Many different thoughts on this. I totally understand the ease of daily use with an LS motor, but I also like originality or period specific modifications.
Here is my main reason I do not prefer an LS motor in my old car or restomod: it dates it.
Remember all the cars that received small blocks in the 80’s and 90’s? I remember a shop telling me to pull the original motor out of my 70 LeMans and drop in a 350 Chevy. Said it was the only way go if I really wanted it to run good. I still have that car and it still has its original Pontiac 350.
In the late 90’s and early 00’s everything needed a LT-1. Every truck, every 3rd gen, every 69 Camaro and every 55-62 full size GM build. This was the ‘modern’ build- LT-1 with C4 brakes. Anybody want one of these today? The better tech LS was already out….
05-15 everything needs an LS. Literally everything from mini coopers to AMX’s to Bentley’s received an LS swap. Swap kits are designed and sold, pre-made headers, etc.. Every big build you see is LS based-they all look the same. A car with an LS and 17” CCW wheels is as common as a car in primer on Centerlines in 1982. The better tech is already coming out with the new LT-1
15+ LS based 5.3’s are the new junkyard build. Cheap turbos come Into play and every rat trap Silverado in America has 800hp. It’s not even really safe. Every build is matte black with turbo’s exiting behind the front wheels. The new LT motors, Hellcat motors and Coyote motors are suddenly becoming reasonable and everything on the street is fast.
A kid comes by my shop a year or so ago and says ‘you know if you really want this 70 LeMans to run good it needs a 5.3 and a turbo.’
My point is that if you keep cars as long as I do it doesn’t make sense to chase the latest and greatest. I have a friend with a 56 chevy that has had a crate 383, an LT-1, an LS-1 and now he is putting a new LT motor in it. If I was going to build one car and sell it then I completely understand going with whatever the modern engine at the time is.
Stock never goes out of style and rarely loses value. I think we will see a lot more carb replacement fuel injection kits where cars keep their original style motor.
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