When you think “LS engine swap,” what’s the first car that comes to mind? Most likely you’re thinking about something along the lines of a Fox-body style Mustang with an LSX tucked snugly under the hood, since these inexpensive and plentiful cars are very successful when given a heart transplant. While there is definitely a reason for the vast amount of late 80s and early 90s Mustangs with Chevy power under the hood, some guys at the 2013 Holley LS Fest had a completely different idea of the constraints of an engine swap. When we stepped onto the grounds of Beech Bend raceway in Bowling Green there were quite a few swaps that were the first of their kind or darn close to it.
Everything from turbo Nissan 240s to Crown Victorias and everything in between were seen at the event with Chevy v8s propelling them; not to mention the host of classic cars graced with modern Chevy technology.
Perhaps the swap that took us most off guard had to be the LSX Eclipse pictured in the video above. When you see a DSM-based car, the last thing that you expect to discover under the hood is a Chevy small block.
Not only were these cars one-of-a-kind, but the light imported bodies combined with the power that we all know an LS is capable of was a force to be reckoned with.
While this article only begins to scrape the surface of the many possible applications of an LS based engine, maybe, just maybe you now have inspiration for a unique swap of your own for a little winter project!