Complete Car & Truck Engines for Chevrolet

Repair or Supercharge Your Chevy With a LS Engine

Originally introduced in January of 1995, the LS-based series of small-block engines built by GM has become the primary type of V8 engine used in GM's rear-wheel-drive cars and trucks, including Chevrolets. On eBay, you can find the LS1 engine for sale, or any of the other engines in the LS series, all the way up to the LS9. Before you begin your search, however, here's some information about LS engines and what they can do.

The engines in GM's LS series are the LS1, LS2, LS3, LS4, LS6, LS7 and LS9. They were not produced in ascending order, though the LS1 was the first in the line. They are all aluminium and cast-iron V8, overhead valve engines that use two valves per cylinder. They are generally large and powerful engines, displacing between 4,301 cc and 7,441 cc, depending on the type and generation being considered. Horsepower for Chevrolet LS engines can fall anywhere from 255 to 755, but in most cases resides between 300 and 450.

LS engines are meant for rear-wheel-drive cars and trucks. Here are some of the Chevrolet models that have used LS engines over the course of their many generations of production.

The LS1 was originally introduced in 1997 in that year's Corvette and also in the Camaro in 1998, generating 345 horsepower. The LS6, introduced as a high-powered version of the LS1 in 2001, was used in the C5 Corvette Z06. The LS2 was introduced in 2005 as a higher-torque version of the LS6 and was used in that year's Corvette as well as in the Chevy Trailblazer SS, but Corvettes switched to the LS7 in 2006. The LS4 was used in the Chevrolet Impala SS and the Chevrolet Monte Carlo SS from 2005 to 2009 and from 2006 to 2007, respectively. The LS3 became the Corvette's new base engine starting in 2008. The LS9 is a supercharged version of the LS3, generating an incredible 755 horsepower, and was most famously used in the Chevrolet Corvette ZR1 from 2009 to 2013.

Before diving into the eBay listings in search of the right Chevrolet LS engine to suit your needs, here are a few important pieces of information to keep in mind and use to guide you in your search:

• Compatibility: GM has produced an extraordinary number of different engines throughout its long history, and cross-compatibility between various GM car marques is common. However, you should still make absolutely certain that the engine that you have your eye on is compatible with the specific car model with which you intend to fit it.
• Mileage: Lower-mileage engines will generally be more expensive than high-mileage engines, as they will require less maintenance. The same is true of more recently built engines as opposed to those that were built further back in the past.
• Condition: Reconditioned LS engines will nearly always cost more than a non-reconditioned version of the equivalent engine because reconditioned engines have had significant numbers of their parts upgraded and replaced to function more smoothly.