He LS SWAPPED An Airplane... And It's SO AWESOME!!! (+Trackhawk Winner!) 

You need to hire this man to do the flyby's at the Freedom Factory for things like 2.4 hours of Le Mullets. Would be sick seeing and hearing that LS roaring over the crowd before the show.

It's awesome that an Apache maintainer won the Track Hawk. Super awesome that a Soldier is going to end up rocking that spicy ride. Very cool guys.

That prop and engine combo is music ! Hat's off to the builders!

5:55 when george says “can I port the heads ?” 😂😂

I love how three guys are the happiest they have ever been while hearing a ls1 swapped plane

That's proof you can literally LS swap anything .

You know it's a sketchy build when cleet and crew opt out of a ride along😂😂😂😂😂

The airstrip before we knew it was his airstrip. U lil sneaky pete!

You'd think with how the Blazer spends more time in the air doing wheelies than on the ground, that George would be right at home flying in an LS swapped plane 😂

I love the sound of the prop combined with the LS. Also I’m happy a service man won the Track Hawk. 🦅🇺🇸

This is the first time I remember seeing Bald Eagle Airfield! Crazy Cleet owns it, a racetrack, a big ol shop and a towing company! Best damn automotive content on youtube!

I am not sure who you are, but I built this with Chris in his garage, we painted it in our friends big rig paint shop and we mated the wings and tested and flew this plane at Glendale airport together. I have all the pictures from even the very first parts being built and magazines with me in them as well. I helped buck most of those 25k rivets on that plane. You are right glass panels were to expensive at the time and iPads didn’t exists for this application. No disparaging taken I know the facts and have any proof needed. There should be no question about the aircraft being able to handle what was designed. C. O. Was an amazing engineer and the proof is in this aircraft. Anyone can make improvements, but this has been more than proof of concept. We have plenty of things we were going to change and do better for the next iteration.

It would be cool if Cletus did a follow up with the people that won cars in the past to see how they are running.

It's a tiny plane that sounds like a WW2 fighter.

That's definitely a strange sound hearing both the v8 and the prop cutting through the air.

Cleet, your whole crew is top-notch. When Zach goes into work mode, it’s more like beast mode, same with Ty. Sam is the final piece of the puzzle. You guys mesh perfectly.

Lmfao George 5:53 “ you should let me port the heads on it “ you can tell he really did alot of that at faster proms 🤣🤣🤣 he sounded too exited

This is the first time I could tell the difference between the sound of the engine and the sound of the propeller. Since I know what that engine sounds like by itself I know that the rest of the noise comes from the airframe and prop. Didn't know I'd learn that today.

This is awesome and couldn’t have gone to a better kid. He definitely deserves it. Congratulations Trevor and when you come home I better get a ride.

As always even though the odds are great can help the little bit of sadness when your name is not called but just as soon as I heard who did win it I couldn't help but smile. I can't think of someone more fitting than a service member. Congratulations brother and thank you for your service.

Im glad an aircraft mechanic won the Track Hawk. He will certainly be able to keep her flyin! Thanks for your service, brother.

Ole Cleet is going to be the first guy to do a two step check on run up before take off.

So happy u shared this awesome plain wit us. Made me smile. Most awesome plane ever. It literally sounds like a vet. Amazing

A very worthy winner of the Trackhawk, a brother from another mother on the opposite side of the pond. Come on Cleetus you must have something in the workshop that'll improve the plane, it sounded sick, all the best Team Freedom Factory for the holiday season and prosperous New Year

We finally have 3 personalities as entertaining as Jeremy ,may and Hammond organically,,,not a forced attempt like other RU-vidrs

Giveaway going to a Soldier is amazing, love when it goes to the right people. He can trade in the Charger sign up bonus now that he has a Trackhawk🏁

Sounded like a p-51 during the flyby. Curious to see how the radiator was mounted and hoses routed.

Wow! The LS has found it's way into aviation! That's saying a lot!!

It would be awesome to see a collab series between Cleetus and Mikey Patey building an LS plane!

What was George worried about? The Cameraman never dies.

The mix of LS + propeller sounds so cool.

What sort of lightweight V12 could you stick in a plane? These bigger displacement planes sound like the warbirds of WW2, and I am here for it!!!!

