LS-Swapped GMC Syclone Modernizes a Legendary Performance Pickup: Track Time Tuesday
LS power is about the only thing that can make the rare GMC Syclone cooler than it already is.
The GMC Syclone stuck around for essentially one model year with just under 3,000 produced, making it a true niche vehicle by anyone’s standards. And yet, the performance-focused pickup immediately captured the imagination of enthusiasts, who continue to covet the Syclone to this day. Nice examples still trade hands for big money, but that didn’t stop South Carolina resident Chris Germano from instilling some modern power into his formerly V6-powered pickup, as he explained to Holley at last year’s LS Fest.
The GMC Syclone originally came equipped with GM’s turbocharged 4.3-liter V6 that made a healthy (for the time) 280 horsepower and 350 pound-feet of torque, which drove all four wheels. That was good enough to make it the quickest production pickup in the world in the early 1990s, reaching 60 mph in just 4.3 seconds and completing the quarter-mile in 13.4 seconds – which helped it famously run with Corvettes and Ferraris from that era.
That was undoubtedly impressive 30 years ago, but today, well, not so much. Thus, Germano sought to make his Syclone a bit more modern, a process that started with a Dart LS block. Germano then fortified that solid base with a wide array of go-fast goodies, including CNC ported LS3 heads, a BTR Stage 3 camshaft, and an 88mm turbo pushing 19 pounds of boost. If that isn’t enough, there’s a touch of nitrous available on-demand, too.
Behind that fortified mill lies a built 4L80E gearbox with a full lock-up converter, which still sends power to all four wheels, as was originally the case. Additional modifications include QA1 shocks at all four corners, a Moser rear end, a Fully Racing front differential, as well as some sticky tires to put all of this Syclone’s newfound power to the ground.
Originally built as a show truck, this GMC Syclone is now leaning far more toward the “go” side of things, and routinely tears up the track, including at last year’s LS Fest. Some may obviously not be fans of the fact that this rare pickup has been modified in such a manner, but to us, V8 power is about the only thing that can make the legendary Syclone even cooler than it already was.
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