[Alex V.]

LS engines are nice and certainly have their benefits over the previous generation of V8's, but boys, I'm not sure what big block you're talking about that isn't reliable and requires a rebuild every 100K. Mine has 122,000 on it and yes, it leaks and needs all the vacuum hoses and valve seals redone, valves adjusted, and the carb. tweaked, but it fires up without protest every time, gets 12 MPG, and pulls several tons without protest. And the Vortec 454 in my BIL's dad's Suburban has 270K on it and, outside of electrical problems, runs like a top, too. In a truck built for cruising, car shows, etc., maybe LS is the ticket, but in any truck built to work, give me the rat.