question on LS engines

[bowtiemark]

alright guys, i’m 18 and somewhat getting into cars, never had anyone to teach me about engines, but i’m wondering is an LS engine a 5.3? i’m confused  on the difference between a 5.3 and a 5.7, i try to look it up and i see a LS1 is a 5.7, but what is a 5.3 engine a LS? 

watching this series on youtube were this guy rebuilds this “ LS 5.3” which is pretty neat and makes me wanna get into since i always loved older chevys and loved cars in general, thanks again hoping for advice from older motorheads 

[KARNUT]

It’s better to just call them small block Chevys The 5.3 is the l83. The 5.7 is LT and LS. 6.0 is LS2 and so on. It depends on years too. In most of my time the 5.7 was a 350 small block, then vortec. We also called it mouse and the 454 rat.


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[RMR]

Yes it is an LS engine. Just no cool LS1, LS2, LS3, LS7 designation.

[bowtiemark]

7 minutes ago, RMR said:

Yes it is an LS engine. Just no cool LS1, LS2, LS3, LS7 designation.

ohh, and the 5.7 is the LS1? 

[MaverickZ71]

There are a lot more 5.3L engines than just the L83. 

 

To avoid argument, the OP should just go to Wikipedia online and read about the newer generations of the Chevrolet smallblock V8 engines and the many variations. 

 

To read about the ones in current production, go to GM Powertrain online  or download a new Chevrolet Performance Parts catalog for the crate engine details and specs. 

Edited July 21, 2019 by MaverickZ71

[riverbanks]

So many variations,cars and trucks are different,ls1 was a 348 c.i,only in cars,I think,but still a 5.7

[TW97C1500]

On 7/22/2019 at 8:22 AM, riverbanks said:

So many variations,cars and trucks are different,ls1 was a 348 c.i,only in cars,I think,but still a 5.7

Or was that LT1?  In Corvettes first, then Buick Roadmasters and some other big car.  I know the motor out of mid-90's Roadmasters is a desirable performance motor.

[KARNUT]

Or was that LT1?  In Corvettes first, then Buick Roadmasters and some other big car.  I know the motor out of mid-90's Roadmasters is a desirable performance motor.

Caprice-Impala SS


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[TW97C1500]

On 7/21/2019 at 2:33 PM, bowtiemark said:

alright guys, i’m 18 and somewhat getting into cars, never had anyone to teach me about engines, but i’m wondering is an LS engine a 5.3? i’m confused  on the difference between a 5.3 and a 5.7, i try to look it up and i see a LS1 is a 5.7, but what is a 5.3 engine a LS?

Chevrolet developed the "small block" engine in the late 1950's (I think).  I'm sure it had a specific name for that design.  I think there was a smaller displacement engine first, but I know the 283 cubic inch was used in the very early 60's.  Then they developed the 327 cubic inch, and I think in 1967 or 1968 (no later) the 350 cubic inch displacement (CID) came out.  A 350 is a 5.7 liter displacement.  There were slight changes to the design in the 1970's and again in the 1980's, so parts are not all completely interchangeable.

 

In 1988 they started using the 5.7 Throttle Body Injection (TBI) in pickups.  It might have been in cars before that, probably Corvettes if anything.  I don't remember what Corvettes had in the mid-80's but I think it was the only car they were putting 350's in.  (See what I did there, switching from "5.7" to "350", since they're the same thing.)  Anyway, I think the 1988 to 1995 TBI engines are again not completely identical parts-wise to the earlier 1980's version.  The engine block itself probably is, heck it might be exactly identical back to the first version in 1967 or whenever, except some engines have 2 bolts holding the crankshaft main bearing caps and some have 4 bolts.  And maybe the bearings are different diameters at some point in time.  Also at some point in the 80's they changed from measuring in inches to measuring in millimeters so if something was 101.62398 mm they probably changed it to 101.60000 or 102 or something like that.

 

In the early 90's they started putting a high-performance version in Corvettes and I don't remember if it was called LS-whatever or LT1.  I think it had aluminum heads and reverse flow coolant in order to keep the combustion chamber temperature down so it could have higher compression using the current gasoline.  It had a roller camshaft also and "Multi-Point Fuel Injection", meaning an injector for each cylinder.  They changed the design a little bit to a less "all out performance" version which had cast iron heads and I think smaller valves and a different camshaft shape, and they started putting that in pickups in 1996, the "Vortec" 5.7 Liter.  For the 1999 pickups, the drastic re-design, they had developed a new all metric based engine.  That's what a 5.3 Liter is, and the 4.7, 6.0, etc.  They were called the LS engines, but be careful because Chevy has used "LS_" on a lot of different engines.  I think a late 60's Corvette 350 was called LS1.  There was a high performance 454 that was an LS-something.  LS6 maybe.

 

Some people at first called the 5.3 a "327" but of course they are not the same design.  And on versions of the metric engine since then, they have used various LS_ names.  I know there is a certain version of the 6.0, I think called LS4, that is supposedly better for performance building.

Edited July 27, 2019 by TW97C1500

[KARNUT]

Chevrolet developed the "small block" engine in the late 1950's (I think).  I'm sure it had a specific name for that design.  I think there was a smaller displacement engine first, but I know the 283 cubic inch was used in the very early 60's.  Then they developed the 327 cubic inch, and I think in 1967 or 1968 (no later) the 350 cubic inch displacement (CID) came out.  A 350 is a 5.7 liter displacement.  There were slight changes to the design in the 1970's and again in the 1980's, so parts are not all completely interchangeable.

