Best LS Engine Swap Candidates (Pictures)
The LS-series engines provide cost-effective horsepower, in a compact size, and low weight, which is why they are often the powerplant of choice for an engine swap. Check out a few of these great examples of LS swap upgrades to popular cars.
1. Mazda FD RX-7 1991-2002
The 13B-REW rotary with a sequential twin-turbocharger setup in the third-generation Mazda RX-7 was one of the best engines from Japan in the mid-1990s. With over 250 horsepower and a curb weight of under 3,000 pounds, the FD RX-7 was quite a hot rod. That said, rotary parts have become expensive and hard to source, and all that power came in the upper rev range with little torque. Many RX-7 owners like Hoang Dao have opted to swap in the most cost-effective powerplant available: The LS1. The size of the original Wankel rotary and the GM V8 are quite different, but it does fit and looks surprisingly factory. If adding displacement was not enough, Dao also fitted an intercooled ProCharger supercharger setup to boost the LS1 to 550 horsepower. At a glance, the RX-7 looks like a nicely lowered original with a set of wheels, but pop the hood and you will find a fire-breathing powerplant straight out of Detroit. You can read more about this car in Super Street Magazine.
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2. Porsche Cayman/Boxster
The Porsche Cayman and Boxster have long been overshadowed by their big brother, the 911, since their inception in 1997 and Porsche was careful to ensure that its performance did not overtake their flagship model. Although the Cayman/Boxster is one of the best handling cars in the world, it is a little short on power, and thanks to IMS bearing failures, examples with bad motors are as cheap as C4 Corvettes. For this particular car, Joshua Murray stuffed an LS3, boosted with a GM LS Hot Cam camshaft, into the belly of his 2007 Cayman. The car uses the factory Porsche 6-speed transaxle thanks to a Kennedy Engineering LS adapter plate, a custom Borla exhaust, and an ArcFlash digital dash (from Murray's own company). All in all, this German-American build makes an impressive 480 horsepower/475 pound-feet of torque in a car that weighs about the same as stock. You can read more about it at LSX Magazine.
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3. Subaru BRZ/Scion FR-S 2012-2017
Ask anyone who's driven a Subaru BRZ/Scion FR-S and they will tell you it's lots of fun, but you have to work to get the most enjoyment; the little 2.0L flat-4 is a bit gutless, with less than 200 horsepower. Doug Ross, the owner of Weapons Grade Performance, found that an LS2 V8 easily fits in place of the boxer engine without any major modifications to the car itself. He did have to make his own motor mounts, transmission mounts, driveshaft, and oil pan, but then the engine dropped in with room to spare. Doug kept all of the factory electronics in place and was able to keep the stock rear end, although he did swap in a set of 3:73 gears. The end result is a 2,900-pound car producing 400 horsepower and 400 lb-ft of torque. Weapons Grade Performance now offers an LS swap kit with all the parts Doug had to fabricate for his to make installing a V8 about as easy as it gets. You can read more about this car in LSX magazine.
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4. Datsun 240/260/280Z 1970-1978
The Datsun 240, 260, and 280Z models were the original Japanese sports cars, combining reliability and value with performance, and embarrassing the Europeans in the process. The 2.8L L28E straight-six engine found in the 280Z cars was good for a respectable 170 horsepower, and when combined with a shapely body and an overall weight of 2,700 lbs, they were and still are fun cars. Early cars used multiple Hitachi carburetors, which were strangled by smog regulations, and even the fuel-injected 280Z can benefit from additional power. Rick Merz's 280Z (pictured above) is a work of art, starting with the 570 horsepower LS3 engine swapped into it, but also having been gone through top to bottom to make it at home on the racetrack, yet still streetable. Some of the outstanding craftsmanship includes an IMSA widebody kit, fully custom suspension, T-56 transmission, Wilwood Competition brakes, and wide 17" CCW wheels. While this car is show-worthy, it actually gets regular use, including its participation in the 2013 Texas Mile speed runs. You can read all about it and see more pictures at Revvolution.
