Craigslist Either/Or: Vortec-Swapped Firebird or LS-Swapped El Camino
LSX El Camino vs. Vortec V8 Firebird: Which would you rather?
“Which car would you rather have?” It’s a simple question that can spark some real debate among car enthusiasts. While these questions work in the abstract, they work best with specific examples. What better place is there for either/or questions than the gold mine that is Craigslist?
This marks the first of a recurring series of posts here on LS1Tech. We’ll find some LS-swapped cars—or swap-able cars—and ask which you’d prefer to have. We’ll start this off with two vehicles from the Dark Days of General Motors: a 1978 Pontiac Firebird or a 1980 Chevrolet El Camino.
Option 1: 1978 Pontiac Firebird
We start in Southeast Texas with this red, 6.0-liter swapped ‘78 Firebird near College Station with a $9,000 asking price. The exterior looks decent and the interior appears similarly OK. The red-over-red color options work pretty well on cars from this era and the brushed-aluminum dash looks fantastic. It does need some work, however.
Under the hood, the 6.0 liter looks like a pretty clean installation and it should give this Malaise Era ‘Bird oomph it was previously lacking from any of the original engine options. We’re not sure the cowl induction is doing much with the air cleaner just behind the cooling fan. However, a potential buyer could reroute the intake, one supposes. Find this Firebird here.
Option 2: 1980 Chevrolet El Camino
The challenger comes from Houston in the form of an original A-Body ‘80 El Camino with an advertised price of $20,000. That’s a high asking price, perhaps, but the original double-maroon paint speaks to the same aesthetic as the Firebird. Aside from blemishes in the El Camino bed, the paint and interior both look tremendous.
The swapped LS engine looks ready to throw down, however. The seller says the installation was professionally completed and it looks the part. This is one mean-looking El Camino. Find it here on Craigslist.
So which LS-swapped street machine would you use to run stoplight to stoplight?