LS Engine Swap, why?

Personally I really don't see the point of putting a large displacement gasoline engine in a humvee, but I would like to know the reasons people do this conversion?

I use my humvee mainly for off roading and gasoline engines in that setup just seems like you would be crippling the vehicle...

I agree a 12 valve cummins would be much better. However a stock 6.0 vortec makes 320hp and 405 ft pounds. Versus the 160hp 400 ft pound Detroit. Don't quote me on the numbers but that's ballpark. The Detroit weights what 800 pounds and the iron block ls weighs around half that. The aluminum ones weigh even less. And you have twice the revs to play with. 6.0 with 4l80 and the necessary computers are less than 2 grand. And motor mount adapters are available to make the swap easy. Detroits are honestly pretty crap motors and the vortec / ls motors are know to go past 250k. A mild cam tune etc can boost these numbers pretty good.
I think the best route though is a mechanical cummins though it is a little more work to set up mechanically while easier electronically.


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Carrera911 said:

I agree a 12 valve cummins would be much better. However a stock 6.0 vortec makes 320hp and 405 ft pounds. Versus the 160hp 400 ft pound Detroit. Don't quote me on the numbers but that's ballpark. The Detroit weights what 800 pounds and the iron block ls weighs around half that. The aluminum ones weigh even less. And you have twice the revs to play with. 6.0 with 4l80 and the necessary computers are less than 2 grand. And motor mount adapters are available to make the swap easy. Detroits are honestly pretty crap motors and the vortec / ls motors are know to go past 250k. A mild cam tune etc can boost these numbers pretty good.
I think the best route though is a mechanical cummins though it is a little more work to set up mechanically while easier electronically.


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I saw someones LS3 conversion and it had 425 hp and 400 ft/lbs.

I'm a fan of the duramax... not here to start an argument though

People throw Chevy engines into Mazda RX-7's all the time.

People throw big block Chevy's into classic GTO's and ruin the value.

Chevy engines are everywhere, just like crack cocaine.

We all see addicts everyday, but that doesn't mean we wanna be like them.

Sure, people swap in Chevy engines. They fit,... but it doesn't mean I wanna be like them either.

YMMV

Power is like a drug to some folks. Not to be a devils advocate but if you are offroading in a muddy climate (FL etc) you need wheel speed. That won't be happening with a 6.5. I'd like to do an LS in my CUCV simply because the 6.2 sucks here in the mountains.

I'd like one in my lawnmower.

doghead said:

I'd like one in my lawnmower.

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LS swap on mule and add a 3 point hitch. Retire mower, cut grass with the mule.

erasedhammer said:

Personally I really don't see the point of putting a large displacement gasoline engine in a humvee, but I would like to know the reasons people do this conversion?

I use my humvee mainly for off roading and gasoline engines in that setup just seems like you would be crippling the vehicle...

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I've always wondered why someone would start a 100 threads without ever searching or reading the TM's ?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AV2MehkFcTw


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kBNPAJLhKZ4

The 6.2/6.5 is a slug, even in a soft top soft door Humvee. I hardly call swapping in a higher HP and TQ engine crippling.

Recovry4x4 said:

LS swap on mule and add a 3 point hitch. Retire mower, cut grass with the mule.

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I no longer have a mule. The Mitsubishi is the replaced it. Hmm, LS powered minicab...

Erasedhammer, do you sit up nights thinking of stuff to post ? If you wanna do something to your rig . . . Just do it ! (and post lots of pics ). I think an LQ9 would be a wonderful swap for a vehicle that is being used for multiple functions. Civil on-road with TONS of power and the revs to get wheel speed off-road in high range and gobs of torque for the rocks in low. The 4L80 bolts right up. Heck, put a twin turbo setup on it to get that cool pop off valve noise when you are sitting at a red light next to a Ferrari. They LOVE to be embarrased by a sleeper like an HMMWV. Of course racing, and driving an off-road only HMMWV on the street would be WRONG. So don't do that.