I'm glad I didn't win the trackhawk, as a Jacksonville native it probably would've gotten stolen in a week

🇺🇸🦅 You can’t get more American that a Apache mechanic winning the Track Hawk. Congratulations and thanks for your service. My son is in the Marine Corps. He said the Apache Pilots are crazy. They will put a Apache down while taking fire then get pissed and light the place up when they lift off. I bet Texas Speed got a call today for a Aluminum 427LS motor for a Carbon Cub…lol. Seriously, As a LSA Pilot I don’t think you could get the weight and balance right to put a LS in a Cub. But I bet you could put a Aluminum LS in a Husky Bushplane by Aviat Aircraft. They are a bigger plane and I believe they have a useful load of like 1,000lbs. They come with a Lycoming 0-360 at 180hp from the factory. A 0-360 weight is like 335lbs without accessories, so they are pushing over 400lbs ready to fly. A aluminum 5.3LS (L33) is only like 465lbs. You would not need all the car accessories. Install a lightweight starter and small alternator I don’t think they are that far off on weight. I bet with the right engine mount and a little tail weight you could put a Aluminum 5.3LS in a Husky Bushplane with the right guy designing it like (Mike Patey) with great success. Cleetus if you read this check out the Husky Bushplanes. This is what a lot of guides use in Canada to pack out Moose and gear with the hunters. They are a beast. Ask Mike Patey if the weight and balance will work to build a Aluminum LS Husky. I think you with be surprised. A gearbox may be your biggest issue. Mike can tell you the weight and balance in 10 minutes, I bet he can design a engine mount also. We just seen a lot smaller plane flying with a LS, but a LS powered Bushplane would be super cool. You can buy a used Husky pretty reasonable, probably cheaper than your Cub. Then convert it over to a Experimental aircraft so the FAA doesn’t complain. I think you are onto something, be great content for McFarland Aviation. Plus the Husky is big enough you could fly somewhere to pickup a engine block or transmission. They have a huge payload. Just think what you could save on truck freight?. lol.. 🇺🇸🦅✈️

Congratulations to the winner! It must have been crazy trying to get the CG right in that plane.

Nice! JP is the nicest person there is. Good to see both of you linking up. BTW it flies great 😂.

Tell you truth. That plane sounded more like a WWII plane than anything else. Something like a Lightening. You guys are right though. Bigger cam, ported and better collector. The flyby was awesome. Notice the climb rate was staggering. Fun reliable plane and inexpensive to maintain. Great swap.

Congrats Trevor!! Glad one of our troops walked away with the bad ass truck and the money! No a sad bone in my body brother!! Merry Christmas my friend and thank you for my freedom! 🫡 🇺🇸

There is an LS powered Cozy 4 place Canard plane out there too. It has a rev limiter which keeps it from over-speeding the propeller. This is very cool!

I would have liked to see the cooling system on that aircraft. He had it concealed well. Cletus, don't even think about flying an airplane.

That plane is literally the most McFarland Aviation thing I could imagine! Hint hint.

I was upset at first to not win lol but hearing another veteran and active duty service member winning the track hawk makes me smile. That’s awesome!!!!

Watching that LS plane fire up I was grinning like a kid at Christmas! That is awesome!

You can hear the Corvette and then the prop buzzing in the back ground! Lol😂

Surprised Cleetus hasn't run across one of these before. Doing a LS in a plane has been a thing for years, can go mild to wild.

10:14 hilarious these guys blown up so many LS’s they want to avoid being in the air with an LS lol

5:25 : synchronized arm folding

FYI: Toyota’s ancient yet reliable dinosaur 4.7L V8 is approved to be used in small aircraft per the FAA.

I worked with aero/auto conversions in the past and while Cleetus is correct that 6000 rpm would be a better number for peak power...the way propellers work they are only efficient within a small rpm range so if you gear it for 6000 takeoff you are condemning it to a close to 5000 cruise rpm which is pushing it where the reliability won't be as good. The fellow gearing it for 4200 takeoff is smart as then you can cruise more like 3000 which it'll do all day long. I wanted to make a 2 speed gearbox where you could use 6000 takeoff then hit high gear and run the prop at close to the same rpm while not spinning the engine so hard for cruise....but everyone said 'nobody does that'. But it would work sweet on an experimental V8 aircraft.

Congrats to such a cool deserving person of the Track Hawk. Thank you for your service!

Had to play that video through my stereo system to better hear the roar of the engine as it flew by. Really cool hearing the engine roar combined with the sound of the props.

Man I love that plane !!! It sounds awesome........it reminds me of a Spitfire when it does a fly by. You need one !!!!!

With the potential G-forces and various pitch angles other than straight and level, I'd recommend a dry sump setup... yesterday! James has a great suggestion of an RV cam, but as it is, it sounds amazing.

Cleetus getting this deep into planes and helicopters is so amazing I love how excited he gets!!!!!!

That’s bad ass! I actually work for a company that overhauls aircraft engines, lycoming and continental. When you reach TBO in that IO-340 or whatever you got in your cub send it over, we can cryo your motor, port your cylinders, and get that thing running top notch. We do a lot of Reno air racing motors, aerobatic engines, and the redbull air racing motors when they where doing that.

This is literally the most bad ass lil plane I’ve ever seen. 😂😂😂sounds so damn good man! She rips

My favorite part of this video was Jackstand and George obsessed with the 2003 year. They've just never owned an engine for that long without blowing it up

That sounded so cool! The LS roaring and then right as it past you hear the prop too. Freaking sweet!

