There’s a new engine allowed by the Topless Outlaws for 2026: the 330 LS. It’s based on the GM 5.3-liter LS engine popular in many forms of motorsport.
“The 330 LS Package can easily make 600 horsepower,” Scott Pass, Topless Outlaws promoter and an engine builder for 30 years, said. “If you are a decent home engine builder or have a local engine builder, you can get a lot more out of the 330 LS Package than you think.”
Pass expects the LS option to save racers money, too. The series features mostly cast-iron-block engines, which go for $35,000, said Pass. He added a competitive Outlaw 330 LS can be built for less than $20,000.
“The average price for a block and head casting is $500 versus $3,000 to $4,000 or more for a Dart block and heads used in the built Topless Outlaw engine package,” Pass said. “You can run a junkyard dog, but to build a competitive LS you can invest as little as $10,000. One racer may want to build his own engine. Another may wish to buy a dressed 525. Another may go all out and buy the [conventional] Topless Outlaw engine.”
The 330 LS option will use the 5.3.-liter LS instead of the 6.0-liter version.
“There are thousands of 5.3 LS engines available out there, and a lot fewer 6.0L LS engines,” Pass said. “I wanted this option to be something a racer could build at home, with more power than a 604 crate. You can build it at home. By adding ported heads, a new cam, valve springs, a crank, rods, and pistons, you can easily make 600 horsepower.”
Racers using the 330 LS will also receive a 50-pound weight break. Ultimately, Pass said he does not wish to eliminate the Gen I small-block Chevrolet engine. Instead, he hopes to grow the Topless Outlaws even more. Pass took over the series this year. And, under his promotional reins, the series has attracted around 50 cars for its bigger shows.
“I had been contacted by a fair amount of racers who don’t run with us because they don’t want to use an underpowered 604 crate and could not afford a $35,000 built engine,” said Pass. “Many said they are willing to pay around $15,000 to have a reasonably competitive car.”
Mike Adaskaveg has written hundreds of stories since the website’s inception. This year marks his 54th year of covering auto racing. Adaskaveg got his start working for track photographer Lloyd Burnham at Connecticut’s Stafford Motor Speedway in 1970. Since then, he’s been a columnist, writer, and photographer, in racing and in mainstream media, for several outlets, including the Journal Inquirer, Boston Herald, Stock Car Racing, and Speedway Illustrated. Among Adaskaveg’s many awards are the 1992 Eastern Motorsport Press Association (EMPA) Ace Lane Photographer of the Year and the 2019 National Motorsports Press Association (NMPA) George Cunningham Writer of the Year.
