What is an engine swap, and should I do it for my classic car?
Swapping the engine of your classic car can offer many advantages. These new engines can last for 200,000 – 300,000 miles, are more powerful, more fuel efficient, more reliable and will allow you to spend less time under the hood and more time behind the wheel.
LS Engine Swap
The LS Engine was originally developed to meet stricter emissions standards while delivering more horsepower and improved efficiency.
An LS engine fits just about any vehicle and can generate a lot of horsepower. The aluminum castings are incredibly strong, resulting in a lightweight block and heads. And the pushrod design allows it to fit into places other endings cannot, although it only fits transverse engine setups (the crankshaft is perpendicular to the direction of travel), but they can be adapted to fit various configurations. The LS is compact, lightweight, powerful, and reliable – everything you’re looking for in an engine.
Coyote Engine Swap
You can trace the origins of the Coyote Engine back to the 1980s, but it made significant comeback in the 2011 Ford Mustang, renowned for its astonishing power for a relatively small displacement.
Compared to the LS Engine, a Coyote has more moving parts, allowing it to rev to and maintain higher RPMs. This allows for more power and more torque. The Coyote is more of a ‘modular’ engine, allowing for various parts to be swapped out with others designed to fit these modular engines. This provides the owner with the flexibility and creativity in customizing the engine. These big engines pack a great deal of power but can prove to be a challenge to fit into some engine bays. However, due to the complexity of electronics, the Coyote is one of the more intimidating engines to swap.
Have Visions Restorations Perform Your Engine Swap!
We’ve performed LS and Coyote swaps for several of our customers and can recommend which would be best for your specific needs. Contact us to upgrade your classic car’s engine with an LS or Coyote swap for the enhanced driving experience.