Engine swaps are the heart of hot-rodding. Taking something never intended for your chassis, and making it work is quite a challenge. But, thankfully, we have companies like Trans-Dapt who have taken it on as their mission to make swapping engines into chassis never meant for those engines easier to do yourself. Case in point is the 1968-’72 GM A-body Swap-In-A-Box (P/N: 46007) the company released at the 2023 SEMA Show.

“When you’re doing an engine swap, there are so many things that come into play, and so many products out there. You can get into the situation of buying product A from Company 1, product B from Company 2 and things don’t always fit when you start putting things together,” says Marc Lewis, Marketing Director, Hedman Performance Group. “So when you have a kit from a company with components that are developed together from the start, you have fewer troubles in the end.”

To that end, the team at Trans-Dapt has assembled the parts from their family of brands that are known to work together. “This kit includes everything you need to get an LS into an A-body: engine mounts, oil pan, transmission mounts, and then the headers, of course. Everything is designed to work together,” explains Lewis. “We wanted to make it so that everything fit easily and without issue, which is not the easiest thing to do in practice.”

The kit includes a complete set of Trans-Dapt’s LS engine brackets, transmission mounts for a 4L60E, and all the required hardware. From their Hamburger’s line of oil pans is a low-profile, rear sump LS-Swap oil pan complete with oil pump pickup, gaskets, and pan bolts. Then, from the Hedman Hedders line are a set of 1-3/4-inch-primary, mid-length, BLACK MAXX ceramic-coated mild steel headers designed specifically around an LS in an A-Body. Also available are silver ceramic coated or uncoated headers, stainless steel mid-lengths, or long tube headers; basically, whatever floats your boat.

The Trans-Dapt “Swap-In-A-Box” is an aptly named kit that makes putting a modern engine into your classic a DIY affair.

The kit is available with a variety of ceramic-coated and uncoated mild-steel mid-length and long-tube header options, including stainless steel.