The year was 1966 when then 16-year-old Mike Morris of New Haven, Kentucky purchased this beautiful Bel Air for just $100. Amazingly, he still owns the ’57 after all of these years, and he hops in and drag races it often.

“I’ve owned this car a long time and have raced it with lots of different engines,” said 70-year-old Morris. “I always liked to experiment with combinations and about seven years ago I got tired of messing with big blocks. They are heavy and expensive if you want to use aluminum heads and make big power. So I took a 6.0 LS from a 2001 Chevy truck and added a Comp cam, a Holley intake, and a 750 cfm carb I had sitting around. [The engine] is small and easily fit in the Bel Air.”

Mike Morris [left] bought his '57 in 1966 for a mere $100. After getting tired of messing with big block engines and racing, he swapped in a stock LS pullout engine and now the car runs high 10s.

“It also has a Turbo 400 three-speed transmission and a Dana 60 rear out of a Plymouth GTX. We did the wheel tubs and ladder bar suspension to fit big tires and now it runs easy 10s. A bunch of my friends have driven it and I recently won a race at a local track. We’re excited to be here at LS Fest, and to see all the LS swapped vehicles.”

After a mild burnout, Morris foot-brakes his Chevy off the line and shifts at 6,400 rpm. “It’s really easy to drive and has run 10.98 at 117 mph. I did the swap many years ago. It was a great way to save weight and go faster without spending big bucks. The engine is literally stock, save for the cam and induction.”