[Sirrotica]

If you think LS engines never have internal troubles, your living in a dream world. Google LS common problems, that ought to get you started.

By the same token if you had a 5-600 HP LS engine, or for that matter a SBC you wouldn't take it on a 1000 mile trip either. You get over 450 HP on any engine platform and it gets less and less reliable, no mater if it was made in 1970 or 2020.

I own Stratostreak powered, cars as well as an LS GTO, and BBC in a dually truck, plus 2, 6.5 Detroit Diesel trucks and a 7.3 IDI International Harvester wrecker, Add in a Toyota powered Pontiac Vibe just for good measure. I own a good cross section of cars and trucks, I've also raced cars, notably Pontiac powered ones. I also have twisted wrenches for my living for over 50 years, seen a lot of stuff break, and had to fix it when it did, no novice here.

Lowest mileage car I own has 148,000 miles on it, the highest 350,000, most are over 200,000 miles. Mostly built with OEM parts. No one expects to take a race engine and go on vacation with it, use some sense here. A LS race engine isn't going to go 1000 miles any more trouble free than a 50 YO Pontiac engine is.

How many 700 plus HP suoercharged Challengers are going to see 200,000 miles? likely zero. You start stressing parts that much and stuff breaks, no matter who made it, engineered it, or what materials it is made from.

I own an LS engine for 18 years now, If I start pushing it much over 450 HP, I expect the weakest link is going to show up.

I spend a lot of time around 410 Sprint cars, which are for the most part SBC based with all aftermarket parts. 900-950HP naturally aspirated on methanol, best parts money can buy. They get 15-20 nights out of one before it starts loosing power, and has to go in for a refresh. One night is approximately 50-55 laps per night of racing, or about 1000 laps before it needs to be gone through. Mileage,3-400 miles between refreshes.

The Sprint car world tried switching some teams over to LS power, the SBC based engines lasted longer than the LS based engines did. You probably didn't know that little tidbit, but it happened.

The more power you ring out of an engine, the more they are likely to fail, it's just that simple

[Formulajones]

Why would anyone not take a 500 or 600 hp engine on a 1000 mile trip? 1000 miles is literally nothing.

Hell those are the mild 11 second combos that survive drag week without a hitch and make it fun. We drive our 600+ HP cars all over the place and I don't even give it a second thought. We put 300-400 miles on them in one day, and drive them back and forth to the track and race the crap out of them, that's a 250 mile round trip just by itself in one night.

If people are getting to the point they can't trust their 500 HP or 600 HP engine to go someplace they must be some pretty crappy builds because we aren't talking about snarly fire breathing monsters here. These are very mild pump gas daily driver builds. Been there and done that for decades. You guys gotta find yourselves a better machinist, engine builder, or start spending more money for better parts.

[Dragncar]

Originally Posted by NeighborsComplaint

You missed the point. You could argue you made the same trip in a Model A Ford. You have a bone stock Pontiac as-built by the factory with components capable of a 100,000+ mile life and made be driven wherever a road is paved. You have by every definition a street-car that can be driven anywhere they sell gas but, does your car have the performance of an LS?

In order to match the performance of that LS, your car would have its antique behemoth of an engine propped up by a lumpy aftermarket roller cam and lifters, spring pressures to handle the aggressive lift and heavy valve train, aftermarket roller rockers, aluminum aftermarket heads, aftermarket distributor and ignition. Since the motor would no longer be tractable, a loose convertor, tall gears and a modified Turbo400 trans or an aftermarket overdrive trans would have to be fitted.

Try your trip in one of those so-called street cars and the average, weekend mechanic better keep Enterprise on speed dial, they pick you up.

Correctly performed, swapping in a modest LS engine provides the same level of performance along with the reliability of factory engineered components, longevity and real-world gas mileage. In the O/P's case in particular, the time he has spent behind the wheel would be measured in months instead of minutes. An LS swap can even be carbureted and run a small block Ford distributor if simplicity is your game.

I apologize for derailing the OP's thread and am sympathetic to his situation. Were I in his shoes, given his original goals for the use of the car, I would have "rode the LS wave" so I could enjoy driving instead of owning a garage/shop ornament.

None of that is true. To match the performance of a LS ? Do you know how easy it is to get 450-500HP out of a Pontiac ? You can use iron heads, not so lumpy cam, stock intake, Q jet, points and it is FAR more reliable than a LS if you know what you are doing and spend the time and money.
More tech, more wires, sensors has its benefits but a downside. More things to break and you have to take the time to learn about fixing problems or pay someone big bucks to fix it.
And if you want to up the power with aluminum heads, roller cam, FI ect you can. And you car is still cool and not lame and weak.
IMO if you want to jack up your car and give it a soulless engine, stuff a LS in it.
Better yet, keep a Pontiac in it or sell it to someone with the intent of keeping a Pontiac in it.