It really grinds my gears.

"Twingo Tamer - About to descend into project car hell." (oppisitelock)
10/03/2014 at 17:10 • Filed to: None

When people say they're "bored" of LS swaps. For example this excellent TVR Sagaris on speedhunters. It has an LS9 with 750hp in a light utterly insane car, still people called it dull.

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I see it constantly. How can an engine swap become dull unless you're the one performing them or you're constantly driving LS cars, there's huge variation. People even suggest fitting much less appropriate engines otherwise it's dull. Damn keyboard warriors.

DISCUSSION (34)

Sweet Trav > Twingo Tamer - About to descend into project car hell.
10/03/2014 at 17:13

The Chevy Small Block V8 including the LS V8 and now the LT V8 is the single greatest performance motor of all time.

crowmolly > Twingo Tamer - About to descend into project car hell.
10/03/2014 at 17:13

Swaps are so common it's not as big a deal. That car is awesome, especially since it's unique.

A first gen camaro with an LS1, 4L60-E, and 18" black rims with rivets? Yawn. And I know more about that platform that I care to admit.

Bad Idea Hat > Twingo Tamer - About to descend into project car hell.
10/03/2014 at 17:14

Stick an LS on a go-kart. Go ahead. I want to see how dull that is in the span between go and dead.

Twingo Tamer - About to descend into project car hell. > Sweet Trav
10/03/2014 at 17:15

Compact, powerful, reliable, strangely good fuel economy with the right gearing, reasonably cost effective. Don't get the hate.

FJ80WaitinForaLSV8 > Twingo Tamer - About to descend into project car hell.
10/03/2014 at 17:15

couldn't agree more. Swaps are very difficult as is. I'd like to see the people who say they are boring attempt one.

Twingo Tamer - About to descend into project car hell. > Bad Idea Hat
10/03/2014 at 17:16

I want to do that. Minus the dying part of course.

Bad Idea Hat > Twingo Tamer - About to descend into project car hell.
10/03/2014 at 17:17

Me too, but I have to be honest about the typical end result of most of my ideas.

Twingo Tamer - About to descend into project car hell. > crowmolly
10/03/2014 at 17:17

Well a camaro with those parts may be played out, but I can't see it being boring to own. There's a reason so many do it.

DoYouEvenShift > Twingo Tamer - About to descend into project car hell.
10/03/2014 at 17:18

I think the people saying those things arent really big into the performance. More into the "neat" factor of it. Say that TVR had a Tecumseh pull start 2 cycle swapped in. They woukd loose they're shit on the uniqueness of it.

ADabOfOppo; Gone Plaid (Instructables Can Be Confusable) > Twingo Tamer - About to descend into project car hell.
10/03/2014 at 17:21

I think people find the lack imagination in dropping in an LS to be dull.

I'm not saying that there isn't a reason for everyone's cousin's brother's uncle to drop in an LS and call it a day. It's just that since everyone does it, it becomes overdone.

I personally dislike using an LS in that TVR because it feels wrong. A 2JZ, or RB20 (that's the Skyline motor, yes?) would be better for me because it's supposed to have an I6.

crowmolly > Twingo Tamer - About to descend into project car hell.
10/03/2014 at 17:21

Yeah, it's basically a parts catalog build at this point. I was headed in that direction until I decided on something with more displacement.

Twingo Tamer - About to descend into project car hell. > FJ80WaitinForaLSV8
10/03/2014 at 17:21

Very true, they may have a lot of exposure on the internet so they seem common, but not everyone can make it work. You don't exactly see clean LS swapped s13s and miatas etc every day on your commute.

Twingo Tamer - About to descend into project car hell. > Bad Idea Hat
10/03/2014 at 17:22

Kinja'd!!!

Add a seat, wheel and pedals, pretty awesome kart right there.

Bad Idea Hat > Twingo Tamer - About to descend into project car hell.
10/03/2014 at 17:23

Kinja'd!!!

camaroboy68ss > Twingo Tamer - About to descend into project car hell.
10/03/2014 at 17:26

Same old song and dance. People have been tired of small block Chevy swaps since the 60s.

Being in and around hot rods and pre war fords, I often here the complaint of cross breeding. Most people don't understand the tight space if a 32 ford engine bay. A small block Chevy is tight but will fit without cutting the firewall out. Where a small block ford you have to but a huge recess to get the thing to fit.

Twingo Tamer - About to descend into project car hell. > ADabOfOppo; Gone Plaid (Instructables Can Be Confusable)
10/03/2014 at 17:26

The car isn't really meant to have anything, I don't really get that purity stuff. Any RB with a turbo is heavier and less reliable, and the 2j while reliable on decent levels of boost is pretty heavy too. Hard to fit in that engine bay as well.

Twingo Tamer - About to descend into project car hell. > DoYouEvenShift
10/03/2014 at 17:29

Yeah that's likely why. I get that something being unique is cool, I'd probably have been amused had they swapped a cummins diesel into the thing, but that doesn't make a high power v8 dull. The sagaris is rare even stock.

crowmolly > camaroboy68ss
10/03/2014 at 17:30

383 builds, too.

