Junkyard LS Engine Builds Going From Rags To Riches. How many times have you heard that the days of building a decent engine from the junkyard are over That may have been true during the 8. Small Block Chevy days and prior to the release of GM family of LS engines. Now, due to the fact that the LS is in everything GMs little lightweight powerplant that could, it has changed the way Chevy guys think about engine building. These LS V8s are exactly what gear heads have been looking for lightweight, compact and producing at least 1 horsepower per cubic inch with reliability and durability. And by the way, if youre looking for good fuel economy and tons of aftermarket support in a basic platform that can rev high and pull hard from low rpm, and do all of that on pump gas without complexity or tons of maintenance, then digging through the junkyard for the right parts to put together a recycled LS engine might be for you. Lets say youre a guy with dreams of big horsepower, but a wallet with a four cylinder stroke or maybe youre a guy that just likes a challenge and likes spending time searching in the local junkyard. Can you build a modern GM engine using junkyard parts that has decent horsepower and longevity  We talked to a couple of the best LS engine builders on the planet to find out what junkyard parts it would take and what pitfalls to avoid in building a junkyard LS engine with muscle. Our Experts Chad Golen, Golen Engine Service. Golen has 2. 0 years of engine building experience with 1. LS performance engines. Golen Engine Service is operated in a 1. Hudson, New Hampshire, where a team of hand picked and home grown technicians produce high performance miracles for an elite clientele base. Among these customers, Golen has built custom engines for golf legend Jack Nicklaus and Jerry Onks. Gmc Truck Serial Numbers' title='1957 Gmc Truck Serial Numbers' />Golens LS7 engine work powered Onks road race Corvette to the 2. Road America Championship. Golens clientele list includes Jerry Onks, whose C6 Corvette Road Race GT3 Racecar is powered by a Golen 4. LS7 Race Engine. Golens engines have also been purchased by D S American Muscle for Mad and Daring Race Team of the Netherlands for use in their C6 Corvette GT3 Race Car, The crew at Golens is specialized in their respective areas which allows for a very high degree of experience in specific systems. Among the specialties, Golens Engine Service has a full staff of machinists and their own in house dyno operator and tuner. Billy Briggs, Briggs Performance. Briggs has been involved in building high performance GM engines for over twenty years and claims some of the most impressive accolades that an engine builder can earn. In the past few years, Briggs Performance has focused on building some of the fastest LSX drag racing motors that compete in the National Series. Briggs engines have powered winners across the nation, most notably in the LSX shootout in both drag radial and true street classes as well as Milan dragways heads up drag radial and 1. According to owner Billy Briggs, 9. LS engines. Other accomplishments that Briggs Performance claim include the following First LS engine to exceed 2. First LS engine powered race car to run faster than 7. First LS engine powered race car to exceed 2. Breakdown on GMs LS Engines GMs LS engine platform is often called the new small block Chevy and its entry into the marketplace signaled a higher performance era in GM motors with the same interchangeability that GM fans have come to expect. With almost a decade and a half in the market, the popular LS engine platforms have been showing up in the salvage yards in droves which means that cores can be found on the cheap. These engines have been showing up as engine swaps in just about every type of chassis imaginable. If youre inclined to take on the challenge of building one of these inexpensive powerplants from cores found in a wrecking yard, you should be a little familiar with the evolution of the LS Platform. To help with matters, we worked with Chad Golen and Billy Briggs on a down and dirty guide to LS Engines below, starting with the one that began the evolution, the LS1. LS1. LS1. Showing up first in the 1. C5 Corvette, this aluminum block engine was a departure from the previous small block Chevy engine platforms. Sharing very little in common with the previous SBC platforms, the LS1 created a buzz with automotive enthusiasts and hot rodders alike. Because of their comparatively small bores 3. LS1 blocks can only use LS1, LS6 and LS2 heads. VIN/55-59GMCWEB.jpg' alt='1957 Gmc Truck Serial Numbers' title='1957 Gmc Truck Serial Numbers' />Using heads designed for larger engines will cause valve to block interference. Transplanting an LS1 could become touchy because the 1. Vettes came with throttle by wire throttle bodies and electronics to operate them. JPG' alt='1957 Gmc Truck Serial Numbers' title='1957 Gmc Truck Serial Numbers' />You must have the accelerator pedal and TAC module from a 1. Vette that match the PCM programming to use the stock throttle body. The 1. 