elaying information about the engine to the driver was never really of huge importance to Chevrolet or the other OEMs. They figured a temp gauge was worthy of being in most instrument clusters and maybe a couple warning lights, just in case.

Case in point is the dash of a 1955 or 1956 passenger car. A temp gauge, with the values of simply C and H, was included in the dash along with the fuel gauge placed above the speedometer span. A warning light would glow to let you know there was no way the car would start again, as the generator was not charging. If the oil psi warning light came on, it was likely to let you know that something very expensive just failed. No tach, no voltage, no oil pressure, not even as an option. This is why hot rodders have always hung a few gauges under the dash.

elaying information about the engine to the driver was never really of huge importance to Chevrolet or the other OEMs. They figured a temp gauge was worthy of being in most instrument clusters and maybe a couple warning lights, just in case.

Case in point is the dash of a 1955 or 1956 passenger car. A temp gauge, with the values of simply C and H, was included in the dash along with the fuel gauge placed above the speedometer span. A warning light would glow to let you know there was no way the car would start again, as the generator was not charging. If the oil psi warning light came on, it was likely to let you know that something very expensive just failed. No tach, no voltage, no oil pressure, not even as an option. This is why hot rodders have always hung a few gauges under the dash.

hen it comes to assembling an engine, it’s not uncommon to find yourself mixing and matching components of unknown origin. Perhaps it starts with a junkyard engine that’s been torn down to the bare block, or maybe it’s a half-finished engine build inherited from a friend. The specifics are supposed to be XYZ, but what are they in reality?

Without properly measuring everything, it’s nearly impossible to guarantee that the components will work together or are even what they’re supposed to be. The block could have been bored or honed, the pistons ordered oversized or otherwise incompatible. It’s not uncommon to pick up a set of decent pistons from a swap meet that seem like the perfect forgings for that low-buck 350 build, but if they won’t fit your block you could be looking at spending more money to get those “sweet deal” parts to actually work together. In all of these cases, your best bet is to measure twice and purchase once.

hen it comes to assembling an engine, it’s not uncommon to find yourself mixing and matching components of unknown origin. Perhaps it starts with a junkyard engine that’s been torn down to the bare block, or maybe it’s a half-finished engine build inherited from a friend. The specifics are supposed to be XYZ, but what are they in reality?

Without properly measuring everything, it’s nearly impossible to guarantee that the components will work together or are even what they’re supposed to be. The block could have been bored or honed, the pistons ordered oversized or otherwise incompatible. It’s not uncommon to pick up a set of decent pistons from a swap meet that seem like the perfect forgings for that low-buck 350 build, but if they won’t fit your block you could be looking at spending more money to get those “sweet deal” parts to actually work together. In all of these cases, your best bet is to measure twice and purchase once.

ob Dylan once wrote “… the times they are a-changin’.” He probably didn’t have electronic fuel injection in mind when he wrote those words, but it is certainly true that there’s been a rich mixture of changes with aftermarket electronic fuel injection in the last 10 to 15 years. It wasn’t all that long ago that most car guys steered clear of electronic control over fuel and spark but with a tremendous variety of high-quality systems on the market and the opportunities they offer have made believers out of at least a few serious doubters.

But we have to admit that this conversion to electronic control has not been easy. There has also been a smattering of challenges to make these systems operate smoothly. It doesn’t take much effort to find negative comments about every system out there. While it’s easy to blame the manufacturers, our experience with many of these systems is that there are often simple solutions to many of these difficulties. We’re not going to blow smoke in your face and claim that all these systems work flawlessly. That’s just not true.

However, we will stand firm on the belief that many of these systems will operate well and offer respectable returns on the investment as long as certain rules are followed and an effort to undo these difficulties is attempted. In our experience, it’s often simple installation errors or an occasional failed sensor that is to blame. But if you follow the instructions—yes you must read the instructions carefully—likely you can avoid many of the pitfalls that plague those installers who just don’t make the effort to do the job correctly.

he devil is in the details may be an over-used cliché, but it nevertheless has a very practical side to it. Car builders since the beginning of automotive time have been the innovators who prefer to build their machines in much the same way that Dr. Frankenstein built his monster—using parts from departed souls.

In this particular case, we’re talking about combining manual transmissions between the original Gen I small- and big-block Chevys and its Gen III/IV LS cousin. Everyone knows that the LS bellhousing bolt pattern is the same (with one relocated bolthole). That makes adding a manual transmission a simple, bolt-in deal, yes?

The devil of it is, it’s not that simple.

Our friends at TREMEC, Bowler Transmissions, and Centerforce have teamed up to create a roadmap for engine swappers because there are some serious misapplication errors that can occur that carry with them dire consequences if the important details are not given their due. All this revolves around the proper placement of the LS pilot bearing. Centerforce’s Will Baty informed us that there are actually three different pilot bearings for the LS engine and each one must be properly matched with the correct transmission. That’s what this story is all about.