LS or 350 small block

[SicMonte]

I run a SBC bc I'm cheap and I already have all the nice parts that bolt onto the sbc like headers, pulley system, starter...all the additional stuff you don't think about when swapping motors. That stuff adds up quickly.

I would love to have a LS but my budget just says keep what you have bc what you have is already good enough!

[Josue]

Josue, we're getting slight off track with the OP here, but to answer your question/concern. If your primary goal is reliability, jump in start the car and go, then nothing beat an FI system. My car can sit for months (3 months), all I did was start the car, let it idle for 30 seconds and drive off. Could not do that when I had the Pontiac 400 with a carb.

As for as what part to use for the swap (mount/header/crossmember), Holley developed a system of parts that are designed to work together, so that will be your one stop shop for swap parts. And there are tons of companies that offers wiring harness for the LS swap (PSI conversion, BP auto, Speartech). It's not that hard to do an LS swap now, if you desire.

I was afraid of getting off track in asking these questions, but I figured maybe the OP or any other novices that come across this SBC vs. LS thread can benefit from these answers as well. Just giving food for thought in the debate.

As easy as a LS swap is nowadays, there's still a mountain of research and tracking down parts to be done. Motor mounts, headers/exhaust, front acc. drive, harness', cooling/hoses, oil pans, gas pedals, and with each part needed, there are literally dozens of companies to choose from....so which one do you pick? Who's build thread on here do you mimic? Which "expert's" advice from "so and so pro-touring shop" do you take for gospel? It can be overwhelming for beginners!

So that being said, maybe a solidly built, tried and true SBC (or Pontiac in my case) with some EFI for reliability would be the better choice for someone who doesn't want to do the leg work needed for the LS swap.

[Badass63C10]

what are you starting with?

Motor?
Car
Suspension
Brakes

is the car done and your just thinking about the last up grade?
or is it all apart and and your trying to make a plan of attack?

To answer your question
I am going to put Hotchkis on it. It is a 1963 Chevrolet C-10. Wilwood brake are going to be put on all four corners. A better rearend. Essentially it build to make it on very awesome truck that can run with the best of them

[Badass63C10]

okay if i kept the 350 small block could i make it compatible with a push start button

[lxmodguy]

The ls all the way. Better engine, longer lasting, better components, make far more power with less effort

[BMR Sales]

Is the 350 original to the car? If it is - keep it

[Nicks67GTO]

If you're on a tight budget forget the LS and fuel injection. That stuff adds up fast. There is so much used SBC stuff laying around that you can practically build a 350/383 out of a swap sheet on a ramen noodle budget. Remember guys, people drove these "unreliable" carburated dinosaur design engines for decades as daily drivers. I drove my dads 70 Chevelle with a 350/ Q jet everywhere and it had 120K miles on it and I never had an issue.

I vote SBC. One of the few engines you can build that are all 3.... cheap reliable and fast.

[FLYNAVY53]

So I own two cars....I have a '72 Chevy Suburban C20 with a 6.0L LS swap and 4L60E transmission. The other is a 1969 Corvette with the original SBC and 4 spd. Having completed the Suburban last year, I can tell you that the money you have into the LS motor will easily be doubled in what it takes to get the motor in the car, and running. In my case, I paid about $5500 for a built 6.0L with a cam and ported/polished 317 heads. I easily have $11,000 into all the additional accessories....transmission, trans controller, crossmember, driveshaft, radiator, Holley accessories, vintage A/C, painless wiring harness, fuel system, etc. etc. All this, and Im not even running fuel injection....Im running a Holley 650 double pumper. Yes, you can probably pull off the swap cheaper, but this is my daily driver, so once it was all said and done, I wanted it to be bullet proof, reliable, and DONE. Plus I learned a lot in the process. Now Im moving on to the Vette, and leaning heavily towards heads/cam/and EFI on the factory SBC, along with a 5 spd trans, and then focus on suspension and brakes. I guess the point of my long, rambling post is that the LS swap is awesome, but you definitely have to do A LOT of research and in the end, its not cheap.....the engine itself is only about 1/3 of the total cost. Good luck!!!

[indyjps]

I've gone round and round on this one, my 69 is a small block car, I have 10 sbc's in storage, 3 sets of headers, and piles of parts pistons intakes carbs etc from years of building sbc's .
so after a lot of thinking I decided to go LS, specifically a LY6 or L96 with a cam and intake swap, my reasoning is 400 hp smooth idle, reliable power that I can drive easily down the highway.
I've had 400 and 500 hp carb'd small blocks tried to drive them daily and on long trips, they are a handful.
what's your goal with the car? A 350 with vortec heads modded for lift is a great set up. reasonable cost wise. Give us some more details.

[Decline]

I am sticking with my small block for now. It runs fine and has been very reliable in the 3yrs 12k miles I've owned it. If it blows up I'll think about an LS. Right now I feel like my car needs a manual trans more than a new engine. My TH350 is LAME for performance. I think a manual would change my cars whole personality.
The point has already been raised about the "hidden" cost of an LS swap. There's a ton of money in getting in and running