 

In 1988 they started using the 5.7 Throttle Body Injection (TBI) in pickups.  It might have been in cars before that, probably Corvettes if anything.  I don't remember what Corvettes had in the mid-80's but I think it was the only car they were putting 350's in.  (See what I did there, switching from "5.7" to "350", since they're the same thing.)  Anyway, I think the 1988 to 1995 TBI engines are again not completely identical parts-wise to the earlier 1980's version.  The engine block itself probably is, heck it might be exactly identical back to the first version in 1967 or whenever, except some engines have 2 bolts holding the crankshaft main bearing caps and some have 4 bolts.  And maybe the bearings are different diameters at some point.  Also at some point in the 80's they changed from measuring in inches to measuring in millimeters so if something was 101.62398 mm they probably changed it to 101.60000 or 102 or something like that.

 

In the early 90's they started putting a high-performance version in Corvettes and I don't remember if it was called LS-whatever or LT1.  I think it had aluminum heads and reverse flow coolant in order to keep the combustion chamber temperature down so it could have higher compression using the current gasoline.  It had a roller camshaft also and "Multi-Point Fuel Injection", meaning an injector for each cylinder.  They changed the design a little bit to a less "all out performance" version which had cast iron heads and I think smaller valves and a different camshaft shape, and they started putting that in pickups in 1996, the "Vortec" 5.7 Liter.  For the 1999 pickups, the drastic re-design, they had developed a new all metric based engine.  That's what a 5.3 Liter is, and the 4.7, 6.0, etc.  They were called the LS engines, but be careful because Chevy has used "LS_" on a lot of different engines.  I think a late 60's Corvette 350 was called LS1.  There was a high performance 454 that was an LS-something.  LS6 maybe.

 

Some people at first called the 5.3 a "327" but of course they are not the same design.  And on versions of the metric engine since then, they have used various LS_ names.  I know there is a certain version of the 6.0, I think called LS4, that is supposedly better for performance building.

Pretty close, there was a 265, the only one I never saw.

I did have a 307 in a 68 impala fast back. A 4bl and headers woke that one up. Even with a power glide to low 15s yahoo!

 

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[TW97C1500]

265, yeah I knew that (well at some point I used to know it).

 

 I almost bought one a several years ago, just for the heck of it.

Edited July 27, 2019 by TW97C1500

[KARNUT]

265, yeah I knew that (well at some point I used to know it).
 
 I almost bought one a several years ago, just for the heck of it.

I could talk on these engines for ever. I forgot so much. At the same time I had the 68 I had a 69 impala. I remember the air cleaner saying 275 horsepower. It was a two barrel also. Came from the factory with TQ straps. I remember a 67 327 that had factory 375 HP.


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[newdude]

On ‎7‎/‎21‎/‎2019 at 3:33 PM, bowtiemark said:

alright guys, i’m 18 and somewhat getting into cars, never had anyone to teach me about engines, but i’m wondering is an LS engine a 5.3? i’m confused  on the difference between a 5.3 and a 5.7, i try to look it up and i see a LS1 is a 5.7, but what is a 5.3 engine a LS?  

watching this series on youtube were this guy rebuilds this “ LS 5.3” which is pretty neat and makes me wanna get into since i always loved older chevys and loved cars in general, thanks again hoping for advice from older motorheads 

 

The 5.7 displacement covers 3 Generations of GM small blocks.

 

Generation 1 Small Block - 350ci/5.7 Liter.  Gen 1 5.7 engines would have been carbureted or TBI fuel injected.  On sports cars, they had Tune Port Injection variants on Camaro/Firebird/Corvette.  Trucks ran the Gen 1 TBI 5.7 until 1995, then switched to the Gen 1 5.7 "Vortec" central port injection. 

 

Generation 2 Small Block - 350ci/5.7 Liter.  The Gen 2 5.7 were the "LT" family of engines.  LT1 was the most common 5.7, found in Camaro/Firebird/Corvette/Caprice/Roadmaster/Impala SS.  These engines had Opti Spark ignition, and were multiport fuel injection.  There was also the LT4 high ouput 5.7, and the LT5 DOHC 5.7. 

 

Generation 3 Small Block - 5.7 liter.  Gen 3 are the "LS" family of engines.  The LS1 was the first to debut in the 1997 Corvette, and the 1998 Camaro/Firebird.  There was the LS6 high output version in the Z06.  The 5.7 liter displacement in the LS engine family only went from 1997-2004 both as the LS1 and LS6.  Trucks never got the LS1, nor a 5.7 liter displacement LS engine.  Trucks ran the 4.8 Vortec, 5.3 Vortec and 6.0 Vortec LS small block engines. 

 

Generation 4 Small Block - No 5.7 displacement.  Gen 4 are still LS, but a much improved LS.  Trucks still ran the 4.8 and 5.3.  There were two 6.0 engines, the Vortec Max in the 1500 from 2007-2009, and the HD trucks got the LY6/L96 6.0 from 2007-2019.  The 6.0 Vortec Max was replaced by the 6.2 L9H/L92/L94.   

[tbarn]

1 hour ago, TW97C1500 said:

Chevrolet developed the "small block" engine in the late 1950's (I think).  I'm sure it had a specific name for that design.  I think there was a smaller displacement engine first, but I know the 283 cubic inch was used in the very early 60's.  Then they developed the 327 cubic inch, and I think in 1967 or 1968 (no later) the 350 cubic inch displacement (CID) came out.

Close but no cigar. 265 came out in 1955. 283 in 1957. 327 in 1962. 350 in 1967

[riverbanks]

Nobody has mentioned the bulletproof 307,lol