Photography by THE AUTHOR & Speedway Motorss LS engine swaps continue to dominate almost all areas of hot rodding, Pro Touring, and more, one of the more creative and fast-evolving trends is dressing modern engines with accessories and components that give them a vintage appearance.
A few vintage-appearing accessories have been offered for the past few years, but momentum with the trend has accelerated so quickly lately that we felt it was worth examining and outlining the options. Thanks to retailers such as Speedway Motors and manufacturers including Lokar—with its LS Classic Series range of dress-up components—disguising an LS is easier than ever and can be uncannily authentic-appearing.
That can include everything from valve covers and air cleaners designed to look like those from vintage Chevy small- and big-block engines to kits to hide or disguise the ignition coils while emulating the appearance of a plug linked to a convincing-looking “distributor.” There’s even an intake manifold that mimics the style of the original Rochester system on early “Fuelie” Corvettes.
It’s all very clever and comparatively affordable. When the engine is painted classic Chevy orange, the results can make an LS challenging to identify at a glance. Most of the components for these transformations, including the valve covers and coil relocation kits, are available from Speedway Motors.
Taking it even further, Speedway offers the LS Classic Series crate engines from Lokar. These are based on Chevrolet Performance LS3 crate engines and are dressed—including Chevy Orange paint if desired—to look like vintage Fuelie, 409, big-, and small-block engines. More on them in a moment.
Need-to-Know Details for Building a Retro LS Engine
A convincing retro appearance is all about replacing or disguising the factory EFI system and the individual ignition coils. The most straightforward and dramatic conversion is swapping the original intake manifold with its plastic plenum and front-facing throttle body for a carburetor-style version with the throttle body mounted atop it.
Topped off with a vintage-style air cleaner, including those used with cowl-induction hoods, you’ve got a pretty convincing retro appearance. It can be taken to the next level by relocating the ignition coils from the valve covers and replacing them with retro replicas.
Let’s start with the intakes and throttle bodies. There are plenty of carburetor-style intakes offered from Speedway, including Holley kits (PNs 9100368 and 9100369) for LS1 and LS3 heads, respectively, which have the bosses for fuel injectors and include the fuel rails. There’s also the Edelbrock Super Victor intake (PN 32528875) for LS7 heads.
In fact, there are many other options from Holley and Edelbrock that accommodate cathedral- and rectangular-port LS heads, but the LS Classic Series produced by Lokar and offered through Speedway is designed for a retro appearance and includes replica air cleaners. Most are designed to use the injectors and drive-by-wire throttle bodies found on LS3 and other Gen IV–type LS engines, but there are kits for use with earlier cathedral-port heads, too.
They include classic small- and big-block four-barrel-style systems, and the look of the big-block Tri-power setup used on legendary 427/435 Corvette engines, such as the L71 and L89. Several versions of the original Rochester mechanical injection systems used from 1957-65 exist.
By the way, if you want to pass off an LS swap in your vintage Ford with a more authentic Dearborn look, there are also kits for a classic 289 Windsor look (PN 491GMLS3024 for LS1 and PN 491GMLS3025 for LS3) and an FE big-block appearance (PN 491GMLS3026 for LS1 and PN 491GMLS3027 for LS3).
For those foregoing a complete LS Classic Series intake system, many of the air cleaners are available separately from Speedway. Most included an adapter for the conventional Holley 4150-series base to accommodate a GM four-bolt 92mm drive-by-wire throttle body. A classic is the chrome 14-inch open-element air cleaner (PN 491GMLS3007), but others are available.
That means the aftermarket is brimming with relocation brackets and kits with longer plug wires to accommodate their move off the valve covers. The details become more focused when dressing the engine with a more authentic-looking appearance. Some have hidden the coil packs, including moving them inside the factory heater plenum on a vehicle updated with an aftermarket air conditioning system.
The ultimate solution is the LS Classic Series “distributor” and spark plug wire set (PN 491GMLS4002), which includes 9-foot-long 7mm plug wires that connect to the ignition coils and pass through a hollow, cast-aluminum distributor body that’s attached to the engine’s valley plate and then connect again at the spark plugs. To pull off the look, the coils should be mounted low and behind the engine—and that means some careful measurements should be taken to ensure adequate firewall clearance.
It’s a very convincing look. While the distributor housing itself may be simulated, the plug wires are simply routed through it—with convincing boots on top of the distributor.
For those seeking authentic vintage valve covers, adapter kits with spacers and the necessary hardware are also available, including the one manufactured by ICT Billet and offered through Speedway (PN 82651535).
If we were building our own retro LS it would be all too easy to order an LS Classic Series intake/air cleaner kit, their coil relocation kit, and “distributor” kit, along with the requisite valve covers. We’d also paint the engine Chevy orange to round out the subterfuge.
But there’s an even easier way …
As the name implies, these are brand-new GM crate engines based on the factory Chevrolet Performance LS376/480 and painted and dressed to emulate vintage Chevy powerplants. Fourteen versions are offered through Speedway, each rated at 495 hp and 473 lb-ft of torque—and each with a two-year warranty.
- The engines come painted or unpainted
- Each includes a Holley Terminator engine management system with oxygen sensors and transmission control
- A Corvette-type water pump, thermostat, and balancer
- High-performance rear-dump exhaust manifolds
- A 14-inch automatic transmission flexplate
Depending on the version, the price range for these ready-to-run retro crate engines starts at about $24,000 and goes to approximately $33,000. A rundown of the versions offered through Speedway includes:
Small-block style with a 14-inch air cleaner
PN 491GMLS9003 (unpainted with cast-finish valve covers)
PN 491GMLS9001 (painted Chevy Orange with cast-finish valve covers)
Fuelie small-block style
PN 491GMLS9016, 1957 style (unpainted with cast-finish valve covers)
PN 491GMLS9014, 1957 style (painted Chevy Orange with cast-finish valve covers)
PN 491GMLS9019, 1962 style (unpainted with cast-finish valve covers)
PN 491GMLS9017, 1962 style (painted Chevy Orange with cast-finish valve covers)
PN 491GMLS9022, 1963 style (unpainted with cast-finish valve covers)
PN 491GMLS9020, 1963 style (painted Chevy Orange with cast-finish valve covers)
Big-block style with a 14-inch air cleaner
PN 491GMLS9006 (unpainted with cast-finish valve covers)
PN 491GMLS9005 (painted Chevy Orange with chrome valve covers)
Tri-Power big-block style with triangular air cleaner
PN 491GMLS9013 (unpainted with cast-finish valve covers)
PN 491GMLS9012 (painted Chevy Orange with chrome valve covers)
409/W-series style
PN 491GMLS9010 (unpainted with cast-finish valve covers)
PN 491GMLS9009 (painted Chevy Orange with chrome valve covers)
SOURCES