In the first episode of LS vs. Coyote 3, presented by Summit Racing, Greg Acosta with Engine labs introduced Horsepower Wars season 4. In this second episode, He does a dive deep into the rules, talks about the core engines being used, and talks about the build plan and parts a little bit.

The Ruling Class

First LS vs. Coyote crowned which V8 could make the most naturally aspirated horsepower with a $9,999 budget. Then, for LS vs. Coyote 2, they upped the budget to $15,000 and went with ProCharger for some boost. In both competitions, the pushrod V8 came out on top. For LS vs. Coyote 3, they’re changing things up a little to keep displacement a little closer, which was the number one complaint from the Ford fan base.

The closest displacement Chevrolet offers to the 5.0-liter Coyote is the 5.3-liter Gen V LT in the half-ton trucks: the L83. The LT grabbed for this competition was pulled from the wrecking yard and will offer is its block and heads for the build.

Playing With Blocks

The first rule for LS vs. Coyote 3 is that factory blocks must be used. This eliminates aftermarket and high-dollar billet blocks, but that isn’t a worry for us over here at Team Chevy. The aluminum LT blocks are superior to the already tough LS blocks that came before them, so the factory L83 block will be sufficient. Only a 0.020-inch overbore is allowed to clean up the cylinders. While stock crankshafts are not required, stock stroke, main journal diameter, and rod journal diameter are required.

Cylinder Head Limits

The next rule for LS vs. Coyote 3 is that factory cylinder head castings must be used. The small chamber in the L83 heads and small bore keep the team at Late Model Engines from fitting larger valves, but it does allow them to work their industry-famous magic on the ports. The Coyote might have the advantage in stock form with 4 valves per cylinder, but once ported, the LT will close the gap in airflow.

The Valvetrain

Custom pistons and camshafts are allowed for both engines for LS vs. Coyote 3. It should be no surprise that custom pistons are allowed because of the lofty power goals, but custom camshafts are surprising because the Coyote has four of them. If you think one LT cam is expensive, imagine having to pay for four of them. Comp Cams will handle grinding the cams to whatever specs the builders desire, but both engines used a hydraulic valvetrain, and that will be retained.

Fuel And Boost

The L83 and Gen 3 Coyote will be running Holley highram intake manifolds with Tick Performance air-to-water intercoolers. Holley Dominator EFI will control both engines, and E85 will be the fuel used for testing. Both teams are required to run a 76mm F3-series turbocharger from HPT Turbo. Both teams must have the same 76mm billet compressor wheel and the same compressor housing, along with the same 80mm turbine wheel. But there are several different HPT turbine housing options the builders can choose from.

There may not be an exact fixed budget this time, but that won’t stop the LT from claiming factory for the third time on the trot. Limited to 5.3 liters and no budget might make the Ford crowd feel better this time around, but there’s a reason that you see more Chevrolet V8s swapped into Fords, not the other way around.