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Motown LS Crate Engine - A Hybrid That Makes Horsepower

World Products Turns The Earth On Its Ear With A Small-Block That Breathes Through LS Heads

By Peter Murphy, Photography by Peter Murphy
  • World Products Motown LS Small Block Chevy Engine
    This unique valley cover plate is key to the Motown LS. It secures the upper portion of the heads and because an LS-type spider intake is used, provides a mounting location for the distributor. Also, the valley cover has a removable top section that allows easy access to the lifters.
    World Products Motown LS Small Block Chevy Engine
    This unique valley cover plate is key to the Motown LS. It secures the upper portion of th
  • World Products Motown LS Small Block Chevy Engine
    Here are World's Warhawk LS1 heads being installed on the small-block. Port work was handled by Jim Kuntz, a whiz with Ford Windsor-style heads, which Mitchell says are essentially mirror images of the LS design.
    World Products Motown LS Small Block Chevy Engine
    Here are World's Warhawk LS1 heads being installed on the small-block. Port work was handl
  • World Products Motown LS Small Block Chevy Engine
    Production LS valvetrain components, including the rocker arms, springs, etc. are used, but the combination requires custom 8.200-inch pushrods because of the non-LS camshaft position.
    World Products Motown LS Small Block Chevy Engine
    Production LS valvetrain components, including the rocker arms, springs, etc. are used, bu
  • World Products Motown LS Small Block Chevy Engine
    Here's the long-block assembly of the Motown LS. Note how the custom valley plate cover fits like the final piece of a mechanical puzzle.
    World Products Motown LS Small Block Chevy Engine
    Here's the long-block assembly of the Motown LS. Note how the custom valley plate cover fi
  • World Products Motown LS Small Block Chevy Engine
    The engineering to bring the engine to this point is, frankly, amazing.
  • World Products Motown LS Small Block Chevy Engine
    The other unique parts created for the Motown LS include adapter plates for the front of the heads to mount a water pump and other accessories. A crossover tube is used to connect the small-block's standard water pump inlet and outlet ports, so the water flow will correspond with the LS circuit. By the way, disregard the Mo-hawk name. It was an early nickname that didn't make it past the copyright lawyers.
    World Products Motown LS Small Block Chevy Engine
    The other unique parts created for the Motown LS include adapter plates for the front of t
  • World Products Motown LS Small Block Chevy Engine
    Because the Motown LS has an LS-production deck height, a standard LS intake bolts up without a problem. In this case, it's an Edelbrock intake capped with a velocity-enhancing spacer and an AED-built 1050 Dominator.
    World Products Motown LS Small Block Chevy Engine
    Because the Motown LS has an LS-production deck height, a standard LS intake bolts up with
  • World Products Motown LS Small Block Chevy Engine
    World's builders even worked on the spacer and manifold interface, smoothing out the transition to increase airflow.
    World Products Motown LS Small Block Chevy Engine
    World's builders even worked on the spacer and manifold interface, smoothing out the trans
  • World Products Motown LS Small Block Chevy Engine
    Here's the finished assembly. Just like a regular small-block, the distributor slips in at the rear. The only problem is plug wires. Standard small-block wires don't fit quite right, so a cut-to-fit kit is necessary. On this engine an electronic MSD distributor provides the spark.
    World Products Motown LS Small Block Chevy Engine
    Here's the finished assembly. Just like a regular small-block, the distributor slips in at
  • World Products Motown LS Small Block Chevy Engine
    On the left is one of World's Warhawk LS engine assemblies and on the right is the Motown LS. For racers and street enthusiasts, the implications of such a hybrid are enormous, including easier and less-expensive retro-fit installations, and greater performance in racing classes that require a distributor.
    World Products Motown LS Small Block Chevy Engine
    On the left is one of World's Warhawk LS engine assemblies and on the right is the Motown
  • World Products Motown LS Small Block Chevy Engine
    Without any real tuning and 36 degrees of total timing, the very first Motown LS engine cranked out 629 hp and 579 lb-ft on the initial pull.
    World Products Motown LS Small Block Chevy Engine
    Without any real tuning and 36 degrees of total timing, the very first Motown LS engine cr
  • World Products Motown LS Small Block Chevy Engine
    There's likely more power to be had with some fine-tuning, maybe up to 650 horses.
SOURCES
World Products
Ronkonkoma
NY
6-31/-981-1918
www.worldcastings.com
GM Performance Parts
www.gmperformanceparts.com
By Peter Murphy
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