FREAK SHOW!

We check out the weird, wild, and downright cool rides at Holley’s LS Fest East 2022

If you’re

into crazy LS swaps, then you’ve come to the right place! You see, for the last 13 years Holley has been hosting an event specifically targeting LS- and LT-powered rides. Hot rodders being who they are, find the craziest cars, trucks, and whatevers to swap GM LS and LT engines into. And, given the massive size of this event, many show up to show off their creativity.

LS-swapped rat rods? Yep, they were everywhere. What about an LS-swapped Jeep? Yeah, everything from Wranglers to Cherokees were lurking about. Corvairs, Mazdas, BMWs, Volkswagens,

QA Lambo at LS Fest? Wait, did someone decide to cause heart attacks across Italy by swapping an LS engine into this iconic European supercar? Nothing is taboo when it comes to LS swaps, including cars that cost more than some houses. ICT Billet worked its LS-swap magic on this 2005 Lamborghini Gallardo and decided to go big with a built LS3 and twin turbos. Mamma mia!

QOne of our favorite oddball swaps at the event was this 1973 Toyota Celica built by JH Restorations up in Canada. From the outside it just looks like a vintage Toyota modified for road-course work, wearing a bit of patina. Pop the hood and you’re treated to a 5.7-liter LS V8 pumping out a bit over 500 hp! The mill is an iron 5.3-liter Vortec that was bored out and stroked with Eagle rotating parts and DSS forged pistons to get the extra displacement. Topping the short-block are some Edelbrock CNC heads and their Cross-Ram intake. Behind the LS there’s a Nissan (not a typo) 370Z six-speed manual transmission that spins the Ford 8.8-inch rear. Custom double-wishbone suspension, Wilwood brakes, QA1 coilovers—the list goes on. If the keys were in it, we might have gone all GTA and ended up on the news.

Subarus, and even a freakin’ Rolls Royce were there, all of them LS- or LT-swapped. Oh, and Fords of all shapes and sizes, especially Mustangs, were there throwing down with LS power! Donks, drag cars, and even donks that drag race were in attendance. Oh yeah, some of the coolest LS-swapped oddballs were also some of the fastest rides at the event, from 10-second BMWs and Hondas to David Carroll’s autocrosscrushing 1975 Datsun 280Z (which bested quite a few C6 and C7 Corvettes). We were blown away by the hot rodding creativity on display. So, shuffle through our freaks and LSswapped oddballs gallery and, who knows, maybe you’ll come up with a way to surprise us next year. But be warned: The bar has been set pretty high.

QSome LS swaps look like they were done at the end of a “hold my beer” contest, and others end up looking like they came from the factory with an LS between the fenders. This 1965 Volvo falls firmly into the latter category. We first spied Greg Carnforth’s Cameo Cream LS-swapped Volvo on the HOT ROD Power Tour, and it was great to see this stunning ride again at the LS Fest. Powered by an LS1 from a totaled late-model Pontiac GTO and backed up by a Tremec six-speed transmission, this Volvo is a collection of all the right parts and a ton of top-notch craftsmanship. Carnforth autocrosses the ’65 so it fields a custom chassis with upgraded suspension, Wilwood brakes, and QA1 coilovers on all four corners.