James Elkins, Editor of Ford Muscle, stopped by the Late Model Engines (LME) booth at the PRI 2022 show to see the latest offerings for the 7.3-liter Godzilla engine. Bryan Neelan, the owner of LME, explains some of the key issues they addressed and solved on Ford’s 7.3-liter platform. According to Neelen, one of the biggest problems with the mighty Godzilla is the oil pump.

The factory pump on the Godzilla is a variable displacement design that is controlled by the computer. But it’s not just the pump that’s the issue. Instead, it’s the use of a solenoid that can create problems with some aftermarket ECUs not being able to run the solenoid.

To solve this issue, LME integrated a Gerotor oil pump into the front cover. “This allows us to use a standard pick-up tube. When doing a swap, the factory oil pump is located in the rear sup of the oil pan, driven by a jackshaft off of the crankshaft,” Neelen explains. “By eliminating all of that, we can run a multitude of oil pans for different swaps. The reason was to simplify swapping in the 7.3-liter.”

In addition to the new front cover, LME also designed an intake for the Godzilla. The LME intake is Built from the ground up in-house. The intake has a modular top with an optional elbow for boosted applications. The LME billet intake gives the 7.3 a fantastic look and offers the engine increased versatility in the enthusiast market.

We’re excited to see LME’s latest products for the 7.3-liter Godzilla engine. While each product is an enhancement, it also adds versatility for the hot-rodder looking to swap the 445 cubic-inch engine into the ride of their choice with a variety of options. These options cover everything from naturally aspirated to boosted, fuel injected to carbureted, and everything in between.