Mind as well go big and do an lsx swap.
As for swaps. simplicity and the fact you can do whole Power train swaps.

They just look so dang good!

Shark Bait said:

View attachment 683377View attachment 683378View attachment 683376View attachment 683379View attachment 683380They just look so dang good!

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Looks ain't everything my friend! But lsx engines are pure sexy. I'd rather go with an UGLY 5.9Cummins all day long...!

LS swap

I have driven a few LS trucks and when you put on a trailer you can feel it. They are good don't get me wrong. My dad owns a salvage yard and we have had them come in with over 200k and still run. The Cummins 12v is a dying beast. You just don't see them on the roads too much anymore. They are getting hard to find. As for the output, you can take a stock 12v 160 or 180 auto or 215 stick, depending on year, and wake them up with a few parts.

My current daily driver is a 97 Dodge 2500 with the stock 180 auto trans pump with a nv4500 swapped in. It puts down 417 at the wheels with a streetable low smoke tune. I did 4k gov springs and ddp stage two injectors. I cant remember the specs on the injectors. I ported the head and O ringed the block because I could. As long as you don't rev over 3k with the stock fuel pump or you have the fuel to feed the P pump with a good fuel system they will run. The P pumps do not like to starve for fuel. It will kill them. My truck has 200k on it, and when I took the head off it still had cross hatch in the cylinders. The 12v makes good low end power and gets good mileage as long as you take it easy.

I have a roller cam 383 small block chevy in my Toyota truck that makes 525 at the flywheel. I wouldn't tow with that truck and it burns fuel. It is good for what it does. It ran 12.52 at 109 in the quarter when I ran it.

If you want a truck to go on road trips haul occasionally and still burn rubber at times, I would go with a 12v. They can be swapped easily without an aftermarket wiring harness. The only bad thing about them is they eat transmissions and turbo lag.

I have a 80 psi 12v out of my retired pulling truck that I'm saving for my 1008 when the 6.2 gives up. I hoping it isn't anytime soon because I have a whole list of things to do before that swap.

I hope this helps. Its also cheaper to buy a rusted out old Dodge than to buy the engine then all the stuff you need to swap it in. You can also P pump a 24 valve pretty easily just don't get a 53 block.

Awol said:

The 6.2/6.5 is a slug, even in a soft top soft door Humvee. I hardly call swapping in a higher HP and TQ engine crippling.

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oh **** no, I wasn't talking about an LS being a bad swap for a 6.5/6.5.
I was talking about comparing the LS swap to a duramax/cummins swap.

someoldmoose said:

Erasedhammer, do you sit up nights thinking of stuff to post ? If you wanna do something to your rig . . . Just do it ! (and post lots of pics ). I think an LQ9 would be a wonderful swap for a vehicle that is being used for multiple functions. Civil on-road with TONS of power and the revs to get wheel speed off-road in high range and gobs of torque for the rocks in low.

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Yes

and

...you'd have even more torque out of a diesel (specifically a duramax/cummins)

Yes, but you didn't ask about that. I would go DURAMAX all day every day, and TWICE on Sunday. And ZERO diss of any kind. I too work nights.

In fact, I just recently added the thought of a Duramax and Allison to my short list for drivetrain upgrade in an M800 chassis if I ever get that far.

someoldmoose said:

Yes, but you didn't ask about that. I would go DURAMAX all day every day, and TWICE on Sunday. And ZERO diss of any kind. I too work nights.

In fact, I just recently added the thought of a Duramax and Allison to my short list for drivetrain upgrade in an M800 chassis if I ever get that far.

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sorry, definitely didn't mean a LS was worse than a 6.2/6.5

I'm hoping to do a duramax upgrade in a year or so.

Not much could be "worse" although both series of engine did yeoman service for MANY years in many vehicles. Only "worse" I can think of was the bastardized 350 c.i.d. diesel. THAT was a true P O S. But at lest GM tried whereas Ford just went "eh ! We get subsidized by the government, eff 'em" , and the Pentastar gang was busy going belly up for the first time.