Due to the swap complexity and other projects (my 77 Jeep Cherokee) I opted to hand off a motor swap to the fine folks at Hawk’s Motorsports. Over the past 45 years I have restored/rebuilt/refurbished over a dozen collector cars, and able to do 90% of the work myself - so this was going to be an entirely new experience.

My 3rd gen is a red 91 Formula - a mint condition low mile beauty, but I had been disappointed with the weak 350 from day 1. After four years of ownership I began looking for a replacement car - mostly 2004-06 GTO’s and C3 Corvettes but nothing felt as nice behind the wheel as my Formula. My wife suggested I make the Formula into the car I really want. I hadn’t considered a swap because the car is fairly rare and super nice. But the more I knocked it around the more it made sense.

After a little research I approached Tyler at Hawk’s about an LS and 6-speed swap. We discussed this over the phone over several weeks and I finally pulled the trigger - an LS2, T56, and a 4.11 rear. I delivered the car on February 14 and as promised, it took exactly 8 weeks. I added some goodies along the way but resisted the temptation to open up the motor and add a cam. Tyler suggested a a Nick Williams 92mm throttle body, 2" stainless headers and 3" exhaust, and a Eaton Truetrac to take full advantage of the new gearing. I also added a Sinister clutch and Hawk’s short throw shifter. They found some tired front end parts which were replaced, and the front springs shortened to compensate for the reduced engine weight. I didn’t do any suspension or brake mods. The list of required electronic parts was extensive.

To put it mildly, the finished product is just plain awesome. The quality of the work is excellent. It looks like a clean factory installation with no hint that a swap has taken place. The T-56 shifts perfectly and there is no rear noise. The interior and exterior were as clean as the day it was delivered. There is attention to detail that I find impressive with a volume operation like Hawk’s. It looks like the technicians treated my car as if it were their own car. Every single thing works just like it did when I delivered the car to them. There are no “bugs” to work out. The dyno tune is icing on the cake - 404 RWHP and 413 lbs/ft of torque.

I could have shopped around and maybe found a cheaper shop, maybe sourced my own motor. But this entire process made me a bit nervous and I wanted a shop with real LS swap experience, plus they had dozens of motors to choose from. Hawk’s also has tons of parts readily available to keep the process moving along. When I dropped off the car I got a shop tour and was impressed by the neat and clean appearance. Tyler kept me in the loop and sent photos as the work progressed. I could not be happier with the experience and the results.

I know this option won’t work for everyone and I respect those who can handle this swap in their own garage. Thanks for taking the time to read this. And thanks to Hawk’s for running a first class operation.

 

Where's the pictures?

 

shoot i wana know what they charged for this swap.. from what hes describing i bet its in the $20k price range..

 

 

 

I won't divulge the total price as each swap would be different. I opted for a low mileage LS2 and a lot of extras and I had another $1k in front end repairs. North of 20k though.

 

Impressive outcome. Throw a few more pics.

 

That is insanely clean, very nice car

 

Nice...

 

Super clean...did you use the factory ECU from the motor or aftermarket?

 

The stock LS2 ECU. Hawk's includes the ECU with each of their used motors. What are the advantages of an aftermarket ECU?

 

Gorgeous formula and swap - I have had great experiences with Hawks as well., even though I changed my mind from having them do the swap, to picking up my drivetrain and all my parts and doing it myself (finally got a lift), Tyler and Bruce were always great talking me through the options and everything on the phone, and taking time out of their day to help get me what I wanted