8 Strangest LS1 Swaps
Of course, trying to pick the strangest is like hitting a moving target, but here's a good selection of what we've found recently.
1. The Supercharged LS Outboard Motor
Do you have a boat that just isn't fast enough compared to your current Corvette or Camaro, with its supercharged 6.2-liter motor? Well, Seven Marine has developed a solution, a supercharged 6.2-liter outboard motor called the 557, because it puts out 557 hp at the twin counter rotating props. And should that not be enough for you, you can run a pair of them, or even three or four, for a boat that really stands on its tail when you give it throttle. That is legitimately over 2000 hp trying to push you through, and more than likely out of the water.
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2. 1966 Mini Panel Van
If you are a regular in the LS1 Tech forum, then you probably have seen this project already. Member Roadrunner45 has been posting about it since some time in 2005, and posted video of him street driving what amounted to a street legal legends car in 2009. A stock 1966 Mini panel van, with wide fender flairs, has been bolted onto a custom tube frame chassis with a narrowed Ford 9 inch in the back. An LS motor, with a nice lumpy cam, turns a 4-speed automatic and should let this car run the 1/4 in less than 10 seconds.
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3. 2001 Porsche 911 AWD
The degree of difficulty of putting an LS motor into a 911 is already high, but forum member 1dirtyZ upped it even higher by choosing to keep the all-wheel drive and turbocharge the LS motor. It is hard to say for certain, but if you follow his posts it looks like he has mostly been successful. I did not intend to make this list just guys from LS1 Tech, but some of the best and hardest swaps to be found online are right here. You can read all about this project here.
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4. 2003 Misubishi EVO AWD
Apparently, in Europe they also like to drag race, but they don't have the groomed, freshly paved drag strips we have here. Therefore, AWD cars have an advantage when putting power down on the abandoned airstrips and other improvised 1/4 mile track they use. Details are slim on this car, because the Facebook page about it is not in English, but it appears to have a turbo LS motor putting power down through Chevy Trailblazer LS components. The only thing that can make burn outs better is doing them from all four wheels at once.
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5. 2010 Toyota HiAce Van
We no longer get the boxy Toyota van called the HiAce, which evolved from the 1980s Toyota van we did get, but it is about the size of our Tacoma and uses similar components. It typically has a big 4-cylinder sitting next to the driver's seat, with a big solid axle in back, and is used for commercial delivery and service in Asia and Europe. Down in Australia somebody has fitted one with what is reported to be an LS2 motor. No telling how much power it has, but one thing is certain: it needs more rubber. You can watch a video of it running the 1/4 mile here.
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6. Viking Riding Mower
This one really is cheating because there is barely anything left of the original riding mower. The Viking company of Austria based this tube frame racing mower on a T5, or at least used the cutting deck and body work from one. Under the bonnet is an LS motor with over 400 horsepower, which allowed them to set a speed record for a riding mower at more than 134 mph. Yes, the blades will still cut grass; that is one of the requirements for the fastest mower title. Perhaps most impressive, the record was set on an active airport runway in Norway between takeoffs and landings. Want to see the record setting run? Video is here.
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7. Home Built Aircraft
Sure, the LS motor is reliable in your daily driver or weekend track toy, but would you trust your life to one? More and more builders of smaller, experimental and home built airplanes are choosing LS power for the power-to-weight ratio and affordability. Now, you can't just pull a motor out of the junkyard and bolt it into your Cessna. The FAA has strict rules on rebuilding, modifying and certifying these for aircraft usage. But, as you can see, even turbo LS motors are now being used. There is even a V12 being cast for aircraft use based on the LS motor, so your P51 replica can sound accurate, too.
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8. Polaris RZR XP4 1000 UTV
If you want to play in the sand with seating for four, a ton of power, and not a lot of weight, the TMW Off-Road Werewolf is just the thing. Starting with a Polaris XP1000 which typically has 110 horsepower, they custom built a rear subframe and added an LS motor and custom transmission, quadrupling the power output. Stock, these weigh in at less than 1,500 lbs, so even now it probably doesn't even hit 2,000 lbs with the drive in it. You can read more about it here.
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For help with keeping your LS-equipped car running, or getting a crazy swap running, click into the How-to section of LS1Tech.com!