5 horsepower and 416.8lb-ft of torque at the rear wheels – meaning that this 1973 Camaro makes more than double the stock output of the most powerful factory-built Camaro from that model year and the builder has achieved those numbers with a mildly built van engine.
"Before I was old enough to walk, my dad was taking me to various types of racing events, from local drag racing to the Daytona 500," says Patrick Rall, a lifetime automotive expert, diehard Dodge fan, and respected auto journalist for over 10 years. "He owned a repair shop and had a variety of performance cars when I was young, but by the time I was 16, he was ready to build me my first drag car – a 1983 Dodge Mirada that ran low 12s. I spent 10 years traveling around the country, racing with my dad by my side. While we live in different areas of the country, my dad still drag races at 80 years old in the car that he built when I was 16 while I race other vehicles, including my 2017 Dodge Challenger SRT Hellcat and my 1972 Dodge Demon 340.
"Although I went to college for accounting, my time in my dad’s shop growing up allowed me the knowledge to spend time working as a mechanic before getting my accounting degree, at which point I worked in the office of a dealership group. While I was working in the accounting world, I continued racing and taking pictures of cars at the track. Over time, I began showing off those pictures online and that led to my writing.
"Ten years ago, I left the accounting world to become a full-time automotive writer and I am living proof that if you love what you do, you will never “work” a day in your life," adds Rall, who has clocked in time as an auto mechanic, longtime drag racer and now automotive journalist who contributes to nearly a dozen popular auto websites dedicated to fellow enthusiasts.
"I love covering the automotive industry and everything involved with the job. I was fortunate to turn my love of the automotive world into a hobby that led to an exciting career, with my past of working as a mechanic and as an accountant in the automotive world provides me with a unique perspective of the industry.
"My experience drag racing for more than 20 years coupled with a newfound interest in road racing over the past decade allows me to push performance cars to their limit, while my role as a horse stable manager gives me vast experience towing and hauling with all of the newest trucks on the market today.
