The Intro
LS Swaps have become one of the most popular upgrades in the C10 community and I totally understand why! After have a hand full of SBC trucks, I experienced my first LS swapped truck when I bought the 1969 C10 I named "Bleu". Although Bleu has a simple swap, I was immediately impressed after I drove is four hours from east Tennessee to home. Although I ended up selling the truck, I couldn't wait to do a swap of my own. Recently I bought the 1963 Service Truck that was LS Swapped as well, but it has a manual transmission and it's actually a carbureted LS with a MSD ignition box. (Blasphemy I know! haha) As I build this LS, I will continue to add to this guide.
The Vision
After beginning my blue 63 C10 named Francis aka the "Community Built Truck", I connected with someone back from my home town and purchased a 5.3 LS with a 4L60e trans for $1,200. It came out of a 2004 Tahoe. Once I got the motor, I started dreaming up what I wanted to do with it. At first, I just wanted to get the bare necessities to make the swap work and make a budget build LS. After finding a crack in one of the heads and deciding to tear it apart to refresh everything, I came to the conclusion. "I'm gonna build my dream LS!" I've always wanted a super clean LS in a patina truck that looks like a Small Block Chevy. After looking into the parts I needed, I realized this is not going to be cheap! I know we have all heard that you can do an LS Swap for a couple grand... That may be true if you get a junkyard motor, rig up the wiring, and already have the motor mounts, fuel pump, and a few other things, but when you're starting with nothing, it adds up. Quickly. I'm going to do my best to give you the bare necessities to make a swap happen, but also offer some high quality parts along the way that you could upgrade to make your swap extra special.
The Cheat Sheet
Your first time doing an LS Swap can be stressful. The thought of "What all do I need?" can overwhelm you. I totally get it. I hope that this "Cheat Sheet" can help you understand the basics of a LS Swap. Remember, I'm not a pro! If you have suggestions or tips for me, please comment those below! I'm still learning as well.
(I will be working on this as I go. Stay tuned for lots of added content!)
4 comments
I know you have videos. But do you actually have a cheat sheet?
Keep up the good work! Each swap will be unique to each vehicle. Modifying the heartbeat of a truck takes a highly skilled person who is willing to do the research to make the set of parts a safe, functional vehicle.
Love this and have been using this for guidance and inspiration as I put together my 65 GMC K1000. Can’t wait to see more content on the LS swap as I build mine! Thank you.
I appreciate all you do for us C10 builders, I’m stuck I want to complete a LS Swap but to be honest, I don’t have much confidence in getting it done over a naturally gas aspirated motor, if you have a cheat sheet please send to me, I again appreciate all you do.