Twingo Tamer - About to descend into project car hell. > camaroboy68ss
10/03/2014 at 17:32

Yep there's a reason people often use the chevy engine.

ADabOfOppo; Gone Plaid (Instructables Can Be Confusable) > Twingo Tamer - About to descend into project car hell.
10/03/2014 at 17:32

I like the idea on keeping the Sagaris with an I6. It's my personal opinion.

Like I said, I'm not arguing there aren't very valid reasons for using an LS in anything looking for more power cheaply.

I just don't like it.

And anyway isn't the Sagaris enough of a handful from the factory? I've never understood why people want to take an insanely scary car and make it even more impossible to drive. Whatevs. Not my circus. Not my monkeys.

IDROVEAPICKUPTRUCK > Twingo Tamer - About to descend into project car hell.
10/03/2014 at 17:34

While I love LS swaps I can understand the logic behind the sentiment. Everyone always wants to see something new, and if you don't get to drive the car what does it matter to you if it has 750 HP or 20 HP? What I want to see are more diesel swaps like the loon who put a 4BT in a 240sx, but I'm weird like that.

Twingo Tamer - About to descend into project car hell. > ADabOfOppo; Gone Plaid (Instructables Can Be Confusable)
10/03/2014 at 17:36

It's fair to prefer an I6 swap, it just bothers me when people rubbish the LS because it isn't their preference.

Yeah they were meant to be pretty difficult, but this guy seems to track the car and has put a lot into getting the brakes and suspension sorted so its likely a lot better than the stock set up.

It's a "Porch-uh" > Twingo Tamer - About to descend into project car hell.
10/03/2014 at 17:37

It's "dull" because it's not new any more. It's done all the time so the typical reaction to a story about a LS swap is, "Yes, it's another one. So what?" I get that. Car sites reporting on this stuff need to show something new and interesting because their readers expect that. Otherwise they'll find their new and interesting somewhere else. I like following Project Binky since it's different (and the guys are slightly entertaining), and I'd be more likely to click on "Honda Civic M1 Abrams Motor Swap" than "Honda Civic LS9 Swap."

That being said, if I get this E46 M3 I have my eyes on, and the S54 lets go, I'll be swapping in a LS3 instead of replacing it.

Twingo Tamer - About to descend into project car hell. > IDROVEAPICKUPTRUCK
10/03/2014 at 17:37

YES, I have no idea why but I love diesels. Hell I even bought one. Mine isn't quite as exciting as that though...

Goshen, formerly Darkcode > Twingo Tamer - About to descend into project car hell.
10/03/2014 at 17:39

The LSx V8 is a victim of its own success. It's empirically the best performance engine out there, so everyone fits it (and 2JZs) everywhere. And people get sick of seeing it.

I personally wouldn't swap the Speed Six even if it's much better. The Speed Six is a pretty special engine. With this said, that Sagaris is killer.

unclevanos (Ovaltine Jenkins) > Twingo Tamer - About to descend into project car hell.
10/03/2014 at 17:43

When my e38 blows its engine its getting an gm 5.3. I can't wait to see the reaction on bmw purists.

Twingo Tamer - About to descend into project car hell. > It's a "Porch-uh"
10/03/2014 at 17:47

I can understand being bored if it's constant camaros with LS swaps, but how do you get bored of it when they're swapped into so many diverse cars.

Twingo Tamer - About to descend into project car hell. > Goshen, formerly Darkcode
10/03/2014 at 17:49

I personally wouldn't swap an LS into it because it'd be terrifying and the stock engine is enough, but it's a pretty cool car overall.

Twingo Tamer - About to descend into project car hell. > unclevanos (Ovaltine Jenkins)
10/03/2014 at 17:51

You'll have to post that on a really uptight forum for purists. The comments will be priceless.

ly2v8-Brian > Twingo Tamer - About to descend into project car hell.
10/03/2014 at 17:51

Because some people don't want to admit that the performance benchmark is an American pushrod v8 made by GM.

unclevanos (Ovaltine Jenkins) > Twingo Tamer - About to descend into project car hell.
10/03/2014 at 17:54

the BMW cca forum or bimmerfest might lose their collective shit.

swaptastic > Twingo Tamer - About to descend into project car hell.
10/03/2014 at 21:04

I think a lot of the "uggg another LSx swap" is due in part to the internet life vs real life. I have a few friends who are "bored" with seeing them online but when they hear and see a LS1 powered 240SX ripping down the road they usually crack a smile. Popularity of something in real life + internet's ease of sharing = "ugggg everywhere". I never get tired of seeing any engine swap because I know how much time and effort it takes, even the "easy ones".

Twingo Tamer - About to descend into project car hell. > swaptastic
10/03/2014 at 21:16

You're right, it's so easy to look up builds online these days that some people forget how difficult they can actually be. Seeing a swapped car in day to day life is still relatively rare and interesting.

swaptastic > Twingo Tamer - About to descend into project car hell.
10/03/2014 at 21:42

It is. I have written a little over 900 articles on engine swaps so I seen the whole spectrum of opinions.