LS engine a copy

Is it true that GM's LS engine series borrowed heavily from Ford engine designs?

 

I think youre on the wrong site talking current LS engines. Thats pretty much WAY OT around here. Thats a bit modern for most of the hot rodders around here.

 

Many manufacturers, designing independently, have found similar paths to a final product.

The LS engine design is a good one, and does have some traits that could be construed as "Ford-like"...just as certain FoMoCo engines have design traits that can be thought of as "GM-like". The LS shares more in common with the SBC, most likely, although certain head characteristics are somewhat similar to certain NASCAR Ford heads. In my opinion, that doesn't in itself mean much. Certain port layouts & chamber designs are showing more potential than others.

The more highly developed a particular product is, and the more refined, the more likely that different manufacturers will pick what seems to be the most promising design....and develop it. Looking at NASCAR or Formula One (as much as is shown to the public), nearly all the engines, of whatever make, are strikingly similar to each other.

 

I do not think that this is true. The LS was a new motor all together. I re-built the LS1 in my car myself and did a lot of research on it also. I would say it is a blend of a lot of different motors with the best if each.

 

I tend to agree with Big Blue. Heck, even the Hot One, the second Chevy V8 was considered to be part and parcel to many designs out at the time. A homogonous design. Duntov knew his stuff.

I say the second V8 Chevy Produced, as from 1917 to 1919 Chevy made a V8 with over head valves, similar to a 265. It died then as people felt pistons on their sides would never work..

If they were trying to copy ford, the would have went to overhead cams like the ford modulars.

 

www.LS1Tech.com

Best LS resource on the web...

/founder

 

What is your point? Are you trying to start an aguement with someone or trying to win one? From your opening sentence "is it true" you must have heard from someone that this is a fact or you wouldn't have asked.
\
Frank

 

Ken1939, Duntov had nothing to do with the initial design of the Chevy V8. He arrived afterward and led the Chevrolet banner to racing superiority. Oh yea, I agree he did know his stuff

Frank

 

There's no argument here. My point is that I am trying to determine whether or not what a friend told me is accurate information. It seemed far fetched at first, then after reading a bit some sources said that the LS engine was a clean sheet design unrelated to the 350 Chevy. This board has lots of people knowledgeable in this subject so I figured if anyone would know the answer to the question it would be you guys.

 

You've got to be kidding. The Ford engines are OHC or DOHC, the LS engines are pushrod. I don't see any similarities other than 8 cylinders in a V configuration.

Bob

 

I know for a fact it's a stolen design from Hudson.

 

short answer is "no"

LS series is a fresh build based on a traditional small chevy (overhead valve, cam in block, pushrod mill), that has better heads, lighter block updated details and a deep skirted block supporting the crank

Ford's current engines ( "Mod motors" ) come in 2, 3, and 4 valve flavors, are overhead cam design using high tech to proved power instead of the cubic inches of the LS Chevy.

Both have deep skirted blocks, but then again so does my 440 Mopar. Both have dry intake manifolds without coolant passages, also just like the big block Mopar, but there really isn't any shared or copied tech from each other- it's tech taken from 100 years of watching others pass/fail, and some innovative designs (LS series cathedral intake ports for instance)

There's nothing new under the sun (usually).

If you wanna shut up your buddy, ask him how much Ford paid Chrysler to show them a successful automatic transmission. Google that exchange of tech, lol..

 

its a stretch, but I can see how the intake ports kinda look like some FE series ports

 

" Led the Chevrolet banner to racing superiority"
Wow I must have dozed off when this happened !! just when did this happen, I'm awake now and you have my complete attention.
Van

 

LS cylinder heads can be easily adapted to be used on a Small Block Ford,you would be very suprised at how close they are to fitting right off the bat.

 

true, the bore spacing and head bolt patterns allow this to be done, with some effort, but i wouldn't consider it a borrowed design.

Not worth doing on a stock 5.0 block or smaller mill, as they crack in half if you go much beyond 550 hp (easily supported by LS heads)- so either an aftermarket, or maybe 351 block would make more sense.

 

Is the block casting similar?

 

Ed Cole was Chief Engineer on the SBC and is largely credited with it's design elements. Of course, there were many, many people working on it, under his supervision. Ed was part of the GM team that designed the Cadillac OHV V8 for the '49 models a few years earlier.

Ray

 

My son made a similar comment about the LS motors "being more like a Ford", when I questioned him it he said it was because of the head bolt pattern. As I told him, there's a lot more to an engine than the number and arrangement of head bolts.

 

They look nothing alike

 

Thanks guys! From what I gather from your posts, the head bolt patterns are similar between the LS and Ford Small block and the heads can be interchanged with some work, but that's where the similarities and differences end - right?

 

Introduced in 1997, so its not a Traditional Hot Rod or Custom engine.