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5. Mazda ND Miata 2016-2017
What makes this Miata LS swap so impressive is that Flyin' Miata successfully performed their engine transplant into the all-new 2016 ND Miata with all of its CAN bus gadgetry, and made the GM and Mazda computers play nice. The redesigned Miata has received rave reviews for its sharp handling, crisp gearbox, and overall fantastic driving experience that keeps the driver involved. That said, the one complaint that is often heard about all Miatas is that they are lacking in the power department. In step the folks at Flyin' Miata, with their 30+ years of experience to replace the four-cylinder with an LS376 crate engine making 525 horsepower. The engine swap is done so well that it looks as if the car was rolled out of the Mazda Hiroshima factory assembly plant this way, but under the skin is a Tremec T-56 transmission, LS7 clutch & flywheel, a Camaro AAM differential, a new driveshaft & half shafts, Wilwood Powerlite brakes, and Fox racing dampers & springs. With all of the factory electronics intact (sans traction & stability control) this Miata is a true sleeper sure to catch many off-guard. Flyin' Miata will happily sell you everything you need to build your own or swap an LS into an earlier car at their website.
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6. Triumph GT6 1966-72
In the early 60s, Triumph began developing a touring model of their Spitfire, but the larger GT body shell proved to be too heavy for the little 1150cc engine. The fastback body was quickly snatched up by the racing department as it was a significant aerodynamic improvement over the original Spitfire, and it raced at Le Mans, then was put into production with a 95hp, 1998cc 6-cylinder engine. These are attractive cars, often known as the poor man's E-Type, but just need more power. Jon Cook's GT6+ couldn't be further from the original, having been reworked into a truly spectacular one-off custom. Cook custom fabricated all-new suspension himself, adapted Wilwood disc brakes, refinished the interior, and fitted an LS1 engine with a Lingenfelter GT2 camshaft mated to a Tremec T-56 transmission. The bumpers and badges have been removed and all seams have been smoothed and filled. Don't let this tiny bright blue beauty fool you, it will run 12's at the drag strip and can handle corners with the best of them. You can get all the details on Jon's own website.
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7. Porsche 911 1999-2005
The M96 engines in the 1999-2005 Porsche 911s had their share of issues, including the notorious IMS bearing woes. Although the problems may not be as widespread as many would have you believe, there are a number of these cars that had their engines go boom and can be bought cheap. When faced with a $15,000+ replacement Porsche engine, a number of owners have opted for an LS V8 that fits nicely in the rear-engined 911. Nick Fousekis in collaboration with Race Tech Services did just this with his 996 and a GM Performance LS3 E-Rod engine. As we can see, not only did he use the Renegade Hybrid LS swap kit for 130 additional horsepower over the original flat 6, but he added a custom widebody kit, KW V3 suspension, HRE Vintage Series wheels, and a beautiful pearl green paint job. While Porsche purists may scoff at this Frankenstein, one has to admit the results are stunning. LSX magazine again has all the details.
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8. Ferrari 360 1999-2005
Most think a Ferrari with anything but the original Italian powerplant is sacrilege, but with 1,000 American ponies on hand, you can't argue that this Ferrari 360 isn't faster! Even a Ferrari with a blown motor is expensive, but an LS swap is cheaper than fixing or replacing is with a Ferrari mill. Apparently, the owner of this car experienced an engine failure and instead of replacing it with a pricey Ferrari engine (over $10,000 used if you can find one), decided on a blown Lingenfelter Performance LS monster with roughly 1,000 horsepower. The LS motor is coupled with a Weismann 6-speed semi-automatic transaxle to bang through the gears in a hurry. This particular car is a Ferrari 360 GT, one of 30 track-only models for privateers in the FIA N-GT championship featuring lightweight bodywork, enhance aerodynamics, center-lock wheels, upgraded brakes, and originally a 3.6L V8 capable of 430 horsepower. More details and pictures are in LSX Magazine.
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For help keeping your LS-powered car in fine kit, see the how-to section of LS1Tech.com