In this article [LSA Swap Inside] you will learn what parts you will need to LSA swap your vehicle! We will talk about the pros, cons and what all it takes to make it work efficiently on your vehicle. First and foremost, we need to thank the engineers at GM for not designing the isolator correctly in the snout leading to thousands of recalls. This recall caused a massive amount of used blowers to enter the parts market because GM replaced the whole blower, not just the isolator. Once you have the LSA supercharger in your possession it is simple to make the unit complete. The first step is replace the stock isolator with a solid one like this one from Lingenfelter.

Lingenfelter Solid Isolator: 

Another item that most likely needs attention is the intercooler brick on the inside of your supercharger lid. Even with low miles and stock boost levels owners have reported finding collapsed end tanks. This results in inefficient cooling (higher intake air temperatures) and in some cases internal coolant leaks. The solution to this is to send your brick to “0fx2gv” for reinforcement, they can be contacted here: 0fx2gv Facebook Page. For more information on collapsed bricks and photos click here.

Pros for LSA Supercharger:

• Factory reliability
• Bolt on, very little fabrication
• High power potential for relatively little money
• Lots of aftermarket support

Cons for LSA Supercharger:

• Not as inexpensive as they used to be
• Limited to around 800hp without nitrous
• Heat soak issues if blower is overspun
• May not fit under stock hood (such as C5/C6)

So you’ve decided you want to supercharge your vehicle and you decide to do an LSA blower because they are “cheap” when compared to a Magnuson kit and such. Many variables go into your cost and it all depends on how much power you want to make. If done right an LSA set up will more than likely be less expensive. However, there are a lot of parts to make it work and they add up quickly. If you were lucky to score a used blower off of Ebay or Craigslist chances are it is bare. To make it complete you will need a lid (CTS-V or ZL1), fuel rails, injectors and the solid isolator, I mentioned earlier. If you have not been lucky enough to find a used supercharger or would just prefer to buy a complete package we offer exactly that. These packages include a used LSA supercharger with LPE solid isolator, reinforced intercooler brick, the option of a CTS-V or ZL1 lid, fuel rails and injectors. Next, depending on your application you need to assess your cylinder heads. LSA blowers have square ports therefore, if you have cathedral port heads you have a few options. First, you can run a set of adaptor plates that convert from square to cathedral port. Second, if you have an LS2 (or anything with at least a 4” bore) you can pick up a used pair of LS3/LSA cylinder heads or aftermarket castings such as Trick Flow 255’s.

Any camshaft will “work” with a supercharger but not efficiently if wrong for your application. Custom camshafts are available but we carry BTR’s line of PDS camshafts and they are well suited for 99% of LSA applications. The next area of concern is the accessory drive system. There are a few different routes here also. First, some have taken combinations of LSA accessories and idler relocation bracket, harmonic balancer and belts to make it work. This can be done but, varies greatly by platform and most have not been documented (1^st generation CTS-V has been documented this way). The second option is to buy a conversion kit from OKW that comes with accessory relocation brackets, spacers and sometimes snout machining. The con to this route is you are limited on your upper pulley size selection.

With the main “to-do’s” taken care of, you are now in the home stretch! Small items such as sensors,

-AN hose, heat exchanger, throttle body, LS1 to LS2 throttle body adaptor harness, custom intake, AFR/ Aeroforce interceptor gauges, injectors, fuel pump(s), belt(s), harmonic balancer (Overdriven for increased boost) and coolant pump for heat exchanger. For many swap applications the 2 bar MAP sensor for a Cobalt SS is the only compatible option (PN: 12580698). This is needed because many stock MAP sensors were not intended to read boost.

The LSA supercharger is a great bang for buck modification for your vehicle. Just don’t go into the project thinking you can do it for $2,000. We carry many parts to service, modify and complete your LSA swap! If you have any questions or are looking for an item you don’t see on our website, feel free to contact us: directpsonline@gmail.com. Follow this guide and enjoy your reliable horse power!