LS Swaps into Rare Collectibles: Bad Ass or Bad Idea?

Since the late 1990’s, hot-rodders have been swapping LS series engines into everything from ’32 Fords to ‘60s muscle cars to even the occasional import with excellent results. While most gear heads absolutely love the look and performance of seeing an LS engine under the hood of their favorite cars, some purists may not share the same views. But is it arguable that some vehicles are better left alone? Vehicles with unique high-performance powertrains, that were built in limited production, for only a short amount of time, are considered by some to be sacred territory and are better left with their original powertrains under their hood, like their manufacturer intended.

A couple prime examples are the ’84-to-’87 turbo Buick Regals and GMC Syclone and Typhoons, which were built between 1991-1993. Both of these vehicles were equipped with turbocharged V6 engines, with the Buick being able to spin the rear wheels through the first two gears, while the GMC’s were gripping the tarmac with all four hides. Though I won’t bore you by getting too in-depth with the stats and specs on these cars, I will say that these vehicles ran low 13s and low 14s, respectively in the ¼-mile – depending on model year and application; the ’87 GNX and ’91-’92 Syclones being the fastest of the bunch.

These were of course, very respectable times for factory V6 powered cars for the era, considering V8 powered Mustangs and F-bodies could only muster high 14s or low 15s from the factory at best. To top it off, these “buzzin’ half-dozens” were easily modified and when modified correctly, could pull low 12-second time slips with not much more than an upgrade in the exhaust, chip, extra boost and some sticky tires. Some might even argue that these boosted V6 mills respond even better to mods than the LS engines that people are replacing them with!

Having driven examples of both of these cars, I can personally attest to the fact that NOTHING compares to the thrills that these mills produced from out of the box. The way that the surge in power comes at you as the turbo spools up and the eerie soundtrack of near silence other than a faint whistling of the turbo combined with the “whoo-tshh” of the wastegate blowing off the unused boost as you let off of the throttle will put a smile on ANYBODY’S face.

Truth be told, I currently own an ’87 Grand National that’s near stock and I get more enjoyment driving it than I do my H/C/I 2002 WS6. The combination of its looks, ride, performance and soundtrack gives it that unexplainable “X-Factor” that I haven’t been able to find anywhere else. I also get more comments and compliments with this car in the year that I’ve owned it, than the 8 years that I’ve owned this T/A. However, if you require a car that doesn’t have a high theft rate, handles like it’s on rails, stops on a dime and has a “thunderous” noise emitting from its tailpipes, then this isn’t the car for you. That’s where a car like my WS6 would come in.

Who hasn’t seen this classic video of two mildly modified GN’s smoking a Viper GTS on the street?

So, the question arises, “Should the Buick turbo Regals and the GMC Sy/Ty’s be left with their original engines intact, be it stock or modified, or are they prime candidates for a turbo LS swap?” One would have the Turbo 6 crowd standing firm with their belief that their engines are more than up to the task of providing their need for speed. And they’re willing to back it up with guys like Kenny Duttweiler – now deep in the 6’s with his GN – and a whole slew of other guys in the 7’s and 8’s while still being streetable!

But on the other side of the fence, you have someone like Buick turbo guru Cal Hartline, who took the turbo V6 out of his already 8-second Grand National, and dropped in a turbocharged LQ9-based motor to partake in the inaugural LSX Shootout of 2007. It ran 8’s in the ¼ with that set up as well. In more recent news, Speed Inc has a LSX-based ’93 GMC Typhoon project car that is dipping into the 9-second zone, while maintaining its AWD system. The featured pictures and videos will no doubt attest to how incredible the set up is. Admittedly, hearing the spooling turbo, screaming LS1, and watching a an S-series SUV smoke all four of its tires for several yards is quite entertaining.

So is it better to leave the boosted V6 in your collector vehicle to maintain its value and collectability, or should you just say, “The hell with it, you only live once?” Not only does this pertain to turbo Buick’s and Sy/Tys, but what about other cars, like the ’94-’96 LT1 Impala SS, limited edition Corvettes, and other limited edition vehicles of the past? As a Grand National owner and an owner of two LS-powered vehicles myself, I can definitely see both sides of the argument.

About the author

Rick Seitz

Being into cars at a very early age, Rick has always preferred GM performance cars, and today's LS series engines just sealed the deal. When he's not busy running errands around town in his CTS-V, you can find him in the garage wrenching on his WS6 Trans Am, or at the local cruise spots in his Grand National.
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