99. 8 2. 00. LS1 equipped Camaro and Trans Am cars used a pwm VATS system as an anti theft device. A VATS module in the steering column transmits a pwm signal to the ECM if the proper ignition key is inserted into the key switch. If the improper key is inserted, the system disables the injector pulses after 2 seconds of engine run time. When transplanting the engine from one of these vehicles, the VATS system must be defeated. Painless Performance offers a kit that will accomplish this. The 1. 99. 7 2. 00. Your trucks vehicle identification number contains clues to a variety of information, ranging from the country where it was manufactured to its engine size. The. The mid1955 introduction of Chevrolets Cameo Carrier pickup truck helped pave the way for the El Camino. Although it was a model variant of Chevrolets Task Force. GMs XFrame, upon which millions of GM fullsize cars sat from the years 1957 through 1964 Buick Riviera through 1970, has. LSEngines are an oldenough platform to make junkyard scavenging fun. This is a guide for junkyard dogs who are looking to find good LS parts for a bargain. LS1 Corvettes use a serial VATS system. The ECM and BCM use serial communication which is not defeatable by an add on VATS module. Displacement 3. 46ci. Block Cast Aluminum. Heads Aluminum with 1. Compression 1. 0 1. Chevy Trucks A new column shifter was introduced to open up floor space where the floor shifter used to be. Serial numbers codes used as follows FP 12 ton. Record No. 3 Name Steve Nielsen Year 1955 Transmission HydraMatic Location St George Utah Model Stepside Original Yes. SBL Serial Number File. Email your information to wswellsearthlink. Here is a page from South Bend that estimates the starting serial numbers by year. Gmc Truck Serial Numbers' title='1957 Gmc Truck Serial Numbers' />Bore Stroke 3. Specs rated at 3. Corvette from 9. 7 0. It was also used in GM F Body cars with a rating of 3. HP 3. 25. HP. Where to look 1. GM F Body Camaro Z2. Toll Free USA Canada 800 5628782 Order Your Catalogs Parts Online www. LMCTrUCk. com Habla Espaol 855 4562288 M 10 1 22 P Z 3135. SS, Pontiac Formula and Trans Am, 1. C5 Corvette, 2. 00. Pontiac GTO. Notes 1. LS1 engines had perimeter bolt valve covers. Casting number 1. Dao 3.5 Windows 7 64 Bit. Corvette in the first production year. In the 1. 99. 8 Corvette, Camaro and Firebird model with the 1. Casting number 1. Casting number 1. Casting number 1. LS2. LS2. The LS2 was introduced as Corvettes new base engine in 2. Using 2. 43 casting heads, a smaller camshaft and an additional 1. Compression was raised from the LS1 and a different intake manifold and larger 9. The LS2 intake manifold featured a larger plenum and re contoured runners. NASCAR used the LS2 as the basis for the Spec engine used in NASCARs Camping World Series East and West divisions in 2. What makes the LS2 popular with engine builders is that the block is compatible with the high flowing and desirable L9. The larger, 4. 0. LS2 enables it to use LS1LS6 heads, as well as L9. LS2 engines from 2. Corvettes and 2. 00. GTOs and Chevrolet SSRs with engine codes ZJA, ZJB, 5. MC, YTA and 6. MC all had 2. X crank position sensor reluctor wheels. These LS2 engines can be operated with an LS1 ECM and a fuel injection harness from Painless Performance, along with an LS1 Corvette style accelerator pedal and TAC module. LS2 engines in 2. Corvettes were equipped with a 5. X crank position sensor reluctor wheel. These engines can be operated with a Painless Performance fuel injection harness, an E 3. ECM and 2. 00. 6 and later Corvette accelerator pedal. Displacement 3. 64ci. Block Cast Aluminum. Heads Aluminum with 1. Compression 1. 0. Bore Stroke 4. Specs rated at 4. L 3. 64. 1 cu inWhere to look 2. Pontiac GTO,  2. 00. Chevrolet SSR, 2. Corvette, 2. 00. 6 2. Cadillac CTS V, 2. Chevrolet Trail. Blazer SSLS3.