If you’re building a boosted LS on a budget, Gen 4 rods are one of the best value parts in the junkyard. The problem is nobody tells you which cars to actually look in. So I sat down and compiled every GM vehicle that came with an LS engine, and that list is at the bottom of this post.
Quick audio rundown first, then the list:
The year cutoff
Here’s the part that actually matters when you’re standing in a junkyard row:
2004 and up definitely had the Gen 4 rods. That’s the safe line. If you’re looking at an ’04 or newer LS out of anything on the list below, you’re good to go.
2003 is where it gets murky. Some of them had Gen 4 rods, some didn’t — I want to say the higher-performance vehicles got them first, but I’m not going to pretend it’s an exact cutoff, because it isn’t. If you find a 2003, don’t assume either way. Check the rod itself.
How to tell you’ve actually got one
You can usually identify them by the dimple in the rod. That’s the tell. Pull one, look for the dimple, and you know what you’re holding instead of guessing off the build year.
This is why the year is a starting filter, not the answer. The year gets you to the right cars. The dimple confirms it.
Why bother with Gen 4 rods
They’re powdered metal, they’re stronger than what a lot of people are running, and — the important part — they’re sitting in wrecked trucks and SUVs everywhere for almost nothing. For a budget boost build, that combination is hard to beat. You’re getting a real upgrade for the price of a Saturday and a socket set.
How to use the list
The table below is every GM vehicle that came with an LS engine, grouped by brand. It’s not a list of cars that are guaranteed to have Gen 4 rods — it’s your search grid. Cross-reference it with the year rule:
- Find any vehicle from the list in the yard
- Check the year — 2004+ is a yes, 2003 is a maybe
- Pull a rod and look for the dimple to confirm
Copy it into Excel or your phone notes if that’s easier. Doesn’t matter how you carry it — just have it with you, because trying to remember whether an Envoy or a Rainier is on the list while you’re standing in the mud is how you walk past a good engine.
A few of these are obvious. Silverado, Tahoe, Suburban — everybody knows to look there, which also means everybody already has. The ones worth remembering are the odd entries: the Rainier, the SSR, the Express van, the Envoy. Nobody picks those over, and they’re carrying the same rods.
The list
| chevy | Avalanche |
| Camero | |
| Caprice | |
| Colorado | |
| Express van | |
| impala | |
| Monte Carlo | |
| Silverado | |
| ss | |
| SSR | |
| suburban | |
| Tahoe | |
| GMC | Trailblazer |
| Canyon | |
| envoy | |
| Savana | |
| Sierra | |
| Yukon | |
| Cadillac | CTS-v |
| Escalade | |
| Pontiac | Firebird |
| G8 | |
| Grand Prix | |
| GTO | |
| Hummer | H2 |
| H3 | |
| Buick | Rainier |
| Lacrosse |
Once you’ve got your rods, the next question is which block to put them in — I went through that in best LS engine years for boost.