5:26 nice sync crossing the arms

God, how you tubers love to hear themselves talk!

I'm glad you guys passed on the ride... The fly-bys were more than enough... Friggin cool plane!

George has the best laugh. I'm so glad that guy is around

Gongrats to Trevor! Super cool !

Great Sound for this "bird" !!! All absolut terrific!!!! A Belgian lover !

Once that guy finishes up with the army he is the new mechanic for McFarland aviation bonus you guys get to drive the trackback again lol

George has gotten so used to filming planes, it almost never leaves the shot. 😂 this thing is awesome... with KSR Kevin's 8-1 from the Lexus, it would sound so immaculate

Stationed at Hunter Army Airfield!!! Love the fact that I grew up on that same base while my dad fixed Apache helicopters himself!!! That’s so awesome

It actually is very cool. Given the proportion of flight cost is the engine an its maintenance, this could be a lot of fun on a budget. I hope it is at least an AL block. To me it sounds like a WWII fighter. A lot of deep exhaust sounds vs todays Rotax wonders.

THATS SOME GRADE A ENTERTAINMENT RIGHT THERE. Cable TV could never

Cleetus looking at the hood on that plane trying to figure out where to cut holes for the turbos 😂

This guy needs to do a flyover at Road America in Wisconsin for the vintage race weekend. It would be so cool.

thats Wild and Mind Blowing at the same time WOW!

Anyone else get a bit antsy on that first takeoff roll as he rocketed toward those power lines? 😱

I think giving away a spot to race a crown Vic in a race would be pretty cool. Or like a VIP trip to the freedom factory where you get to go for a ride in the cars and maybe rip one of them, the VIP experience would have to come with a helicopter ride over the freedom factory as well

That's pretty wild! I think I'd want a dry sump though just in case.

In aviation, reliability is priority 1, 2, and 3. If your engine dies on takeoff, you probably will too. There's a reason why non-experimental certified engines have low power, two sparkplugs per cylinder, etc.

That plane sounds so cool! The sound of the LS and the propellers is crazy!

That’s the coolest thing I’ve seen in a while, the sound of that airplane was insane

It kiiiiinda sounds like a P-51! Little bit throatier than the Merlin but similar sound. Awesome!!

it sounds like the old ww2 fighters, big meaty sounding engine, love it

Love it! Trevor thank you for your service glad you won it.

The engine sound mixed with the prop sound is crazy

Cletus! The LS in the air won me over AND made me a new subscriber!!! You have got to be kidding me😊 I would like to suggest a turbo ' Busa in something tiny and little

I dunno why but it really made me smile when he fired it up 😊. Can he do loops or fly inverted tho? I'm thinking that might be a problem with an engine intended to run upright

Those guys to the "LS swap the world" to a whole new level!!!!

And just like that, Cletus and Jackstand have reverted back to their LS ways

A friend of mine has a 1949 Sea Bee that has a LS Corvette engine in it. About 10 years ago he was headed for Oshkosh from Toronto so he had to fly over Lake Michigan. He had just cleared the lake and it dropped a valve. Made a safe landing in a field 2 miles inland. We had to go and take it apart in the field to trailer it back to Toronto. It had A/C as well. Apparently That engine was known for dropping valves but they didn't know that when they put it in. It has a newer LS now with special valves.

I backed the video up just to before the engine rev and closed my eyes, hit play and I swear it sounded JUST LIKE a C5. Made me chuckle.

Hey Clete, you ever heard of Ryan Falconer racing engines? he builds custom engines for aviation and automotive. His engines are like works of art.

"Capital Mental!" Love George! Thanks for not sending him up in that thing, precious cargo!

Congratulations to the winner and thank you for your service!!

You should check out the LS crates that they bolt onto the Murphy Moose! You think the cub is cool that thing is way cooler….cross between cub and beaver

Wild seeing my boy win. After a decade of friendship it’s awesome seeing him get such a cool win in life🤙

Congratulations Trevor. Glad its going to a brother in arms.

I'm sure you know by now but you ABSOLUTELY CAN put a TURBO on it! In the aviation world it's called a "turbo normalizer", and what it does is produces enough boost to eliminate the effects of density altitude. So no matter what altitude, temperature, or humidity, the engine has the same power as 29.92" mercury at sea level.

That flyby, amazing!! 🤩

We have had a LS powered Tow Plane for Gliders in Benalla ,Australia for many years now. Sounds awesome flying our workshop.

That is so funny to see someone essentially revving an airplane lol Sounds freakin awesome!

That plane is DYNAMITE! Screams AMERICA

7:36 E85 would freeze at altitude rather quickly. Aviation fuel has no ethanol, it's why extremely toxic fuel like 100LL is used