High school can be a tough time on teenagers, what with all the peer pressure and social anxiety that become a part of the daily norm. But some kids really do have it tougher than others for reasons beyond their control. One particular Texas teenager found himself diagnosed with cancer, meaning many activities healthy teenagers take for granted were well beyond his grasp.But leave it to a community of car enthusiasts to come together and give this young man something to celebrate. Reports that the, in conjunction with the, and SRT President Ralph Gilles, took 17-year old Freddy on a ride in his favorite car; the Viper.Car communities are known for coming together and helping out their members when faced with adversity.

And few things are worse than cancer, which has relegated young Freddy to a wheelchair for much of his high school career. But that hasn’t stopped him from being a serious Viper enthusiast, which is what brought the Viper community together to give Freddy a chance for a fun, fast ride.Organizers with Your Ride Is Here even got SRT President Ralph Gilles to come on down and give Freddy a ride around the track in a brand new, 2013 SRT Viper. Gilles is proving to be one of the coolest brand bosses ever, and this little bit of charity goes a long way towards promoting the Viper community and showing that car companies do care.We think this was a pretty cool way to show some love to the Viper community and a very sick teenager, and we hope that other car companies follow suit. Resistance 3 ps3. Mad props Mr. Gilles, mad props.

The 5.7L GM LS made its first appearance in the 1997 Chevy Corvette. (Image/LSX Magazine)

The LS1 is the original Gen. 3 small block engine from General Motors used in cars from 1997-2004. The engine specs and information here is for the stock LS1 engine.

Mechanically similar, GM’s LS and LS-based Vortec engines wound up on almost every branch of the GM family tree: Chevy, Pontiac, GMC, Cadillac, Buick—heck, even Saab, Hummer, and Isuzu got some LS love.

Customize your avatar with the Freddy lsx Project Torque T-Shirt and millions of other items. Mix & match this t shirt with other items to create an avatar that is. Thanks for purchasing the PROJECT TORQUE T SHIRT hope you like it.

Since LS and Vortec engines are so common, they’ve become the go-to performance and swap engines of the modern era.

These motors are capable of making a lot of horsepower, and respond well to upgrades like turbos, superchargers, high-flow cylinder heads, intake systems, cams, and nitrous oxide.

[Looking to upgrade your LS1 engine? Check out LS1 Engine Upgrade Guide: Expert Advice for LS1 Mods to Maximize Performance.]

The aftermarket is strong, crate engines are available, and used motors are often cheaply sourced through junkyards.

[Trying to find an LS engine? Check out Part 1 and Part 2 of our LS Spotter’s Guide.]

Summit Racing has created a series of comprehensive guides for each engine in the LS family, so engine builders and tuners can have a handy reference for their projects.

The first engine on the list is the first GM LS—the 5.7L LS1 that appeared in the 1997 Chevy Corvette.

(Summit Racing’s Paul Spurlock and Brian Nutter contributed to this article.)

GM LS1 Engine Specs

LS1 Performance Specifications

LS1 Applications

LS1 Engine Blocks

LS1 Rotating Assembly

LS1 Cylinder Heads

LS1 Cam Specifications

LS1 Valvetrain

Other Key LS1 Specs

The data for this article originally appeared in this Chevy LS1 Engine Specs article at Summit Racing’s searchable database of FAQ tech info. Go there and search “LS engines” for a comprehensive collection of LS engine tech information.

…

NOTE: You can find engine specs and detailed engine upgrade advice for every LS and LS-based Vortec truck engine in one place: The Definitive Guide to LS Engine Specs and LS Engine Upgrades.